Sapa is giving away more than 15,000 hours of technical training

Increased knowledge about the light metal is driving the use of aluminium solutions, and Sapa is one of the educators leading the way. The company provided more than 15,000 hours of technical training last year alone to participants worldwide.

Most of the 15,000 hours of technical training are offered free of charge to designers, technicians, engineers, product developers and architects across all industries. Only in a handful of countries in Europe are participants required to pay a small fee according to government regulations.

The tutoring takes place in Sapa’s so-called Profile Academy. The company hosted about 30 events last year, including those arranged by former Hydro locations. Sapa and Hydro merged into a new joint venture in September 2013.

These two-day events were organized in more than 20 countries in Asia, the Americas and Europe. The “legacy” Sapa sites alone – excluding the former Hydro locations – counted 995 participants last year at its 23 Profile Academies in Europe and North America.

Sapa is well underway with its 2014 program, which includes a similar number of arrangements.

Different perspectives

“Good design has to do with seeing something from a different perspective,” says Peter Richter, marketing coordinator responsible for the Profile Academy in Sweden.

He explains that design in general is growing more important. He says it is “the outside of a product that catches the eye first. Those who don’t pay attention to design will not be in business tomorrow.”

Desmond Chan, who is president of Wedge Clamp Systems in Canada and China, attended the Profile Academy held last year in Portland, Oregon. He says he and his company already are benefiting from the training.

“The technical and design knowledge allows me to now look at new product design and current products from a much broader perspective, and I can draw from more aluminium-based products in everyday life for some inspiration,” says Chan.

Technical knowledge

Sapa held its first Profile Academy in Sweden in 1996. The company has continually developed the concept, bringing it to its customer regions in Europe and then into the rest of the world. In all, more than 5,000 people have attended the Profile Academy in Europe, and another 1,600 in North America.

Today, the Profile Academy must include a number of mandatory sessions for the event to be designated as such. As an example, the two-day agenda must have a plant tour and a group workshop which results in the development of a design for a product using extruded aluminium.

Participants have access to product designers, metallurgists, and other internal and external specialists. The information package includes knowledge about tolerances and how various parts can be made to fit together. A seminar on how to understand and interpret often-complicated industry standards regarding tolerances is also part of the program.

Schools, too

In addition to its Profile Academy, Sapa arranged 36 customer profile seminars and workshops in Europe in 2013, and hosted another 20 guest lectures at universities. This is continuing in 2014.

Sapa also hosted nine “customer” academies – private sessions – in North America last year, with a similar number in store this year. One of the 2013 events was dedicated to Tesla, and the automaker responded by sending 36 participants.

“Sometimes, customers will come to us with features that are difficult to achieve,” says Peter Hedman, director of Sapa’s North American Technical Center. “After learning about design basics and options for aluminium in the first day of the academy, participants will frequently grab one of our team and we’re off drawing.”