With all the travelling and time commitments necessary for most training programs, it can be tough for shops around the country to find time to train their staff. To help, ZF Aftermarket has developed a way to bring training directly to shops.
With its mobile technical training van, ZF Aftermarket travels across the country to share educational programming covering new technologies and trends in the industry.
“We call it the Lunch ‘n Learn,” says Dirk Fuchs, technical training manager at ZF Aftermarket. “We pay for lunch, go to the shop to set up our van. We’ll discuss with them different topics they can select.”
A shop sets up an appointment through its ZF distributor, or expresses interest through the company’s website, and ZF Aftermarket brings lunch and goes in for about an hour of training that generally focuses on modern vehicle technology. Fuchs says there have been instances where shops have been especially interested in the training, and trainers have extended the sessions to about two to three hours.
Currently there are two separate vans traveling around the country with ASE certified ZF Aftermarket trainers. The first van was added a year ago, and the company added a second van this year after receiving positive feedback. Fuchs says ZF Aftermarket will plan to add another van by early next year.
“We’re trying to educate, and give strong information that you usually don’t get,” Fuchs says. “We’re trying to help the independent aftermarket understand modern technology better.”
While mobile training comes with a trainer and the van, Fuchs admits there are some obstacles. Most of the training is done through product parts, powerpoint presentations and explanations, rather than working on failures in real cars. Going forward, Fuchs hopes to set up the mobile training with cars for more hands-on training
