We’re avid learners and teachers here at CPI, so we’ve been thinking for a long time about gaps in traditional pretreatment training.  On-the-job training, industry associations, corporate learning and even Youtube videos, all serve a purpose in upskilling paint line teams.

But in our Solution Squad’s work with clients, most of which is in the field helping to optimize or troubleshoot paint line performance, we consistently see a problem that can hold organizations back from running truly great paint operations.

And we see this problem in enterprise organizations and small job shops.  What is it?

The Pretreatment Skills Gap

As we outlined in this Products Finishing article in this year’s January issue, manufacturing organizations have been struggling with a “talent gap” in recent years.  Projections from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute indicate that more than 2.1 million U.S. manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030 due to lack of skilled workers and retirements.

This is especially challenging for highly niche areas, such as pretreatment.  Corporate learning programs don’t go deep enough and on-the-job training often doesn’t provide the important foundations to understand the “why” around the chemistry and engineering aspects of our industry.

It’s Lonely Out There

Compounding the problem, paint line teams are frequently dependent on one or two experienced employees to troubleshoot when things go wrong, train new team members, and perform preventative maintenance…all of this often on top of general day to day tasks.  In many instances, these individuals are close to retirement or ready to cut-back on hours. The nights and weekends of being on call when things go wrong have taken their toll.  Sometimes they feel like a superhero and other times it can be downright lonely.  And they are often so busy maintaining the status quo that they aren’t able to adequately train other team members.

It’s clear that pretreatment teams need a back-up plan.

Rethinking Pretreatment Training

That’s why we developed Paint Line University (PLU).  Designed to take advantage of modern learning platforms and online community models, PLU offers a comprehensive multimodal learning environment that empowers paint line professionals with the knowledge and support they need to excel in their roles.  Built to compliment on-the-job training,  PLU is designed for paint line employees who are:

• • New to paint and need to be onboarded around the  basics
  • Seasoned personnel who need to troubleshoot and brainstorm with other pretreatment experts
  • Paint line teams who are looking for  tips in areas such as cost-savings, time saving hacks and preventative maintenance

Since January, we’ve been testing and optimizing PLU, getting valuable insights from industry experts and companies.  This input has allowed us to fine-tune our content and courses, ensuring that it aligns with the needs of paint line professionals.

Register Now, Start Learning Today

Joining PLU is easy and complimentary. Once you’re in, the journey to expanding your paint line expertise begins right away. Benefits include:

• • A simple, engaging interface
  • Multimodal learning environment caters to different learning styles
  • Online community for peer collaboration
  • Live  office hours with the Solution Squad, where members can get their toughest questions answered.

We hope you will join us on our journey to transform pretreatment learning.  We look forward to seeing you there!