A well-trained, well-managed team of engineers is vital to the running of a milk plant. If training or management is lacking then the equipment will break down or not work effectively. With short life products such as milk, shortage, stoppages or ineffective machinery can mean disaster.
In an ideal world the engineers would be required to be a well-organized, methodical, highly-condensed team devoted to indepth planned maintenance. However, in reality what is in fact often required is a highly reactive force that can respond quickly to the unknown with the minimum of delay.
The engineering department needs to contain three teams; engineers, electricians and support team. Each team should be independent in structure but capable of inter-dependence with the other enquiry teams and other working groups within the milk plant. For example, in a creamery receiving 100 000 litres per day, there will be variants depending on the exact produce mix. Assuming that two shifts are worked, the expected manning levels would be six to eight working engineers and electricians per shift. The age and complexity of the milk plant would determine the exact engineer/electrician mix. The structure would probably look as Fig. 5.
For a three-shift operation an increase in establishment of four per section per shift would be seen. The extra requirement would cover the rota implications of the extra shift. As with modern equipment there would be a requirement for instrumentation skills. This could be part of the duties of the electrical section, or a separate section altogether, depending on two factors:
In a highly modern plant separation would probably be an advantage.
If a new plant is to be built or a major expansion is to be carried out then before recruitment or training commences an indepth Training Needs Analysis should be executed. This should also be carried out on existing sites as a review exercise.
Training Needs Analysis for an engineering purpose has some major differences from a normal TNA as carried out on a production unit. The first difference is that there are fewer day-to-day tasks on which to base the analysis. Secondly there will exist a number of one-off tasks which must be taken into account regardless of their probability. These will be hard to foresee as information from the manufacturers of equipment will be non-existent.
The first step in the TNA is to list the basic skill requirements that will be needed for any particular operation (see Fig. 6). Once a matrix of basic skills has been formed then the operation is repeated for the higher level skills required. These skills matrices should be carried out for each area, i.e. mechanical, electrical, etc. Once they have been carried out they will then form the basis of a manpower inventory, a skills requirement for an engineer and a training format.
The difference between a new development and a redevelopment is that on new projects new recruits must be imported to cover all the skills identified. On redevelopment it may be that by expanding the existing workforce the personnel can be successfully upgraded to the standards required.
FIG. 5 CREAMERY ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
| Correct use of Hand Tools | Recording and Work from Engineering Drawing | Useof Measuring Equipment | Correct use of Tower Tools | Cutting, Bending Threading Pipe | Etc. | Etc. | Remarks | |
| Area of Static Requirement |  | | ||||||
| Area of Increasing Requirement | | | | |||||
| Area of Decreasing Requirement | ||||||||
| P. ADAMS | Χ | Χ | / | Χ | Χ | |||
| L. BROWN | Χ | Χ | Χ | Χ | Χ | |||
| F. WALKER | Χ | Χ | / | / | / | |||
| I. ZIMMER | Χ | Χ | / | Χ | / | |||
| Numbers Available | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Numbers Required | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
CODE:
/ Not Trained
× Training
× Proficient under supervision
× Proficient
FIG. 6 EXAMPLE OF TRAINING ANALYSIS - SHEET A
After a skills analysis has been carried out an equipment analysis is then necessary. Each piece of major plant is broken down into its known requirements under the headings of skill, theory and plant specific knowledge (see Fig. 7). From this plant analysis the skill requirements can be calculated in terms of loading, the general theory that will be required for the understanding of processes and equipment, and the amount of indepth specific plant knowledge the engineer must acquire or have at hand. The transfer of this last part must be monitored, as it will show the effectiveness of the commissioning engineer at passing on his knowledge to the work force. This must be tested during the installation and before the commissioning engineer leaves the site.
The analysis as explained will require a considerable amount of time, but will in the end save time by ensuring that during recruitment an excellent picture will be formed of what is required. By having the training objectives built in, training plans and scheduling will be easier to control and monitor. This will also provide an excellent vehicle through which to judge when and where the training inputs have been effective. By doing such an analysis it will be possible to foresee problem areas and provide a basis for a planned maintenance schedule.
Recruitment. It is essential to establish a centre core of highly-skilled trouble shooters at an early stage both in the mechanical and electrical areas. The ability to fault-find is not present in all engineers; it is however a skill that can be learnt. This is time-consuming and needs good examples to follow. In demonstrating effective fault-finding skills simple logic is not all that is required. Good fault-finders need to be happy with the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of systems, and demonstrations of this will be required.
Management. The person specification when recruiting Management should include, apart from a good technical background and dairy industry experience, some ostensible indication of high motivation, organizational skills, good communicative ability, a strong training background and a high awareness of production needs and attitudes. It is the human-relations skills rather than the engineering qualifications that should be considered. The Engineering Manager must be consulted when recruiting other engineering management staff. Disharmony within the engineering structure is to be avoided. Also the engineering team must be able to cooperate effectively with other management teams within the unit.
Engineering staff. When recruiting engineers, reference should be made to the skills requirement as defined in the Training Need Analysis. Reliability and the ability to work unsupervised once directed are important factors, as many jobs will require the engineer to work on his own initiative away from the workshop. If recruiting raw beginners such as apprentices, tests for numeracy, spatial ability and mechanical comprehension are very valuable.
Providing training expertise. The training of engineers is time-consuming and requires a large input of skill. This may be available on site. However, time could well be a problem, so training must be carefully planned and use made of all the available resources. These are likely to be:
A great deal will depend on the size of the task, the number to be trained, time constraints and available funding.
Using on-site staff for training. The main constraint is time. It is more than probable that only a limited number of people skilled enough to perform such a task will have been recruited and that they will be fully engaged in their normal tasks. Their instructional ability must also be examined. It is likely that a highly skilled fitter or electrician may not be very good at passing on his own skill and indeed may not want to. Working with a skilled man therefore, although a very valuable experience, must be regarded as only part of the answer. Its success rate can be considerably improved by ensuring that all engineers used as work guides have some form of training in instructional techniques. This will help them understand the learning process. It is essential that supervisory staff have a good understanding of instructional techniques, as they will not only have to instruct, but also test and make judgements on the development of the ability of each individual.
If skilled staff are under pressure, or there are a number of personnel who must reach a required standard before working with a skilled man, then there may be justification for an on-site training specialist. Given sufficient numbers this may be the most speedy and effective way of training these personnel to such a standard of skill and knowledge. The advantages over training at a local training centre, i.e. technical college, or bringing in a specialist training company are that it is more flexible in having complete control over input, timing and cost, as well as being geared to the specific plant requirements in skills and detailed knowledge.
Local training centres are a good source for providing theory on a general basis and may even have good basic skills programmes at low cost. They need to be carefully examined however to ensure that their practices are not counter to those required on site. It should also be remembered that in many cases their methods are probably not as up-to-date as those used in a new plant.
Bringing in a specialist training organization on a short-term basis is both costly and not very effective for basic skills training, but it may be a very good means of quickly uprating a number of skilled staff in new or more advanced methods. An example may well be the upgrading of skilled welders to stainless steel welding.
The best means of ensuring that the basic skills content of any training programme is complete in detail is to use, as a guide, such publications as the Modular Practices published by the Engineering Industry Training Board in the U.K. As an example, their Module J3 Maintenance Factory Services skill specification would include on completion of training that the individual should be capable of the following:
This list goes on to include servicing of boilers, the use of lubricants and servicing of air compressors.
The module books break down all the necessary skills into their component parts so that any skilled engineer with an instructional background should be able, following the modular pattern, to provide training tasks and theoretical input sufficient to develop a trainee to a good standard of basic skills. Other modules dealing with the basic skills are J1 Mechanical Maintenance and J2 Electrical Maintenance. For a higher skill level, the same system applies using more advanced modules. These are:
Providing the selection of trainees has been carried out correctly, the modular programmes should provide sufficient information to avoid difficulties and will provide a complete guide to the training of engineering skills.
| Gas Cutting Equipment | Gas Welding Equipment | Electric Welding Equipemnt | Maintenace of Hydraulic System | Maintenance of Pneumatic System | Etc. | Etc. | Remarks | |
| Area of Static Requirement | | | ||||||
| Area of Increasing Requirement | | | | |||||
| Area of Decreasing Requirement | ||||||||
| P. ADAMS | Χ | Χ | / | Χ | Χ | |||
| L. BROWN | Χ | Χ | Χ | Χ | Χ | |||
| F. WALKER | Χ | Χ | / | / | / | |||
| I. ZIMMER | Χ | Χ | / | Χ | / | |||
| Numbers Available | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Numbers Required | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
CODE:
/ Not Trained
× Training
× Proficient under supervision
× Proficient
FIG. 7 EXAMPLE OF TRAINING ANALYSIS - SHEET B
Dairy product training. It is often not appreciated that an engineer working in a dairy produce environment needs to understand the nature of the products or the processes being applied. That he can repair any individual item of plant is not sufficient. A lack of knowledge in the dairy produce and processing field leads to misunderstanding of the importance of hygiene and clean working practices, usually a major criticism of the engineer by production staff. This can manifest itself in the deposit of foreign matter into produce, e.g. grease streaks in butter, nuts and bolts in cheese blocks and even, more important, it may lead to dangerous practices such as welding in areas where dry milk powder is present. The engineer, who has no knowledge of the processes involved, cannot assist the production staff in trouble shooting process problems and will be at a disadvantage in locating possible defects in modern complex equipment.
Knowledge of the dairy produce and the processing methods will already exist on site and the use of production staff in this type of training is to be encouraged, being both cost-effective and valuable in assisting the development of good relations between production and engineering departments. The areas that need to be covered are milk and its treatments, pasteurization, separation and effects of mishandling, and a brief explanation of test procedure and the microbiological implications would be useful. Buttermaking and cheesemaking processes should be treated in the same way in their basic make-up, outline of the process involved and problem areas. Engineers should also have a good knowledge of packaging, with emphasis of the effects of poor packaging on the product and any legal demands. The production departments may well organize training of this type for their own operators. If so, this would be an excellent opportunity to combine forces.
Health and Safety. In any engineering environment health and safety must be a high priority and, as such, must be included in any training programme. There are special areas within the dairy industry environment which need emphasis. The introduction to health and safety must be during the general induction training and should cover responsibilities and safe working practices. This should be followed up by not only talking about the safety aspects, but also ensuring that trainees follow safe working practices in everything they do. The areas where particular attention should be paid are:
If there is no permit to work system operating within the milk plant, then there should be some safeguards for engineers working on equipment to prevent the power supply being momentarily turned on. The engineer must be drilled into the habit of checking the electrical and/or steam supply lines before attempting any repairs.
Care in the use of strong acids in storage, or in use for cleaning must be emphasized. The engineer must know the routing of acid, and when and where it is being used. The treatment of acid spillage should be included at an early stage of training as well as part of any training directly connected with acid holding equipment.
Dried milk powder is highly explosive and a considerable live risk. This fact must be known to any engineer who is liable to work within a powder area, especially if the work should include welding in any form.
The use of safe working practices and the wearing of safety equipment cannot be stressed enough. Safety is an area with major training implications.
A systematic approach is as always the key to success. By first carefully analysing both the available resources and plant requirements a clear picture of the final objective may be drawn, and only then can a training plan be formulated and effectively implemented. The early training of supervisory and skilled staff in instructional techniques and the integration of background theory to complement the practical aspects of the training programme are vital in ensuring success.
A major failing of many training programmes is the lack of maintaining momentum. The day-to-day pressure of work takes over all scheduling and effectively destroys any semblance of order. To avoid the problem of work pressure the training programme must be carefully integrated with the development plans and expected day-to-day operation. It is safer to err on the side of caution when scheduling training sections and the use of the TNA sheets (Figs. 6 and 7) will be valuable in maintaining control of progress of the programme. The effectiveness of the milk plant is dependent upon the engineer, and his effectiveness is dependent upon his training (Fig. 8).
FIG. 8 TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS
