An investment in modern fabrication equipment such as a tube and pipe laser can totally transform a business. With the right machine, shops experience better throughput and quality and, in turn, see higher margins and happier customers. Those results, however, can only be realized if a company’s workforce is properly trained. After all, a machine can only be as effective as the people operating, programming and maintaining it.
With nearly 20 years at BLM GROUP, Pierluigi (Gigi) Zontini, head of proactive services and analytics, has seen the various ways a company can falter when operators lack proper training. An untrained or under-trained operator can degrade machine productivity simply by underutilizing its functionality. But these operators can also cause unnecessary wear and tear to a machine. They can even misdiagnose their own errors as machine reliability issues, creating costly downtime until a machine’s true status can be properly diagnosed.
“If an operator doesn’t know how to use a machine, they might report that it’s having problems, when in reality, that isn’t the case,” he says. “We’ve had customers concerned that their machine wasn’t reliable only to find out later that the issue was user error. Conversely, we’ve had customers that reduced their shifts from two to one just because they learned how to better use their equipment after training.”
Understanding the critical nature of training, BLM GROUP has spent years developing a comprehensive system for training and supporting customers to help them get the most from their investments. With a holistic approach to customer service, training and support, the company is able to promise its customers, “if you can imagine it, you can produce it with a BLM GROUP machine.”
Initial instruction
To deliver long-term equipment success – and make sure the “if you can imagine it” promise holds true – BLM GROUP provides hands-on, small-class training at its North American headquarters facility in Novi, Mich. That training is later complemented by follow-up visits at customer facilities. Supplemental training courses are also available that cover the gamut – machine operation, software programming and preventative maintenance. Ongoing support is always available and provided via remote connections, ticketing systems, video tutorials and a new portal where customers can access a wealth of information, including machine analytics and service history.
Jim Crocker, the manager of training, development and laser application support at BLM GROUP USA, says that when a customer has invested in a BLM GROUP machine, his first order of business is making sure that the proper people are in place to set up the initial training session. The goal is that these students – whether they’re operators or supervisors – will all be comfortable operating their new machine.
“Many customers who purchase a machine from us are first timers, and many are buying what will be the most sophisticated machine in their facility,” he says. “Introducing a machine like a tube laser or even a flat sheet laser or bender is a big step up for them. Other than the installation of the machine, training is probably the most critical factor for equipment success.”
To set the stage for training success, BLM GROUP has invested heavily over the years to give customers the tools they need. Recently, the company’s training center at its headquarters in Novi underwent an expansion that included 65,000 sq. ft. of brand-new space that will be dedicated exclusively to customer training. In total, the expansion brings the facility to more than 140,000 sq. ft. in overall space.
Key features of the expansion include a larger, hands-on technical training lab, a separate dedicated space for machine demos, more space for admin and engineering staff, and increased capacity to support customers with their advanced applications and automation projects.
For new customers, the first training sessions are held at the Novi training center while their new machine is being installed back at their facility. At the Novi location, Crocker says customers can be free from the distractions of work and can better focus on the training at hand. To make sure that everyone gets hands-on instruction time, he tries to limit class sizes to four or five people.
“We want to make the most of everyone’s time because we typically only get 40 hours of work with them,” he says. “Classes are from 8:00 to 5:00 Monday through Thursday and then 8:00 to 2:00 on Friday to allow customers from around the country to catch their flights. Each day, we only offer two breaks plus a 30-min. lunch, so it’s pretty intense.”
After the initial week of training, the company follows up with customers to ensure that the theory and practice of what they learned was effective. Crocker says his team will go to the customer site a week or two later to conduct what they refer to as a ramp-up visit.
Ongoing assistance
After the initial training session and ramp-up visit have concluded, Crocker stresses that the support from BLM GROUP is far from over.
“It actually begins there,” he says. “Sometimes it’s hard to grasp everything that a fabricator will need to do or everything they’re going to face. They’re going to run into scenarios where they need assistance, so we’ve created several ways for customers to reach out to us. They can call us, email us or log in directly at the machine to create a ticket with a specific question.
“No matter the method, the service team or applications and training team will quickly respond via the customer’s preferred method of communication to help them out,” he adds. “To better help them from afar, we can remotely log into their machine to see exactly what they’re experiencing.”
If a programmer is confronted with a complex part, BLM GROUP can provide online support. In some instances, a short training session can be utilized to show them how to change a tech table to get better cut quality, for example.
“We’re always within arm’s reach of our customers – and it doesn’t matter if they have an older machine or a brand-new machine,” Crocker says. “Thanks to all of the various training opportunities we’ve developed over the years, customers can truly realize their machines’ potential. We understand that it’s almost impossible to train everyone for every scenario in that first 40 hours in Novi, so when those moments arise where they encounter something that they weren’t trained on, we’re ready to help.”
Machine maintenance
“You hear a lot about training on the machine, but you don’t hear a lot about training on the maintenance of the machine,” Zontini says. “Proper machine maintenance, however, is critical. We now have maintenance courses for 90 percent of our product lines based on how popular our first maintenance courses were.”
As far as maintenance training is concerned, Zontini says that BLM GROUP will tailor training courses for customers based on their individual usage. After all, not every customer uses their machine in the same way. Some customers, for example, might only process lightweight material while others are running some really heavy material on their machines.
“We can do that training at the customer location, too,” Crocker says. “A lot of customers prefer that because it can be difficult to pull a maintenance person out of the shop. They need them on-site in case something comes up.”
Maintenance courses cover a wide range of topics, including predictive and preventative maintenance that rely on machine analytics and data. When BLM GROUP technicians come on-site, they encourage the customer’s maintenance team to shadow them and offer opportunities to further familiarize them with the new machine.
“We also provide customers with a maintenance checklist that includes things like when they have to clean the machine, whether they have to check a certain area and with what frequency,” Zontini says. “That checklist is also available as a pop-up on the machine, which includes acknowledgements that operators have to click on along with video tutorials they can access for additional information.”
Training topics, however, don’t just focus on the hardware side of operations. Customers can take advantage of training for software and programming, as well. Crocker says most of the individuals that enroll in software training have some level of CAD experience.
Long-term reliability
Throughout a machine’s life, customers continue to rely on BLM GROUP for training and support. Some customers take advantage of it to become super-users, others take advantage as new employees are onboarded and still others enroll to find additional ways to improve their overall operations.
In addition to training, customers can also take advantage of the BLMportal, which every customer has access to free of charge. Customers can monitor their machine’s statistics and performance using BLManalytics and can access technical manuals and software updates. They can also open and track the progress of technical support tickets and purchase and track spare parts, tooling and consumables. Considering the value BLM GROUP places on training, it comes as no surprise that the BLMportal also features a range of manuals and tutorials.
“Customers can access manuals and schematics and create service tickets and place and monitor orders,” Zontini says. “For their software, customers can access manuals and tutorials, which is especially helpful for those that have some programming experience, but don’t use the software very often. Our tutorials are incredibly user-friendly and cover a wide range of topics, including how to renew or customize remote connection assistant contracts and maintenance contracts.”
For newer machines, BLM GROUP also offers D-Analytics for machine monitoring, which customers can access via the BLMportal to see how their machine is performing and if it’s having issues that might inspire operators or programmers to get more training.
“The primary considerations for our customers are machine reliability, how much training they’re going to receive and our response time in case something fails,” Crocker says. “We have a lot of regionalized technicians across the United States to minimize travel so that we can respond in a timely fashion.
“But again, whenever customers need anything, our goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to get help,” he concludes. “Customers have access to us by phone and email and through the BLMportal, but really, they can also reach us right at the machine.”
Understanding the latest developments in training and support ensures efficiency, precision and cost-effectiveness in manufacturing processes. Learn more by visiting our “Training & Education” archives.
