Alstom, the global leader in the development of railway mobility solutions and pioneer in the digitalization of the industrial sector has partnered with Soldamatic IE, the augmented reality-based training program by Spanish Company, Seabery to train welders according to Alstom’s industry-leading standards to work at its train factory in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda.
Alstom Spain, in collaboration with the Institut Tècnic Català De La Soldadura (ITCS) has increased its commitment to excellence with Soldamatic IE Augmented Reality training for the selection and training of its team of aluminium welding professionals,following the company’s own high-quality standards for its industrial center of Santa Perpètua (Barcelona). Alstom, a pioneer in the digitization of the industrial sector and Seabery, the parent company of Soldamatic IE, have partnered together since 2018 to elevate skills of the high-caliber welding professionals at Alstom.
Soldamatic IE’s augmented reality technology facilitated the prosepective welder selection process, providing the platform for candidates to conduct related welding exercises to evaluate whether their knowledge and practical skills matched the requirements. The selected welders then received training in aluminium MIG welding, in all specific positions for the railway sector, following the procedures and quality standards established by the Alstom. Due to Soldamatic IE’s e-Learning, the welders were able to access the theory and practice required to pass the course during the training.
“The students have been able to self-evaluate each exercise and see which parameters they failed in the most. In this way they have been able to repeat the exercise independently, checking the progression of each one of them individually and adapting the practical training to the needs of each one in a personalized way”, says Jonathan Calvet, trainer of the Institut Tècnic Català de la Soldadura, leader of the course.
Along with the specificity and personalisation of training, cost reduction is another of the advantage of this modern approach to welding training. The cost of materials for the development of welding practices, especially if it is aluminum, is typically very high. Thanks to the use of Augmented Reality for practical training, both the cost of materials (up to 40 percent) and the environmental impact (emissions produced by welding and energy consumption) have been reduced, in line with Alstom’s strategy. The possibility of doing practical training outside the workshop also allows unlimited repetition of the exercises before moving on to the real workshop.
“We must adapt the selection and training processes to the possibilities presented by new technologies. With Augmented Reality we can not only reduce costs, but also improve the process as a whole, increasing the skill and motivation of professionals. “Domingo Martínez, Welding Coordinator of the Institut Tècnic Català de la Soldadura (Catalan Welding Technical Institute).
