Harpak-ULMA has announced the launch of the “Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy,” a customer-focused educational curriculum. The Packaging Academy helps producers more quickly onboard and enable packaging staff with modular, guided learning and skills assessment, complete from beginner through advanced curriculum. The formalized educational program establishes a much-needed alternative to traditional producer reliance on tribal knowledge, single-instance training, or vendor professional services.

For employees, the ability to access training in the Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy as on-demand bite-sized modules on their schedule improves their ability to focus on specific, relevant content within the context of day-to-day operations. For producers, easy, on-demand access to expert product knowledge for employees smooths the operational impact of labor turnover, improves onboarding effectiveness, and decreases reliance on external services, often gated by either time availability or costs.

“Comprehensive employee training is the key to optimizing machine performance and asset life, as well as maintaining sanitization and safety compliance,” according to Cliff Fitzgerald, Harpak-ULMA technical training manager. “Helping your staff understand how to effectively utilize and service your packaging equipment—via instant access on a variety of devices and by providing highly-engaging content—results in a higher-quality customer experience.”

The Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy already offers over 72 individual training modules concentrated on ULMA’s thermoformer product line and is expanding its training program offerings across its full range of available packaging solutions. Modules address the entire solution lifespan, from pre-implementation planning and implementation guidance to common everyday tasks such as operating, configuring, maintaining, sanitizing, and troubleshooting assets. Course content will also address common peripherals and applications used with the company’s lines.

Individualized training dashboards in the Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy provide key course assignments and completion metrics, including built-in indicators that highlight updated or new course content. The rich, multi-media coursework addresses preparation, expected outcomes, and assessments that ensure comprehension and skill retention. Augmented-Realty courses covering a variety of operations are under development with anticipated availability later this year. All Academy content is priced either for single-use or under a variety of unlimited, individual or group subscriptions.

Jerry Rundle, Harpak-ULMA VP of Sales, expects customers to gravitate quickly to the Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy, “making it easier for them to operate, configure and troubleshoot our packaging solutions—thereby reducing their costs while improving operations, and delivering benefits directly to the bottom line.

“Providing our customers with easy access, choice, and options in the Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy is completely consistent with our philosophy of providing our customers with the same when it comes to parts and services. It’s all part of our commitment to improving the value of our solutions and driving customer satisfaction—our single most important metric at Harpak-ULMA," says Rundle.

For more information on Harpak-ULMA Packaging Academy, click here, or call 800-813-6644.