 The ‘PPL Method’ is our unique in-house engineer training program. It has been designed to give engineers the training that they need to fix any of our customers printers.
Generally, training courses are given by our senior engineers. However, we also make use of courses given by manufacturers and CD and web based training.
New Engineers
A new engineer who joins PPL has to undertake a six week training course before they are allowed to service a customer’s machine on their own. The course is split into three stages.
 The first stage teaches the engineer about the fundamentals of how a printer works. A lot of time is spent ensuring that they have a thorough understanding of different printing technologies be they laser, solid ink, thermal, inkjet or line matrix. They are given both theoretical training and practical training sessions by a senior engineer who is considered to be an expert of that technology.
The second stage is practical training on the specific printer models. We use R2 to provide us with detailed information about the installed contract base within a certain geographical region. This allows us to devise a unique syllabus that is designed to train the engineer on the printer models that they are most likely to encounter. The focus of the course is ‘hands on’ so the engineer will spend a lot of time stripping down and reassembling printers. It is during this stage that the engineer is given training by the manufacturer on their particular range of printer.
 The final week of the course is spent working alongside a colleague in the field to learn about our procedures and how PPL engineers should conduct themselves.
Throughout this process the engineers are introduced to the cultural values of the company and the principles of our first time fix mentality.
Existing Engineers
The PPL Method is also used to refresh the skill set of our engineers. Whenever we adopt a new printing technology we will invest a lot of money retraining our engineers to ensure that they are competent.
 The way that this is typically done is by sending two of our senior engineers on a manufacturer training course. These engineers will then be designated as ‘authorised trainers’ who will not only lead the training but will also be able to provide technical support at a later date.
Before leading a course they will return to our training facility for a week to spend time dismantling and rebuilding the printer and to devise an in-house training program.
Where the PPL Method differs from other training courses is in the fact that an engineer is only said to have passed the course after he has successfully managed to repair a number of the ‘faults’ on the printer that have been simulated by the trainer. |
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