Mr Ramm, what is the professional background of somebody who heads up the Starrag Training Centre?

Ramm: I am a qualified electrical engineer and I spent a long time work- ing in the Starrag plant in Chemnitz, Germany, as a field service technician. One day, I took over the training of Asian customers; nobody else wanted to do it but I was intrigued. So, I became a technical trainer and, over a period of ten years, slowly built up the Training Centre in Chemnitz. I have been leading the Training Centre in Rorschacherberg since 2013. It also coordinates the work of colleagues in the plants and regions across the whole of the Starrag Group.

You are a technician by nature, so how do you manage the educational side?

Ramm: To a certain extent, I taught myself the theory of education and the methodology, but I’m now gaining more fundamental expertise at the University of St.Gallen, where I have been studying education management for industry and business for two years now.

But how do you handle smaller customers who cannot afford the individual training for individual employees or small groups?

Ramm: We offer them the more cost- effective group training together with employees of other companies. Participants benefit from a broader view – i.e. the exchange of expertise with colleagues from other companies and industries. They are also in the perfect environment for networking.

But you also train the in-house service team of the Starrag Group?

Ramm: The second most important ask of the Training Centre is training the 300 active employees of the Customer Service business unit worldwide. We have designed an internal, modular training program for this purpose. However, we also offer some of the modules from this program to valued customers on request, so that they can learn about service with all our “tips and tricks”. Part of the training takes place during the assembly work in which these components are produced. A typical example is the proper alignment of a tool changer in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.

But we can’t all follow your example and study education management alongside our work, so who teaches your technical trainers?

Ramm: These employees represent Starrag in a particularly important way, because they work closely with the customer and are responsible for the success of the training. They receive very intensive training from an external professional, who shows them in a methodical and theoretical way how to convey technical subjects in the classroom and, crucially, at the machine itself. The training engineers then present our training concepts in detail, diligently coaching the technical trainers using personalised and intensive methods over a longer period of time. Putting together the training contents and managing the translation stage is handled by our training administrators, who always make sure the documents are ready on time. We are all very proud of our well-established team.