Machine Control Training Programme: Providing Practical Training for Plant Operators 

A number of Plant Operators have now undergone specialist Machine Control training at our dedicated GPS Training Centre in Cambridgeshire. This helps them to be able to work safely and efficiently with Machine Control Enabled Excavators, Dozers and Rollers, and is a milestone figure for our Training Division. 

The use of Machine Control Technology is becoming more and more common, especially with Highways England mandating this on all of their sites. At Lynch we recognise how important it is to have state-of-the-art technology paired with a great, fully trained Operator. This way, they are able to work with the system, achieving its full potential.  

Chris Kent, Operator Trainer, has been overseeing the training. He wants to ensure that the Operators are fully engaged and have a quality training experience. He explains how the centre works… 

“We are pleased to be able to offer a balance of theory and practice as part of our Machine Control Training Programme. In our dedicated GPS Training Centre, we’ve got a classroom area, which is of course important for the Operators to learn the theory behind Machine Control and the various systems prior to actually getting into a machine. However, what’s most impressive and arguably most important is the practical aspect of the training centre. We don’t use simulators; they won’t prepare our Operators for real work on live site. We have working, Machine Control enabled Plant, with earth for our Operators to move and to really get familiar with the technology.  

Operators undergo a 2-hour classroom session, so they can understand how the GPS system works, how the signal is picked up and transmitted to the machine and how the machine is set up.