Adaptability and digitalization were major talking points in the steel industry even before the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has accelerated the conversation for many, introducing new dimensions of uncertainty to ongoing challenges—addressing labor shortages, for example, and preparing next generation talent.
Online SDS2 Training & Certification
Investing in new skill development is one way to increase versatility for future growth—and that’s true whether we’re in a time of crisis or stability.
To help keep companies moving forward in the present climate, SDS2 wants to make that investment as simple as possible. We recently announced a move to make training for SDS2 Detailing and SDS2 Estimodeling available online with self-guided video lessons and exercises. Even better—Detailing training is completely free.
We’ve also launched an official certification program for our users. Current certifications, which come with a certificate and digital badge, include SDS2 Detailer and Estimator, earned after completing the corresponding training courses. Additional titles are in the works for more advanced accomplishments.
The program will help our users easily validate and define their abilities, highlight their accomplishments and commitment to growth, and visually market their skills as they look forward to future opportunities.
Why you should train your detailers in SDS2
In addition to being an incredibly low-cost investment—requiring only time in the case of SDS2 Detailing, and then only around 30 hours—training detailers in SDS2 also comes with an incredibly high potential ROI for detailers and fabrication shop owners.
Doug Evans and Michelle McCarthy talk about these returns in the latest episode of our Steel & Whiskey podcast. You can watch the episode on our YouTube channel, but here we’ll break down some of the main benefits of training in SDS2.
Fabricators: Learn how to play to your strengths
The automated connection design in SDS2 makes necessary flexible and extensive setup variables that can be tailored to the strengths and preferences of individual fabrication shops—but first they must be able to define what those preferences are.
When first starting out with SDS2, Evans says in the podcast, many shop owners will take the time to discuss shop preferences with their company. “Going through setup, they start to uncover they’re good at,” Evans says, “including what they’re most efficient at and where they have advantage over competitors.”
Optimize for major savings. The difference between a good setup and a bad setup, McCarthy says, can be thousands of dollars. For example, shops could standardize materials, such as plate thicknesses and eliminate excess. They can create multiple setup preferences depending upon which bay or machine they’ll be using, as PVS Structures does with their Zeman robotic welder, and change their preferences as they purchase new equipment.
Detailers: Learn the craft and think like a fabricator
Learning SDS2 can help detailers learn the craft of detailing. The built-in automation, combined with embedded imagery and videos, can help illustrate the effects of each variable and setup option so detailers gain an understanding of detailing at the same time they’re learning the software.
“I learned a ton just by clicking ‘help,’” McCarthy says.
Plus, she says, “The logic of SDS2 when you’re in the model is the same logic of someone that’s in the shop.” How a member is going to be fabricated determines how it’s going to be added to the model. For example, adding material to the beam as it’s going to be assembled in the shop, versus adding a separate piece to be assembled in the field.
Having that fabrication-savvy is going to be increasingly important for detailers as automation and digitalization continue to grow in the industry.