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Bridging the skills gap with tech tools

Using simulation training could attract more millennial workers to food and beverage manufacturing.

Simutech Multimedia's simulation tool can help train new hires in a safe and fun environment.
Simutech Multimedia's simulation tool can help train new hires in a safe and fun environment.

The food and beverage manufacturing’s workforce is struggling with what some are calling the double gap. With more automation in plants, the industry is largely struggling to find qualified, skilled laborers that can operate the equipment. The other gap is being caused by the so-called gray wave — the baby boomers retiring from food and beverage plants now and for the next few years.

To overcome this double whammy, the industry will have to figure out how to attract and train millennial employees, and fast. In this Q&A with Dan Lawrence, director of marketing for Simutech Multimedia, he suggests part of the solution might be new training methods in the manufacturing industry, including the use of simulation. 

PFW: What is simulation training?

Lawrence: Simulation training is a form of training that has been used for almost a century to train pilots, by replicating the real-life scenarios of flight. In manufacturing, simulation training provides a safe and effective tool to learn techniques and approaches in real life conditions, without the pressure or danger. 

PFW: What are the benefits of using simulation to train food and beverage plant workers?

Lawrence: With customers demanding healthier foods, we hear many, if not all, of our food and beverage clients tell us how important it is to provide their customers with fresh products. From farm to table, there is a lot at play, from picking to cleaning to prepping to cooking to packaging and distributing. All this effort requires coordination, reliance of automation and heating/cooling equipment.

That means there is very little room for hands-on training, which may cause downtime, equipment malfunctions, safety errors and a broken supply chain. 

INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for Food Products at PACK EXPO Southeast
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INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for Food Products at PACK EXPO Southeast