Keeping in step with the evolving needs of the industry, Profibus Australia has enhanced the quality and availability of Certified Profibus Training. Included in its November training calendar is a new course plus training sessions in areas of peak regional demand.
One of Profibus International’s most recognised trainers, Andy Verwer, will return to Australia in November for his 12th consecutive visit.
Verwer will be supported by experienced trainers from the Profibus International Competence Centre (PICC) on a coast-to-coast tour that will include Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and new venues Adelaide and Mackay in northern Queensland (adjacent to the Bowen Basin). The training tour commences in Adelaide, Monday 29 October.
The new ‘Profibus System Design’ (PSD), a one-day advanced course targeting Plant Owners, System Designers and Senior Design Engineers, will be conducted exclusively by Verwer in Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Verwer has been conducting PSD classes over the last two years though his training consultancy. He believes the relevance and popularity of ‘System Design’ is accelerating within the European process, automobile and factory automation communities. And he expects to the same level of interest to develop locally over the next couple of years.
Adopting a practical view, Verwer explains: "The content level of the new PSD course takes the student (who must be a Certified Installer graduate) to a higher level of technical understanding.
"PSD examines all buses, their functional strengths and weaknesses and explains in detail how they can be integrated within a fieldbus network for optimum operational performance. This course is particularly relevant for engineers with specialised planning and operational responsibilities within a plant."
A long time campaigner for Certified Profibus Training, Verwer drew upon on his past experience to offer some well-intentioned advice to those currently considering the benefits of undertaking a training course.
Verwer believes one of the strongest arguments in favour of Profibus training lies in the mistaken perception among some people, that Profibus is more complex to understand than traditionally used technologies and therefore should be avoided.
“We have all read stories about plants beset with disruptive operational and communication issues, only to find out later that they were designed by non-certified technicians who mistakenly believed they could learn the do's and don'ts on the job.
"Unfortunately, those types of negative messages can spread quickly among those with limited understanding and can have a detrimental effect on any technology, especially during the early years of a product’s introduction.”
“No one denies that fieldbus technology is complex. But today, Profibus is widely acknowledged as the world’s most popular fieldbus technology.
"And that outstanding outcome proves that Profibus’s true potential can be realised by any industry or plant when the practices outlined within a Certified Profibus training course are correctly implemented,” Verwer concluded.
The inclusion of Adelaide and Mackay on this year’s training calendar has been arranged in collaboration with Certified Trainers from the PICC who will be conducting all courses.
Both cities will schedule a full suite of courses including, Certified Installer and Engineer plus the Commissioning and Maintenance course.
Andy Verwer’s training tour will be restricted to Perth (2 weeks), Melbourne (1 week) and Brisbane (1 week) commencing Monday 12 November and finishing on Friday 7 December.
Demand for seats in courses conducted by Verwer are once again expected to sell out quickly following the popularity of his tours last year and in May this year.