Festo Didactic is the world-leading equipment and solution provider for industrial education and is dedicated to technical training and education in the automation industry. Motion Control editor, Kim Roberts and SA Instrumentation & Control editor, Steven Meyer, recently paid a visit to newly appointed Didactic manager, Nico Landman and outgoing manager, Hugo van Niekerk to find out more about the contribution it is making and how it is gearing up for Industry 4.0.
Festo Didactic was created through the foresight of Festo’s owners, who realised that the industrialisation of a country is dependent on the education of the people. The Didactic Division consists of two business units, namely Learning Systems and Training and Consulting. The first provides training equipment and systems to training centres, universities and colleges, while the second provides a wide range of training and consulting services related to the automation industry. Festo is continually updating existing courses and adding new technologies to its portfolio. “Didactic is derived from the Greek word didaktikos – skilled in teaching. We are training for employability and for productivity,” says Landman.
Festo recently acquired the Canadian company, Lab-Volt, which has a very strong portfolio of integrated learning systems in the electronics, electrical and mechanical engineering and telecommunication fields and this has boosted the electrical and electronic side of Didactic’s offering. “This combination will take our offering in South Africa to a new level and makes Festo the biggest provider of training in the world,” adds van Niekerk.
Landman explains that training contributes around 15% of Festo’s revenue in South Africa and the company sees this percentage rising to more than 20% by 2020, with great potential for growth into Africa. Courses are held countrywide and are MerSETA-accredited. He adds that the training is technology related, not product related. For example, Festo Didactic is one of the biggest suppliers of hydraulic training in the world but does not have any hydraulic equipment in its industrial automation offering.
Festo has invested generously in an impressive, fully equipped training centre at its Isando headquarters. Students receive theoretical training and then move directly to practical workbenches so they can immediately apply what they have learnt. “By integrating the two you create a skill,” continues van Niekerk. “This is competency-based learning, where students are encouraged to actively partake in the training.”
Landman says that the Festo Didactic value proposition, from a product perspective, extends from individual component supply, to complete training laboratories. The training systems are all fully modular. “We have a bouquet of solutions that can be customised to individual institution specifications and technology requirements.”
Training on the go
Festo also has a fully equipped training truck, aptly named the Eduvan, for mobile training. The Eduvan can accommodate up to twelve participants and can be fitted with training modules covering a variety of technologies. Landman says that its real value is getting to places that would not otherwise have access to Festo’s training. The Eduvan will undertake its first South African road trip during the latter part of 2016, whilst in the medium term, Festo plans to take a full-blown road trip up Africa as far as its subsidiary in Kenya. This is planned for 2018.
Industry 4.0
Festo Didactic has big plans to take its offering into the future and will soon have an Industry 4.0 module as part of its training menu. The company has already invested R3,8 million in a cyber-physical laboratory which is a modular learning system for training in Industry 4.0. This replicates the stations of a real production system, integrating relevant mechatronic and automation technologies.
“We use the concept of engaging with the customer and customise solutions from the start,” says Landman. “We call this IDEA: Identify, Develop, Engage and Apply. First we identify what the training needs are in the context of the strategic drivers of the organisation and identify the skills gap; then we go back and develop a solution from Festo’s wide range of modules; then we engage with the customer and take the development back to their shop floor; only then do we apply the solution, look at the return on investment that this training offers, and provide the accreditation.
“Our investments into Industry 4.0 will change perceptions and enhance our competitive edge. We are currently engaging seriously with our customers and our people are thinking out of the box. This is a mindset change in how to handle the human factor and we are engaging for the long term,” he concludes.
For more information contact Kershia Beharie, Festo, +27 (0)11 971 5509, [email protected], www.festo.co.za
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