How Mobile Training Centers Helped Soldering Professionals During the Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic was taking the world by surprise, top IPC trainers were preparing to launch Mobile Training Centers to ensure soldering and PCB assembly professionals didn’t fall back on their training and certification programs.

The electronics manufacturing industry suffered a lot in the initial months of the global pandemic. Countless projects were delayed, factories were closed, and manufacturing plants were shut down for months. However, the biggest loss was the fact that soldering and electronics assembly professionals weren’t able to continue with their training and education as social distancing laws prevented them from congregating. Here are some challenges soldering and electronics assembly professionals faced during this period -

The absence of face-to-face interactions with IPC-certified trainers and educators prevented them from clearly understanding the latest IPC standards and guidelines.

The IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) released over twenty revisions to their standards in 2020. Although manufacturers were given extra time to adopt these revised standards, most of the soldering and electronics assembly professionals who were unable to receive proper training remained clueless about these revisions.

The lack of social connectivity and the inability to directly interface with other soldering and electronics assembly professionals created personal challenges for many. Many struggled to keep up with online solder training courses and certifications as they got used to changing home environments. Children, parents, etc., were all at home together, so receiving serious training was difficult.

Many soldering and electronics assembly professionals struggled to get used to the norms of virtual IPC training. It’s hard to be self-disciplined when the future of the global electronics manufacturing industry is uncertain!

The countless temptations of virtual distractions prevented many soldering and electronics assembly professionals from concentrating on their education.

The complete absence of lab-based courses and face-to-face demonstrations from IPC-certified instructors meant that many soldering and electronics assembly professionals lost touch of their hand soldering skills. Many were struggling to retain the knowledge they gained in past classes. Professionals with no prior certifications struggled to find attractive jobs. Even professionals who were falling behind on their recertification programs were suffering.

The Best Solution – Training Centers on Wheels

In response to these pandemic-related changes, the best IPC-certified instructors started launching Mobile Training Center. These spacious trucks (converted into training centers) would travel around different locations and provide on-the-spot IPC training and certifications. Soldering and electronics assembly professionals from across the country flocked to these solder training centers on wheels. Here’s how mobile training centers helped manufacturing companies and their employees during the pandemic -

The mobile training centers with over 8 square feet of workspace would pull up to different facilities and offer on-the-spot IPC training.

These solder training centers on wheels feature all the state-of-the-art soldering equipment required for proper training.

Other tools like stereo microscopes, hand tools, ESD protectors, etc., are also present in these training centers.

LCD screens and integrated sound systems are used to magnify the instructions provided by the IPC-certified educators.

At a time when countless soldering and electronics assembly professionals were concerned about not receiving their certifications on time, these training centers on wheels made their lives much easier!