Investing in Intelligence by Brian Beckman, Maintenance Manager
From May 16th until May 19th Crest Foods invested in a few more mechanics gaining skills and knowledge in their craft. The course was “Maintenance Bootcamp” and it was again hosted by Sauk Valley Community College. We were able to send Catherine Larson, Rico VanOosten, Devon Canada, and Adam Giese to the four day class. The coursework for the sessions included the following topics: Mechanical Systems, Fundamentals of Electricity, Fluid Power, Industrial Electronics, Motor Controls, PLC’s, Electrical Troubleshooting, PLC Trouble Shooting. In the fluid power (hydraulics and pneumatics) portion of the course the mechanics learned about the components of a hydraulic or pneumatic system. This includes the power units, conductors, control valves, and fluid mainte- nance groups. Comments from the attendees were all very positive and as a spectacular result from this training is that two of the attendees have signed up for more formal training at SVCC. This is another fantastic resource here at Crest Foods, because we are paying for them to go to college and gain more skills and intelligence.
(left) Rico VanOosten attached hydraulic lines to cylinders to compress or decompress the cylinder. This was accomplished by following a provided schematic and then testing the cylinders to ensure that all connections are correct and complete. (middle) Devon Canada and Rico VanOosten are shown here while they are wiring and troubleshooting a motor controls system. The training aid has the ability to mimic multiple common failures in the real world. Mechanics must then use their trouble shooting knowledge to diagnose and repair the issues. (right) Devon Canada and Catherine Larson are shown here while they are being instructed by Sauk Valley Community Colleges instructor Jeff Johnson.
SQF Shirts Congratulations again to both the Ingredient and Contract Packag- ing Divisions for excellent SQF audits this year! Both groups celebrated with special shirts: “Ea- gle Eye” and “Back to Back”.
4 Crest Ink April, May & June 2022
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker