Groups host 4-day seminar on fluid power equipment

Companies in St.Vincent and the Grenadines that use fluid power are better equipped to enjoy better maintenance of their equipment and zero down time after having some members of their staff participate in a Fluid Power Equipment Maintenance programme.{{more}}

On Monday, December 10 to Friday, December 14, 2007, Air Oil Engineering Limited, a Trinidad-based company in collaboration with the St.Augustine Campus, University of the West Indies, Faculty of Engineering, and the Caribbean Association of Technologists, Technicians Artisans and Craftsmen-SVG (CATTAC), conducted a four day training programme here in Hydraulic Pneumatic Maintenance, which was designed to develop employees’ technical skills in Fluid Power Equipment Maintenance.

The training programme was held under a sub heading entitled ‘Hydraulic and Pneumatic Maintenance Programme.

It covered the functions of hydraulics, types of hydraulics, how to maintain your hydraulic system in order to facilitate zero down time, and preventing contamination of the system.

Bessille Charles, Project Manager for CATTAC, outlining the benefits of the programme, said participants would also receive six months free technical support, and will get one free demonstration of four hours of fluid contamination control of any piece of equipment of their choice. Charles explained that a contaminated system produces less as a result of friction and leakage which results in the drop of pressure.

Fluid Power Technologist, Trevor Devonish, who founded Air-Oil System Engineering, facilitated the programme.

“Our objective is to develop the young people in our Caribbean environment so that we can sustain and maintain the high tech equipment that we have.

“Fluid power is today’s technology that we use on front end loaders, the backhoes and, gas stations…Fluid power makes all the operations possible, so we have to develop our personnel, our young people, in these various skills, and electronic control, hydraulics and Pneumatic,” said Devonish.

Participants were drawn from VINLEC, Arthur Construction, IJS, Quality Electrical Services, Eastern Caribbean Metal Industry and GESCO. (HN)