La Presse: A User-friendly Tool (Un outil convivial)

La Presse: A User-friendly Tool (Un outil convivial)
by Martin Primeau

In 1993, Guy Côté took over the bankrupt company to focus its activities on the specific niche market of precision bending and thus specialize in the bending of three-dimensional metal structures.

In its facilities located in Saint-Pie, Tuba manufactures parts, which range from simple footrests to bumpers to components for bus chassis frames, on behalf of its transportation industry clients.

Not just anyone can work at this manufacturing SMB. To work on the machines requires training and this training is not provided by educational institutions, but by the company. Tuba President and owner Guy Côté explains: “When it comes to punch presses and bending machines, you learn how to use them on the job.” 

And so, Tuba created an internal training program for employees to make sure that the knowledge of the senior staff is passed on to its new machinists and welders.

“When people leave, knowledge leaves with them. We were concerned about losing that knowledge,” he added.
— Guy Côté, President and owner of Tuba

Created more than 10 years ago with a human resources specialist, the program has proven to be beneficial. But the President of Tuba seized an opportunity to update the program recently. Contacted by Parcours Formation, a competency development centre targeting companies and run by the Saint-Hyacinthe School Board, Guy Côté took part in a pilot project which involved transferring his paper-based training program onto a tablet. The project was managed by Parcours Formation in association with the Centre facilitant la recherche et l’innovation dans les organisations (CEFRIO).

More User-friendly

Our expertise on security and precision bending is now available electronically on tablets. New employees are always assisted by a mentor, in addition to benefitting from a user-friendly pedagogical tool that uses multimedia. According to Guy Côté, “People learn more quickly, because it’s highly visual, using video, pictures, and graphics with relevant comments. It’s not at all complicated.” 

This new tool also helps current employees learn to operate tools that they never dared to before. Guy Côté sees this as a bonus since Tuba is called upon to manufacture parts in small- and medium-size runs, and therefore needs its employees to be versatile.

« On a vraiment poussé notre programme de formation d’un cran », dit Guy côté, enthousiaste au possible.

“We seriously improved our training program,” said Guy Côté with great enthusiasm. “This tool is here to stay.”

http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/4e61-ed3c-533d832b-bf01-6b5eac1c606d%7CJbSN2PqjcxtC.html

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