Technician training at Komatsu
Komatsu Australia takes a turn in the mining and earth moving world to offer technical, operator, and management courses in its new academy
Throughout Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, Komatsu Australia courses will be available through its newly established business unit, Kotmatsu Training Academy.
This is a nationally registered training organisation (RTO) and will provide vocational education courses through advanced technical training facilities in the region.
Janine Temple is the academy’s national business manager who has 17 years of training and management experience under her belt. She has taken roles in leading industry associations such as Australian Mines and Metals Association, the Civil Contractors Federation, and the Housing Industry Association.
Headquartered in Brisbane, the Komatsu Technical Education Centre (KTEC) has become Komatsu Training Academy (KTA)’s primary training centre for operators and technicians in the region.
KTEC is where the technical training facilities are the most advanced, with the range of equipment catering for training not only for mining, earthmoving and utility products but also equipment used by other industries, such as transport, warehousing and logistics.
Nationally recognised and customised, KTA training has been carefully developed for customers where they need it, according to Janine.
This means customers can train online, on-site, at customers’ premises or at the company’s dedicated facilities in Brisbane and other centres.
What makes Kotmatsu’s Training Academy different
Janine says customer’s specific needs are what the course has been developed for, as it includes a mix of fully accredited, nationally recognised courses and modules, along with purpose-designed training.
She adds that the team of industry-qualified trainers teach a broad range of customisable courses, including operator proficiency development, leadership and management training, and specialised technical training and skills development.
This will move beyond basic competency training into more advanced proficiency development, which will be the major focus of KTA’s courses.
Janine thinks that today’s training focuses too much on creating numerous trainees. Rather, KTA focuses on what the market really needs—an upskilling for increased production, improved fuel efficiency, reduced wear and tear, lower operating costs, better preventive maintenance, and greater safety.
A company’s bottom line would significantly benefit between a key technician who is truly proficient at their job verses one who is simply competent verses, Janine says.
Komatsu’s total machine management approach follows this philosophy, she says. The information communications technology (ICT) and intelligent machine systems are harnessed to drive productivity and reliability improvements, and reduce operating costs.
Janine concludes by saying that having skilled operators and technicians who understand the machines and technology behind them completely, will be the ones that take full advantage of these developments.
KTA branches will be located across Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia where training and educational programs will be available, yet the hub of its operation will be the KTEC headquarters.
KTEC is located on more than three hectares of land, with more than 2600sqm of dedicated training facilities, including seven classrooms, seven technical/electrical laboratories and a large machine operator’s workshop.
Simulators help the novice and experience operators to safely learn on the construction and utility size up to ultra-class mining equipment.
Courses at Komatsu Training Academy
Courses available through KTA cover a variety of mining, construction and utility machine types, including backhoe/loaders, dozers, crushers, dump trucks, excavators (conventional and hybrid), graders and wheel loaders, as well as general systems and technologies.
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