Special Producers and dealers provide training and schooling. Take advantage of this! They are worthwhile

MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER PRODUCT SHOW

IN-SERVICE TRAINING IS A MUST IN ALL SECTORS, INCLUDING THE PARQUET INDUSTRY

Photo – Lägler

Long gone are the days when producers/dealers offered their products to professional end users and the contact was mainly top down. These days, customers (i.e. parquet fitters in our case) are not only buyers, but at the same time they are also one of the major partners for producers/dealers.

This means that buyers-partners have to sell what is offered to their own end customers to obtain an ideal result. And so, it comes as no surprise to learn that training sessions on the premises of manufacturers/dealers or even training sessions on a customer’s own premises are on the up. Moreover, we have also noticed that companies are increasingly thinking beyond their own products and are offering more general training, which is proving a big hit. This is not surprising when you consider how hard it is at the moment to find professionally trained workers. In recent years many workers have had to be trained on the job virtually from scratch.

Training offered by traders is popular

What we’ve also noticed is that there is an ever growing demand for extra training from workers themselves and that producers/dealers simply have to respond. The reasons for the growing demands are quite obvious. In various professional fields, including that of the parquet industry, time certainly doesn’t stand still and there is a constant flow of new rules, guidelines, and product developments. Think, for instance, of the various ecological requirements which you don’t only learn from some professional association, but also you have to check how your suppliers react specifically to those elements.

Obviously, there is also more and more specialisation and expansion within the professional field at the same time. The parquet industry is constantly broadening its horizons and therefore requires more specialist knowledge. Floor fitters who have that knowledge can operate in several fields where the competition is less severe and the related remuneration is more attractive. Then, there’s the fact that if you take such training courses, you are one of the first operators to discover where the market is heading. You are literally in the forefront of new developments and can capitalise on your own audacity. Finally, there’s the element of self-improvement. You think here not just purely in terms of improving your professional abilities, but also your business skills or social skills.

How does this work?

In this article we investigate how these training courses run and verify a number of things. We ask questions such as: Are free training courses offered or not? Are there different sessions? Are certificates issued as proof of professional competence, for instance, with the use of UV or LED curing machines or the application of colour?

What we notice is that the big boys certainly aren’t afraid to deploy plenty of resources and that they are spending huge sums of money,

up to and including heavy investment in their own training centre and trainers. We select a few of these training courses at random to give an idea of the possibilities. Groen Schuurmateriaal Groen Schuurmateriaal What’s on the market ?

Blanchon

Each year, Blanchon How do the smaller and often highly specialised players approach welcomes over 200 this? You shouldn’t forget that aspect and we notice that it is mainly French and other amongst this group that the biggest developments have emerged in European parquet floor recent years. We found a good example of how it can be done at the fitters to present their sister companies Woodcare (with Woca) and Floorconcepts (with Stauf), which are based in Ostend (Belgium) under the same roof. In the frame piece you read how those companies with about ten Unieke samenstelling voor beter schuren! new products. In addition, they also present their latest employees approach this issue and how they’ve managed to continue technology. Blanchon organising training courses in the midst of the covid pandemic. What organises these is remarkable is that here, too, they’ve been investing in their own Technical Days at the training centres for over ten years and that continues to bear fruit even in these difficult times. start of the year when diaries are not yet too heeft een lange standtijd en schuurt zeer effectief. full. These times of What are these courses like in practice? To answer that question, we picked one at random from the list and we came out on ‘Master interaction regarding a shared passion for En toch voorkomt het dat houtvezels onnodig beschadigd raken. De unieke mix van keramiek en Installer: laminate and parquet’. What is noticeable here is that, just parquet are renowned as with other training courses, there is a fee (which is obviously tax deductible). That is something which other producers and dealers aluminiumoxide levert optimale prestaties met als resultaat een perfect geschuurd oppervlak. for a friendly atmosphere and technical don’t often do. The range here is certainly very comprehensive and quality and have proved actually the prices for what is on offer don’t seem to be exorbitant at both fruitful and popular all. for over 30 years. The parquet floor fitters are the guests of Blanchon during their stay in biedt een 30% sneller schuurproces en gaat 50% langer mee dan standaard Three-day course Lyon and during the visit to the factories. Sometimes a parquet To be precise, this is a three-day course which unites theory and manufacturer sends only a raw recruit, but, generally speaking, practice in technical presentations and practical workshops. The company bosses and assistants are present. All participants in the trainers provide suitable challenges, depending on the trainee’s ‘Cimethane UV’ and ‘Deco on wooden floors’ training courses receive a expertise and experience. There is also scope for consultation both ‘commemorative parquet plank’ as proof of participation. In 2021, they during and after the presentations and practical workshops. To have organised web sessions on specific subjects; the session on the provide maximum support, the trainees work in small groups of a maintenance of terraces and wooden walls attracted over 100 maximum of 10 participants. professionals. We can’t mention literally the whole programme here, but, generally speaking, you can say that the course programme is very extensive and comprehensive, that it shows due regard for the level of prior knowledge, and that this ‘Master Installer' training course has been developed for professional floor fitters with at least two years’ experience who wish to refine their skills. A certificate is issued and there are individual evaluations and assistance during the entire course by one of the trainers. Bona

Keep informed

We wish to make it perfectly clear that we have chosen this Master Installer course as an example purely at random and we pass no judgement whatsoever in terms of ‘good’ or ‘poor’. On the contrary, it merely shows how far some suppliers/producers can go in tackling this issue at present.

It is good simply to know that such courses exist and that it is always worth checking with suppliers what courses are on offer. At Floor Forum we’re certainly going to give this subject more in-depth coverage and present many other possibilities. Demonstrations of new products are fine, but if at the same time you can learn how to use products in practice, that can only help your professional image. We also want to mention that although it’s nice to be awarded an official certificate, that certainly isn’t the most important thing. It certainly makes for an attractive document to show end customers, but in the final analysis it’s still the quality of the work done which really counts. The market never stands still. There are constant movements and changes, with new finish products, refined machines and fitting methods, new tools, etc. Bona has been represented worldwide since 1919 and, with its own laboratories, has plenty of knowledge and experience at its disposal. Early in 2020, Bona BeNeLux developed a diversified training programme for professionals (parquet floor fitters, painters, and store and company staff) who work every day with floors and accompanying works and products. Due to covid, this programme has not actually started yet. Bona plans to organise the training sessions live, but only if circumstances allow this in full and with no restrictions. Watch this space! For more information you can always contact Bona.

Ciranova

The new Ciranova Academy has all the facilities to provide customers with full and high-quality product training. For users and dealers they can give training where the acquired theory is put into practice in their ‘Application lab’. For industrial customers they have the necessary

BECOME A CIRANOVIAN IN ONLY 30 MINUTES

machines and equipment to test and demonstrate their full range. Apart from training sessions in their brand new Ciranova Academy, they also visit customers to give various training and instruction courses. New since last year is the ‘Done in 30 Minutes’ training for dealers and users. With ‘Done in 30 Minutes', Ciranova offers short, but instructive training on a few top class products from the Ciranova range. For 30 minutes you are immersed in some of the most popular finish products for indoor and outdoor wood. After this short but informative training, you can help and advise your customers clearly and properly as they look for the perfect Ciranova finish product. You can contact Ciranova at any time for more information or for a training course.

DecoRad Systems bv

DecoRad Systems bv organizes for its customers the training: Factory trained operator - on the elements: UV equipment operation - UV safety We provide this training to properly prepare our customers for their work with UV equipment on site. - UV radiation sources are not toys. - An operator must be able to handle the different types of portable

UV devices safely and responsibly. - He must also be able to inform his customers bystanders and set up the work area. It is a one-time training, after purchasing at least a Floormate, for a maximum of 5 people per company. This training, including lunch, is free of charge and takes place in our training room in Veenendaal or at our local partners. We see professional competence as necessary, without any commercial interest. During the COVID-19 restrictions, we have always found opportunities to continue to train people. We do not set minimum requirements for the know-how of the professional who follows the training with us. After the training, all participants will receive a certificate by name. Lägler

As early as summer 2020, Lägler offered the first professional online training courses "Lägler TV live" for its German customers, responding directly to the changing circumstances at the time. Since then, online training courses have been held regularly, e.g. on topics such as maintenance, repair as well as application of the machines and use of the accessories. This for all over the world, in a wide range of languages. Training courses can be offered at flexible times and adapted to the wishes of the customer. They are primarily aimed at professionals, but can also be tailored to beginners if required. Now, customers from all over the world can get in touch with Lägler virtually, a thoroughly positive side effect of the pandemic. Depending on current developments, Lägler would also like to offer PST® seminars again directly at the factory for its customers from autumn onwards. Participation will be rewarded with a certificate at the end. More about PST® at www.laegler.com Lägler - always close to its customers!

Tover

Salespeople can be perfect in describing the high quality and performance of the products they represent, but sometimes they are not a sufficient support for professionals; as a matter of fact we all know that professionals prefer to "try it out for themselves", exchanging views with their peers. That is why several times a year we at Tover have planned technical training days in our factory or at our partners' showrooms. Parquet fitters are invited with their area manager and can test all products they choose: so you can see them applying adhesives, lacquers, colouring systems, oils, etc. Our lab people are also there to answer their questions and give them advice on use. Each time the excellent results obtained during those events have strengthened confidence and improved human relationships. Unfortunately the epidemic has temporarily stopped those initiatives, replaced by webinars and virtual meetings where our Customers can easily interact with us. The contact value remains a priority for us and we are surely going to start our training activities again as soon as possible.