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BHP miners trial virtual reality trainer

BHP Mitsubishi Alliance is trialing the use of virtual reality headsets to prepare miners for life underground at its Broadmeadow Mine in Queensland, Australia. The technology allows miners to enter a safe, simulated Broadmeadow Mine and test their responses to hazards. "Virtual reality will revolutionize the way underground miners are taught about safety," said Nathan Parsons, Manager for Special Projects at Broadmeadow Mine. "Up until now, the only way you could truly understand what you're being taught is to actually experience it. Now, we can recreate real scenarios and put people in an immersive environment where they can learn hands on." Parsons helped develop the program over the last 18 months. It allows users the option to be a shearer or  chock operator.  Virtual reality David Thorpe, a longwall operator for more than 10 years, said the technology would benefit even the most experienced operators. "This simulation is the best I've seen with everything looking exactly as it does underground” said Thorpe, who aided development. The only difference were the colours, he added. Adding to the experience, the virtual reality technology allows users to move into hazardous zones you normally couldn't access. This makes for a more holistic training experience [...]

By | 2019-08-29T14:53:47+00:00 August 29th, 2019|
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KBC Announces Strategic Partnership with AVGI

KBC (A Yokogawa Company) is extending its engineering simulation capabilities through a strategic partnership with AVGI, a source of simulation and optimization software for modeling olefin technologies. The software solution will deliver capital efficient plant design and optimization through end-to-end modeling of integrated oil refining, aromatics, and steam cracking complexes. Petrochemical demand growth is rapidly becoming the largest driver of global oil consumption. The International Energy Agency forecasts that petrochemicals will account for more than a third of the growth in oil demand by 2030, and nearly half by 2050. Yet, most oil refineries only convert c. 5–20 percent of crude feedstocks into petrochemicals. This creates incentive to optimize and re-configure existing facilities, as well as invest in new capacity to meet the demand. Using reactor simulations for a broad range of feedstocks, furnace and coil geometries, and operating conditions will optimize yield and energy. Integration and data exchange between Petro-SIM and COILSIM1D will enable integrated refinery-petrochemical complexes to maximize their profitability. "Integration of COILSIM1D with Petro-SIM will open up a wide range of steady state, online and offline simulation opportunities," comments Andy Howell, CEO of KBC. "Integrated models supporting dynamic real-time optimization will further mitigate the risk in transitioning [...]

By | 2019-08-28T19:12:05+00:00 August 29th, 2019|
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CS Energy Wins Award for Promoting Culture of Safety

CS Energy (formerly Conti Solar) won the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development Certificate, for achievement in the prevention of occupational injuries during calendar year 2018. Part of the 91st Annual Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Awards Program, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development Certificate is awarded to “an establishment that has participated in the program for three consecutive calendar years.” Recipients must have previously received the Division of Public Safety & Occupational Safety & Health Certificate. DART and TRC* (illness and injury) rates from the preceding calendar year are used to determine a participant’s eligibility. OSHA record-keeping standards are the basis for reporting. The establishment must also affirm that it has a continuing, effective safety and health program in place and that a comprehensive safety and health survey of the workplace was completed within the past five years. “We are proud to accept this recognition from the governor’s office,” said Matthew Skidmore, CEO of CS Energy. “We have marked five years without a recordable injury to an employee, and this accomplishment is a direct result of our heavy investment in safety training programs, rigorously high standards, and a strong corporate culture of safety and accident prevention.” In solar, [...]

By | 2019-08-28T18:51:34+00:00 August 28th, 2019|
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BMA Trials Virtual Reality to Prepare Miners

BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA)'s Broadmeadow Mine in Queensland's Bowen Basin is changing the way it prepares its people for the underground mining experience, using virtual reality to teach operators about the hazards and risks before stepping foot underground. The technology immerses the operator in a simulated underground environment, where miners can be trained in real life scenarios and test their responses to hazards in a safe environment. Nathan Parsons, manager for Special Projects at Broadmeadow Mine, has led the program for the past 18 months, working with Coal Services and a number of experienced operators to develop the training package. "Virtual reality will revolutionise the way underground miners are taught about safety," Parsons said. "Up until now, the only way you could truly understand what you're being taught is to actually experience it, and now, we can recreate real scenarios and put people in an immersive environment where they can learn hands on." The technology places users in a variety of scenarios and environments that cannot be easily created in real life, and then trains them on what to do if they are ever confronted with these situations. To make the scenario as real as possible, the team replicated the [...]

By | 2019-08-28T18:52:39+00:00 August 28th, 2019|
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RENK AG invests in Modest Tree

RENK AG (RENK), a manufacturer of drivetrain technologies, has announced a strategic investment in Modest Tree Media Inc. (Modest Tree), which developes extended reality (XR) applications and software to create immersive training solutions without coding. Modest Tree is well-known for delivering advanced applications for industrial workplace training and marketing to global enterprise clients. Recognized as a technology leader in the North American market, Modest Tree is currently in the process of expanding into the European virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) training markets. The aim of this strategic relationship is to strengthen the already existing cooperation between the two companies in order to accelerate the development of existing and future enterprise VR and AR solutions. “By acquiring a minority stake in Modest Tree, RENK will be at the forefront of shaping digital communication solutions. Together with Modest Tree, we will deliver state-of-the-art training and support services, while exploring other new possibilities to meet our customers’ future demands,” said Florian Hofbauer, RENK CEO. Modest Tree Founder and CEO Saman Sannandeji: “Supported by a strong partner who has a clear understanding of the value and potential for immersive technologies in the industrial workplace, our close cooperation with RENK will fuel our [...]

By | 2019-08-26T16:16:48+00:00 August 26th, 2019|
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Students to Graduate from First HVAC Boot Camp

Bevill State Community College (BSCC) announced the graduation of students from the first HVAC Boot Camp held at the Bevill State/Alabama Power HVAC Training Center. The graduation will be on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, at noon. The ceremony will take place at the HVAC Training Facility located at 3711 Industrial Court, Jasper, Alabama. The HVAC-R Summer Boot Camp is an accelerated non-credit training program that teaches technical knowledge and skills to repair, install, service, and maintain the operating condition of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. Instruction and hands-on training include diagnostic techniques, use of testing equipment, and principles of mechanics, electricity, and electronics as related to repair. The HVAC-R Workforce Foundation reports that by 2021, there will be a shortage of more than 170,000 technicians. In response to this national industry need, and in partnership with Alabama Power, the Bevill State Workforce Solutions Division developed a 295-hour, short-term, non-credit class to train and place participants in HVAC-R technician jobs within a few months. Participants are taught in a state-of-the-art facility, by highly qualified Alabama Power instructors. Graduates earn a Bevill State certification, EPA Section 608 Refrigerant Handling Certification, and qualify to take the State of Alabama HVAC-R Contractors Exam. [...]

By | 2019-08-23T14:47:14+00:00 August 23rd, 2019|
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One Energy Funds More Than $200K in Scholarships

One Energy Enterprises, an industrial power company, has funded a total of $210,000 in scholarships to local students since the inception of its Megawatt Scholarship program four years ago. Submissions are now being accepted for the next round of Megawatt Scholarships. One Energy installs utility-scale wind turbines at commercial and manufacturing facilities, and with each turbine it builds, One Energy offers a $5,000 annual scholarship in conjunction with its customer. The scholarships go toward local high school seniors pursuing two-year or four-year degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Current partners include Ball Corporation, LafargeHolcim, Valfilm North America, and Whirlpool Corporation, with scholarship opportunities available to more than fourteen counties. “We are a company that uses science, technology, engineering, and math every single day – we believe STEM education is vital to developing our nation’s future industry leaders," said Jereme Kent, CEO of One Energy. “We hope these scholarships encourage more students to consider in-demand careers in the fast-growing renewable energy sector.”    

By | 2019-08-21T19:29:26+00:00 August 21st, 2019|
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Bublar Group to provide fire fighting simulator for Norwegian Railway Operator

Vobling AB have agreed a deal to develop a VR fire fighting simulator for Nordic railway operator, Vy. The simulator will be run with HTC Vive Pro Eye and be used for staff training. "The VR-technology gives as an extraordinary way to simulate different scenarios and train our personnel in a safe and scalable environment," said Ole Johnny Haugen, Head of Development at Vy Competence Center. "The training system will use object tracking and replicate fire, smoke, oxygen- and temperature levels in a realistic fashion which gives a new and powerful tool in our safety training procedures. The end game for this application is about saving lives." Vy changed its name from NSB Group in April and runs rail, bus and freight services in Norway and Sweden. Vobling AB is a subsidiary of Bublar Group, the Nordic region's largest gaming studio and enterprise solutions company. Anders Ribbing, CEO of Vobling AB, said: "We are really excited about this project. "During the last couple of years we've developed state of the art virtual training and education applications targeting staff. The Fire Fighting simulator is a natural extension in line with our strategy and it's very exciting that we are broadening our [...]

By | 2019-08-21T12:53:46+00:00 August 21st, 2019|
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Construction Education Foundation Releases Updated Curricula

NCCER recently released the following training curricula: Project Management; Pipefitting Levels 1 – 4; Maritime Electrical Levels 1 – 4; Maritime Welding Levels 1 – 3; and Maritime Welding Aluminum Welding. Project Management and Pipefitting now offer downloadable lesson plans, and all of the curricula provides ADA-compliant PowerPoint presentations, which are organized by modules. NCCER develops and distributes its curricula in partnership with textbook publisher Pearson and ensures that it complies with the Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship requirements for time-based training. Individuals who successfully complete these training programs through an NCCER Accredited Training Sponsor will earn industry-recognized credentials through the NCCER Registry System. Project Management has been updated with current information on legal policies that impact an organization, including issues surrounding disabled workers, sexual harassment, gender and minority discrimination, child labor laws and more. In addition, information has been added regarding the most common categories of workplace injuries, non-verbal communication, and the laws of employee recruitment and interviewing. Of note is the examination regarding reasons to have an effective safety program and the detrimental results of not having one in place. Pipefitting Levels 1 - 4 have been revised with updated images and additional clarifying content for each [...]

By | 2019-08-20T18:54:12+00:00 August 20th, 2019|
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Current Builders Training Program Alleviates Construction Shortage

The national labor shortage is hitting the construction industry with an especially hard punch, but South Florida’s Current Builders has developed a transformative program to help alleviate the crisis. CB University is a free, bilingual, in-house program that educates motivated workers who want to advance to the next level. The general contractor recently announced the addition of an NCCER Master Trainer and four NCCER Certified Teachers to their in-house program. “There is much talk in the news of what has led to the construction shortage, including the demise of the unions, immigration issues, negative perception among students, but we need more focus on what can be done to prepare ambitious workers in their quest to succeed,” said Chip Reid, Current Builders’ CEO. With estimates of 300,000 unfilled jobs and 80 percent of companies saying their growth has been hampered by the shortage, the construction industry has been searching for ways to attract new workers and create loyal employees. Current Builders has utilized many successful programs including the ACE Mentorship program for high school students, internships and scholarships through the University of Florida’s Rinker School of Construction Management and the active recruitment of women into the industry. While this multi-pronged approach [...]

By | 2019-08-19T16:15:30+00:00 August 19th, 2019|
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