In addition to scheduling training events on important topics throughout the year, Gleason also offers individualized Training Courses, constructed to meet specific participant requirements.

By 2030, it’s estimated that over 2 million manufacturing jobs in the US will be unfilled because of a lack of qualified talent. The CEOs of most manufacturers will tell you that their biggest challenge isn’t machines or materials—it’s manpower, and a global shortage of skilled workers. The gap between skilled technical positions and people with the training to fill them is perhaps at its widest since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Manufacturing technology, whether EV or AI, robots or cobots, is racing ahead at breakneck speed, and leaving older workers, and fewer, younger, and less skilled replacements behind.

Yet, for those manufacturers with the corporate cultures, work environments, and foresight to fully embrace training, there’s never been a better time, or more tools, to take learning to the next level. These companies view training as an investment in their most important asset, skilled workers—and the benefits are significant:

• More productivity: Today’s gear (and non-gear) production and inspection machines are designed to deliver exceptional productivity while relying less on the skills of the operator. Yet, the average machine operator or maintenance technician is today stretched thinner than ever. They must be more versatile than their predecessors, and able to manage a complex array of new technologies. With the right training, operators of these new technologies can help companies meet their ambitious production and quality objectives.
• Improved quality: Collaboration, and innovation, are byproducts of a strong learning environment. These workers are taught to strive for excellence and relish the challenges, and rewards, that come from high-quality efforts and outcomes.
• Greater safety: Today’s manufacturing environments are highly complex. Operating both efficiently and safely in these demanding workplaces requires that everyone from machine operators to maintenance technicians understands what’s at stake. Safety protocols, standards, and best practices can be deeply engrained in the workforce through training, thus helping avoid the cataclysmic costs of a safety-related accident.
• Exceptional employees: A company that nurtures learning as part of its culture has a decided advantage when hiring, training, and retaining skilled, highly motivated workers. These workers gain valuable skills faster and participate in a work environment that fosters greater satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

Train to Win

Traditionally, workers gained many of their technical skills over the years, whether in a technical trade school or apprenticeship and then on the job in close cooperation with older, more experienced tradesmen and technicians. This tried-and-true formula worked well when skilled labor was abundant, and a seemingly endless pipeline filled with eager applicants. Today, the Factories of the Future are, by design, much leaner, and the learning curve from novice to expert is considerably shorter. Nor are there nearly so many technical schools or skilled tradesmen to rely so heavily on.

As a result, training has quickly evolved in recognition of the new realities of the factory floor. The training tool kit has never been more diverse or effective. Training regimens today, at the best companies, are analogous to those of the most successful professional sports or Olympic teams. Instead of weight room, nutrition, and practice, workers use digital webinars, simulations, and classrooms. If modern training tools and techniques result in faster, higher, and stronger on the athletic field, they also produce faster, smarter, and better for companies seeking a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Knowledge Is Power

For Gleason, coupling training with technology, and sharing its deep know-how with all, has been a way of life almost since its inception in 1865. Who among the major automakers and their gear suppliers, for example, hasn’t sent a gear design engineer to the Gleason Gear School over the years? Today, Gleason now offers what is considered the industry standard for the training of engineering, production, purchasing, and administration personnel at those companies that produce and consume gears. These training programs are flexible, digital, comprehensive, global, and, perhaps most importantly, affordable (even, in many cases, free of charge). Consider all that’s now available to you:

E-Learning: Online Courses and Gear Trainer Webinars

E-Learning takes place—as the name suggests—on the computer desktop, and often in the form of webinars and streaming services. Online seminars can be organized practically on the fly and are being used more and more frequently in employee training to save time and travel costs. Content can be easily tailored to individual requirements. These also lay the groundwork for the more comprehensive training courses that take place downstream. A variation is the Gleason Gear Trainer Webinars Series, free of charge and produced once a month, which launched during the pandemic to keep customers connected when working from home. This highly successful series has grown from just a few viewers each month to many thousands today. Gear Trainer Webinars cover a variety of topics on bevel and cylindrical gear manufacturing technology, including gear and transmission design and simulation, soft cutting and hard finishing processes, metrology, tools, workholding, software, and Industry 4.0 production systems. The webinars include a mix of different media including demonstrations via live stream in a variety of languages. For 30 minutes, Gleason’s training experts offer insight and analysis and answer any question raised in the following Q&A session. At gleason.com/training, a recording of past webinar topics is available for streaming, creating one of the most comprehensive knowledge databases in our industry, with topics related to all aspects of bevel gear and cylindrical gear manufacturing. It’s all free of charge for customers with a myGleason account.

Virtual Online Product Training

For product-related training on all aspects of a Gleason machine, Gleason offers virtual courses, created exclusively for the respective companies and their new Gleason technologies. Digital simulations help to familiarize participants with certain techniques and processes using a host of training scenarios. Additionally, cameras capture action and demonstrations live to enhance effectiveness. Gleason also enables users to gain access to the connected cloud as a Gleason Connect+ option, opening the possibilities of remote communication and a live, visual connection between the customer and Gleason.

Gleason offers virtual courses, with digital simulations to support a multitude of training scenarios.

Based on the current KISSsoft software release, users can learn more about these powerful gear design software tools through training courses focused on module-specific topics.

KISSsoft Training: Design and Simulation

Based on the current KISSsoft software release, users can learn more about these universally popular, and powerful, gear design software tools through training courses focused on module-specific topics and the latest trends in gear manufacturing technology. These courses have fixed dates and are conducted either at KISSsoft facilities or via live streaming. Registration can be done through the KISSsoft or Gleason website. Customer-Specific Training Courses are available. KISSsoft webinars are also very effective, and web demos inform about various subjects in the calculation programs KISSsoft and KISSsys. In the USA, additional KISSsoft training courses are offered with fixed dates at the training center in Rochester, NY, with targeted programs tailored to US customer needs.

Training Events: Targeted to Important Technologies

Training events on important topics with widespread interest take place on fixed dates throughout the year. They are conducted either at Gleason plants, offices, or at an independent site that’s well-suited for training. On the training website, it is possible to filter for topics of interest and the closest training location to find the best fit for a specific training need. If scheduled pieces of training do not contain the topic or location that is desired, Gleason offers individualized training courses, constructed to meet specific requirements. Throughout 2024, Gleason is offering over 100 courses online and ready to book.

The “Gear School on the Road” series features a mobile, compact version of Gleason’s traditional Gear School, for participants who can’t travel to a Gleason global operation.

Gleason Gear School: Basic Gearing Technology Seminars

Seventy years after its inception, the Gleason Gear School remains an important program in the gear industry. Training classes are available both in-person and online and provide fundamental gear technology training with a focus on cylindrical gears. Today, the “Gear School on the Road” series features a mobile and more compact version of Gleason’s traditional Gear School to cater to participants who cannot travel to one of Gleason’s global operations. Additionally, the Virtual Gear School is provided via live stream to participant’s offices and home offices and is the perfect alternative to in-person training in one of Gleason’s operations. All Gear School formats are intended for anyone interested in learning more about the world of cylindrical gears. Courses are regularly attended by participants who work in the gear design and manufacturing industry, including engineering, production, purchasing, and administration.

gleason.com/training