At Sullair, longevity and quality assurance are at the core of everything we do. And our staff are no exception.
By providing our technicians, customers and suppliers with ongoing training that helps them build their knowledge and expertise, we are not only providing best-in-class customer service but also making sure customer’s safety and compressor knowledge is paramount.
How we train our people
We train from the inside out. From the first day on the job, our technicians are in training. Starting with basic introductions to Sullair as a company and our rigorous Health and Safety culture, our accredited team lead by Wayne Liddell ensure that new starters have a thorough introduction to the basic principles of compressed air machinery and the Sullair approach to customer care. After skills tests, our technicians are then buddied up with experienced technicians in the field for a three-month period. In order to learn the theory, they shadow their buddy until they are comfortable to begin putting their knowledge into practice.
“We formalise right from the real basics, to build that underpinning knowledge so that then they’re sitting on a solid base- quite unique in the field.” explains Wayne Liddell, who leads the quality and training programmes at Sullair Australia.
Once established technicians, the training continues as Sullair’s comprehensive in-field reporting identifies weak links that are then eradicated and added to the future training materials.
“We gather a lot of information face-to-face on the way that technicians do things, they’re training us as well. ‘Is there a better way?’ We then share that gained knowledge with the next group we train. It’s an evolution that never stops”.
What makes Sullair’s training stand out?
Traditionally, Sullair has always provided in-field face-to-face training for customers and suppliers, even in the most remote locations. All of our training begins with basic principles. We teach participants about the internals of the machines they work with, the functionality and the design elements. That strengthens their fault-finding ability because they know how the parts should function and can identify when it is not doing what it was designed to do. We teach to see both the forest and the trees.
This knowledge works both ways. Once the customer or supplier understands the basics and are on the same page, they can relay their queries efficiently to our technicians, helping us to solve matters quicker.
‘They start off with the basics and they go through different levels to achieve a well-polished technical advantage.’, says Liddell.
When Sullair Australia embarks on training with our customers, it’s never a cookie-cutter or generic lesson. Our training is always tailored to each customer and their specific machinery.
‘We’re not going generic once we’re out in the field, it’s all targeted to their machines and their models.’, assures Liddell.
Technological advances in training due to COVID
As the COVID pandemic banished most pre-existing methods of training, Sullair needed to evolve in order to continue to care for customers. We began translating our modules into online courses and led training using video-conferencing technology.
‘Technology advances always amazes me; we’ve learnt great lessons over the last 12 months with COVID when putting together remote learning packages. We are seeing great advantages in electronic training. It is great to know we can do this; we can spread knowledge this way,’ says Wayne Liddell.
However, Sullair’s customer-centric approach remains at the core of what we do.
‘But there is absolutely nothing like face-to-face training to build relationships between the customers and Sullair. It really does enhance the customer experience.’
What does technical training look like into the future?
As adaptability is at the heart of everything Sullair does, the Quality and Training team are excited about advances moving forward, as well as maintaining face-to-face interactions with customers, depending on their individual needs.
‘We continue to look at new technologies so that you can get courses more interactive. Maybe VR is the next movement in training in the future!’
Are you looking for training for your business?
Contact Wayne Liddell at wayne.liddell@sullair.com.au