Siemens continues to invest in its partner training programme with the announcement of the introduction of a ‘training wall’ to enhance the practical experience at its dedicated facility in Manchester.
Training has always been at the heart of Siemens’ relationships with its partners, with the company recognising the vital role it plays in optimising the potential of its fire safety solutions.
The new wall features the Siemens fire safety panels – Cerberus PRO and Cerberus FIT – along with detectors and sounders, including the FDA241 and FDA262 from the aspirating smoke detection (ASD and ASD+) range, all networked to allow engineers to see how the different elements can work together.
The wall also has two fire dampers controlled by Siemens actuators which are integrated with the fire safety systems, as well as a PXC4 automation station, a Connect Box IOT unit and a Desigo optic embedded device from Siemens BMS (building management systems) portfolio, all of which can be integrated as part of a Siemens Building X single digital platform.
Justin Leeks was appointed as Siemens Fire Product Trainer in 2023 and delivers many of the programmes. He recognises the importance of those undertaking the training being able to actually get experience of using the systems, commenting, “Theory is important, but it only goes so far. I have been a fire systems engineer myself so understand how getting your hands dirty by being ‘under the hood’ and seeing how these systems operate is the best way of learning. This knowledge can then be taken into the field by engineers who understand the specifics of the systems and how to best manage installation, commissioning and maintenance.
“One of the benefits of the systems is that a lot of the work can be done in advance, pre-configuring a whole site and thereby offering significant savings in on-site installation and commissioning time. I’d like to thank Advanced Air and Detector Testors for supplying some of the equipment for the wall – it’s great to see that other companies also recognise the value of training the next generation.”
The Siemens training programme is designed to be cost effective but comprehensive, with e-learning used to cover the fundamentals, followed by face-to-face training to go into more engineering detail.
The training wall has been future-proofed, with a modular approach enabling new products to be added as they are developed.
Rob Yates, Siemens’ Head of Building Products Fire Safety in the UK and Ireland, adds, “Effective training programmes are vital to the future of the fire safety industry. Much is spoken of the skills shortage which demonstrates all too clearly why it is more important than ever that we invest in the training of those that do choose to go into fire safety engineering. Hopefully, in doing so, not only do we develop their skills, but we also potentially encourage others to consider it as a career option.”
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