Sphere
#35
2014
13
<<
24/7 dance of ships, containers, cranes
and trucks, continuous training is needed
to ensure that everyone knows their steps.
Within the engineering department of HIT,
more than 20 per cent of the staff have
worked in the port industry for less than
18 months. “We have an imminent need
to train more engineers and technicians to
deal with regular repair and maintenance
work as well as new port equipment
projects,” according to Mr Eric Su, General
Manager of HIT’s Engineering Department.
The department regularly runs its PEA
– the Port Engineering Academy. “It is a
one-year in-house training programme
aiming at accelerating the learning process
of the new engineers and technicians,” Mr
Su explained.
The training programme was designed
for all new technicians and engineers with
less than two years experience in the ports
industry. Led by one of the managers in the
engineering department, all PEA trainees
have to attend a three-day classroom
training within the first two months of
the programme. The main purpose is to
teach trainees the basic principles of the
equipment used in HIT terminals and the
GAMECO works closely with China
Southern Airlines to ensure training
is constantly up to date. When there
are purchases of new airplane models,
GAMECO sends their maintenance
professionals to attend training courses
provided by the airplane manufacturers.
Bringing the maintenance training
experience back home, maintenance
professionals open in-house training
courses in GAMECO. However, opening
new ‘type training’ courses on new
models needs approval from the Civil
Aviation Administration of China
(CAAC). The authority evaluates the type
training courses against the international
standard developed by the Air Transport
Association. Once a type training course
is approved by CAAC, other aviation
organisations in China can adopt the
training. This establishes a uniform
standard of maintenance throughout
the country. Other training courses
which require CAAC’s approval are
component repair, basic maintenance and
fundamental skills. GAMECO provides
these courses in-house and their staff
can only sign off or perform maintenance
if they survive these CAAC-approved
training courses.
In addition to the CAAC-approved courses,
maintenance staff from GAMECO are
required to attend other professional
training courses within the GAMECO
quality system. There are 50 to 70 courses
available for staff to take every month in
order to handle higher level maintenance
tasks. For example, maintenance staff
in GAMECO have attended at least 200
hours of lessons and 10-day hands-
on practical training dedicated to the
new Boeing Dreamliner, followed by
various types of engine related training.
GAMECO staff also receive model type
information updates in recurring training
and retraining activities. On top of the
training, representatives from airplane
manufacturers attend at least two
meetings a day with GAMECO to discuss
the challenges encountered in daily
maintenance operations and the latest
updates on aviation technology.
GAMECO understands that even a tiny
problem discovered in a flight inspection
can have huge repercussions or even
result in a fatal accident, and that these
outcomes have to be avoided at all costs.
Rigorous training ensures that the worst
eventualities won’t happen on their watch.
Sharpening the sword, from the ancient
Chinese idiom, doesn’t just refer to your
equipment. It means sharpening your mind.
Across the Group, training, learning and
reviewing have made dramatic leaps in
operations possible, improving efficiency
and even saving lives.
general safety precaution measures.
After that, the trainees are given classroom
lectures and/or on-site tutorials once a
week frommonth 3 to month 12, with a final
examination at the end of the programme.
Fully equipped
The introduction of new technology is
a constant in this heavily competitive
industry. Yard cranes are a vital part of
the machinery mix. At HIT, two types of
yard cranes can be commonly found: Rail
Mounted Gantry Cranes (RMGC), powered
by electricity, and Rubber Tyred Gantry
Cranes (RTGC). RMGCs are giant, highly
automated container handling cranes
with auto-stacking capability. Recently,
HIT has introduced crane remote control
technology, allowing the crane operators to
work in an indoor environment and control
yard cranes from their desk to improve
working conditions as well as safety and
efficiency levels.
To gain authorisation to control the
RMGCs is a rigorous process. First, an
operator needs to attend an 18-day
practical and theoretical training course
on RTGC. An RTGC licence will be issued
after the operator has passed a technical
assessment. This is followed by two weeks
of supervised on-the-job training, where
an experienced operator oversees and
monitors the new operator’s performance.
The operator must have a minimum of six
months’ experience operating an RTGC
and a good performance record before
he or she can apply to operate an RMGC.
A further eight-day training course is
required for the candidate, followed by an
examination in order to obtain an RMGC
licence. Operators are expected to work in
the remote control centre and they need a
good performance record and to undergo
in-depth training covering the workflow
and job allocation of the equipment.
Training is designed to ensure safety,
efficiency and speed at the ports, keeping
workers safe and HPH competitive. In
China, making sure passengers arrive first
– alive – and second – on time – falls to the
continuously training team at GAMECO.
Securing China’s friendly skies
The National Safety Council in the United
States calculates the odds of dying in a
car accident to be one in 98 in a lifetime,
compared to one in 7,178 for an aviation
accident. You may argue about the figures
but the fact is that airplane accidents seldom
happen and meticulous flight maintenance
is the reason why. Speaking to
Sphere
, Mr
Sam Cai, Manager of the Training Centre
in Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance
Engineering Co Ltd (GAMECO), explained
that their training programmes are rigorously
designed and reviewed.
