Aggregates Manager

March 2014

Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine

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TIONS ILLUSTRATED OUR EXPERTS Simulator Training March 2014 Tom Whitworth is an account manager for Simformotion LLC, the licensee for Cat Simulators for Caterpillar Inc., where he educates customers on how to integrate heavy equipment simulators as part of an end-to-end training pro- gram. Prior to Simformotion, he worked for MatchWare, Inc. as an educational advisor. Whitworth has a master's in business administration from Eastern Illinois University. Danny Turner is the train- ing and development coordinator at Aecon Mining in Alberta, Canada, where he has spent the last three years developing a training and evaluation program to make the workforce safer and more productive. He has worked in construction for 40 years, operating every type of equipment ranging from small dozers and excavators to large hydraulic shovels in large mines. Simulators are a good way to assess the skills of new hires without the risk of putting them into a piece of equipment. Check their skills, and, if you like what you see, continue to use the simulator to train the operators for a day or two to make sure they understand the unique challenges/ways of perform- ing tasks and handling traffi c patterns associated with your individual operation. Simulator training offers great fl exibility. Training centers can be set up in on-site classrooms or in a mobile trailer that can be moved from site to site. The training can be done any time, day or night, and in any weather conditions. Simulators can be used in conjunction with computer programs, allowing multiple operators to be trained at the same time, which speeds the entire training process and gets operators into the iron quickly. Cost savings is the name of the game for any company that wants to continue doing business in this day and age. Simulators are one way producers can help keep expenses to a minimum. There are no fuel costs or equipment mainte- nance required when using simulators, and no engine hours are expended. If a loader operator is being trained to load a haul truck, it requires the use of two machines at double the expense, so the cost savings can be huge when using a simulator. Some simulators include an inspection program that can help operators identify possible maintenance issues before they cause serious problems. The simulator leads the op- erator through a walk-around inspection of the machine that highlights what areas should be checked during both a pre-operation inspection and a post-operation inspection. The walk-around shows the operator what to look for in each area in order to prevent equipment downtime associated with unplanned maintenance. Assess/refi ne operator skills 2 3 Training fl exibility 5 Cost savings/sustainability 6 Better maintenance

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