Manitowoc enhances training in Central America and Caribbean

Unlike training sessions offered in the past, where trainees had to travel to the United States and attend classes in English, courses now give technicians who don’t speak English the chance to be trained in their native language and to avoid high travel expenses.

The latest two-week training sessions took place in April at Euromateriales, a Manitowoc dealer in Costa Rica. A group of 14 technicians who work for four Manitowoc dealers in the region—Euromateriales (Costa Rica), Akbar (the Dominican Republic), TecnoGrúas (Panama) and Nimac (Nicaragua)—attended the classes.

The technicians studied Manitowoc cranes’ systems and circuits, deepened their knowledge on hydraulic, electrical and pneumatic principles, and learned about troubleshooting procedures—particularly paying attention to Grove mobile cranes, the most used type of crane in the region. Classes also involved hands-on sessions that featured two, 30 t Grove rough-terrain models.

According to Cuauhtemoc Flores, Manitowoc Crane Care’s director of customer service for the Mexican, Central American and Caribbean (MCAC) region said: “When Manitowoc’s Crane Care training program was offered only in the United States, we had two barriers: the high costs for dealers to send over their technicians and the foreign language. Thanks to the recent training sessions, these technicians are now more prepared and confident to provide even better customer assistance, which adds value to our aftermarket products.”

Manitowoc offered four training sessions in Mexico and five throughout Central America in 2016 for beginner and intermediate levels. The company’s goal is to improve on that number by offering even more training opportunities in 2017.

Across the Americas, Manitowoc offers training sessions in three languages to meet local demand: English, Portuguese and Spanish.