Is your automation technician certified?

If you’re reading the MRO section of Modern Materials Handling, chances are you have maintenance technicians on staff. Or, you would like to. Or, someday soon you really need to.

Fact is, good technicians are not always easy to find whether you’re talking lift trucks or automated systems. There simply are not enough qualified techs for any type of materials handling equipment. You probably don’t need to be reminded of that one more time. Fortunately, this situation has the chance to change in fairly short order.

Later this year, an industry-wide effort led by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) will roll out a three-level certification program for automation technicians.

“By early December,” says MSSC chairman Leo Reddy, “we will launch both the classroom and hands-on training components of the Certified Technician – Supply Chain Automation (CT-SCA) program.” This is a national certification recognized by ISO, the leading body for training certifications, he adds.

The program offers three distinct certifications. The first level focuses on basic equipment maintenance. The second focuses on equipment repair, including installing, modifying, troubleshooting and repairing equipment and systems. The third focuses on network repair—think installing, modifying, troubleshooting and repairing basic controllers and networks. Those students who collect all three certifications will receive a Masters certification designation.

“These three separate certifications will enable both students and people in the workforce to gain the skills needed to keep complex automation equipment and systems up and running to meet consumer demand even during peak times,” adds Reddy.

Getting started

“Consumers now have the right to life, liberty and the delivery of online orders in one day,” Steve Harrington famously said during the certification’s development. Harrington is the industry liaison with the National Center for Supply Chain Automation (SCA), which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The SCA’s mission is to increase the workforce of qualified, highly skilled supply chain technicians needed to support the growing national need for automation workers.

In other words, that automated system better not go down when it should be filling orders. And if it does go down, there better be a tech there to fix it right away.

Along with Reddy, Harrington has been involved with the project from the beginning. Some go so far as to say it was all Harrington’s idea. And, since there is no official historian of the project, we’ll give him credit.

It’s worth noting that this certification didn’t just happen. Quite simply, it isn’t easy to spin up a national, non-supplier specific, ISO-approved certification, regardless of how prescient Harrington was.

A critical first step was to define what such a technician does. In the ISO certification community, that requires a confab of many different experts. SCA convened a meeting that involved 25 members of its Industry Leadership Team, and out of it came this definition: A technician installs, operates, supports, upgrades or maintains the automated materials handling equipment and systems that support the supply chain. They were off and running.

Needed skills

What exactly were the skills these technicians needed? And, what kind of skills are valuable—classroom taught ones or hands-on training? Reddy knew both are essential to a fully configured certification, and that is what will be available later this year.

Figuring out all of that took some time. Several meetings were held around the country to identify the skills techs would need. The trade association MHI brought in many materials handling suppliers to contribute their ideas. In addition, Harrington invited companies that would employ the techs in their DCs such as Target, Dollar Tree, FedEx Ground, Kohl’s, Walgreens and many more. They each offered their input on the skills most needed.

The hands-on portion proved to have its own challenges. While many industries use fairly standardized equipment, the materials handling industry does not. Instead, it’s a world of patents. And that means very little is standard design. Fortunately, there is enough commonality to build a certification.

Reddy had previously worked with Paul Perkins, president of Amatrol. The company builds technical training systems, both online and hands-on skill development in a range of specialties. Amatrol has long worked with MSSC in advanced manufacturing, for instance. This time, it’s all about automated materials handling equipment and systems.

Building on the company’s work with mechatronics, Perkins focused on identifying common mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and electronic components. “Our aim is to teach students how things work. But more importantly, teach them how to troubleshoot using a hands-on physical model. From there, they can learn how to maintain the equipment, controllers and networks,” says Perkins.

He also points out that hands-on training strongly reinforces what students have learned in class or online. “Students don’t really develop a skill unless they actually develop that skill,” says Perkins.

Development of the Skill Boss Logistics system was also based on broad industry representation and input. The result, in a 34 x 96-inch footprint, is a range of working automated materials handling components that students can physically work on. They range from rollers and belts to programmable logic controllers, robotics and other network devices.

The Skill Boss Logistics model was on display at a special MHEDA booth at the Modex show in March, explains Liz Richards, CEO of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA). The organization has been involved in the development of the certification for some time and will promote it going forward.

Richards expects her organization’s system integrator members to be especially interested in tech certifications as their businesses move increasingly into service and repair activities. (See the box for information about a lift truck tech certification that MHEDA and MSSC partnered to develop.)

Another interested group in the automation certification will be technical education schools including community colleges, says Reddy. However, he expects that the greatest interest will come from companies that operate DCs and warehouses with extensive automation. “That’s why the involvement of Target and others was so important to the development of the certification,” says Reddy.

What it takes to be certified

With its years of developing and offering certifications in manufacturing and logistics, MSSC understands and supports the need for rigorous training in the classroom, remotely and hands-on. Today, it has a total of 1,600 authorized instructors and 2,700 test sites for its manufacturing and logistics certifications.

As Reddy explains, each of the three CT-SCA certifications requires students to attend 160 hours of classroom instruction, either in-class or online. A portion of those hours at each level is dedicated to hands-on training using the Skill Boss Logistics system. Amatrol is also developing three online, interactive, multimedia courses for the certifications. Students receive a certification by passing both the written and hands-on portions of the test for that level.

MSSC qualifies instructors in a five-day course before allowing them to teach. Instructor training begins in September, says Reddy.

The first level certification focuses on maintaining equipment and systems. This is broken down into 10 key activities and performance indicators. Examples include monitor machine/system operation, perform preventive maintenance and communicate with co-workers to promote productivity.

Students are also instructed in 85 distinct technical knowledge areas and skills. Broad headings here range from machine operation and monitoring to preventive maintenance adjustments and service. Specific skill examples include knowledge of basic hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical principles and components.

The emphasis on troubleshooting that Perkins spoke of is in the second level certification. That’s where students learn how to troubleshoot all of the hydraulic and related systems. There are an additional 60 plus technical knowledge areas and skills for equipment and systems.

Hands-on training is a key component of the certification process.

The third level focuses on installing, modifying, troubleshooting and repairing basic controllers and networks. Programmable logic controller systems figure prominently here as do AC variable frequency drives and bar code-based data capture systems.

As Reddy explains, the certifications go well beyond foundational skills. Students are expected to show proficiency in equipment and system knowledge as well as hands-on skills to install, operate, support upgrade and maintain automated materials handling equipment and systems.

When asked what he is most proud of in the certification, Perkins says: “We listened very closely to industry experts to develop this program and especially the Skill Boss device. And when they had a chance to use it, the universal reaction was a thumbs up. They went so far as to say it is even better than they expected.”