As an educator, Sapa keeps level of technical training high

Increased knowledge is driving the use of aluminium solutions, and Sapa is serving as one of the educators. The company has provided more than 75,000 hours of technical training to external stakeholders since 2013 - and it is not stopping there.

The growth in the amount of technical knowledge training that Sapa has provided over the past three years is taking place in all of the company’s business areas and in all regions. In 2016, the company will arrange technical training in around 20 countries for external stakeholders around the world. Spreading global competence locally is a key target.

Most of the training is offered free of charge to customers, product designers and developers, technicians, engineers, and architects across markets and industries. Only in a handful of countries are participants required to pay a small fee according to government regulations.

Tutoring takes place in a variety of ways and settings. Sapa’s Profile Academy is the main program for training in the field of general extrusions. The company also hosts customer and market-specific workshops.

Thousands in 2015

In 2015, Sapa arranged some 35 Academies and workshops, drawing more than 1,600 participants, mainly in Europe and the United States, but also in Asia and South America.

In addition, nearly the same number took advantage of Sapa training sessions related to automotive and industrial heat exchange applications, and in programs organized by the company’s global building systems brands – Sapa Building System, Technal and Wicona.

The building sessions were mainly product and application-related, while Sapa’s aluminium tubing business prioritized seminars on high-performance tube alloys and coatings for industrial applications.

20 years of Profile Academy

Sapa established its Profile Academy concept in 1996, but only the name and the ideas remain the same. The company has been tweaking the scheme since the beginning, keeping the style modern and the information current and forward-looking. Up until now, some 6,000 people have attended in Europe, and another 3,000 in North America.

Attendees can expect to walk away from the two-day Profile Academy with a deeper understanding of the principles of aluminium, fabrication, surface treatments, welding, die design, applications, new technology and more. Participants have access to product designers, metallurgists, and other internal and external specialists.