DiPerk Power Solutions has expanded its in-house training across engineering and customer-facing teams, bringing recognised Perkins technical courses into the business and introducing hands-on engine training for non-technical colleagues to strengthen customer support.
The programme includes advanced Perkins training delivered to eight engineers at DiPerk’s Peterborough base in June. Two DiPerk engineers have now qualified as instructors, allowing the company to deliver approved Perkins courses internally and reduce its reliance on external distributors in Europe.
Gavin Lester, Head of Service at DiPerk Power Solutions, said: “Engine technology continues to develop, so the skills within the business need to move with it. Previously, we depended on courses being available through external providers, often based in Europe, which made it harder to give our engineers a clear and continuous development path.
“Having qualified instructors within DiPerk gives us much more control over how and when we develop our team. Delivering the advanced course in June was an important milestone and gives us a strong foundation to build on.”
The technical courses contribute towards qualifications within the Perkins engineer development framework, which includes foundational, advanced and expert levels. Around 90 per cent of DiPerk’s engineers are already at advanced level.
Gavin added: “Greater training will also help our engineers better diagnose faults and arrive on site with the right parts on the first visit, helping customers get back up and running sooner.
“Training forms part of our wider work to improve service performance, alongside changes to job triage, van tooling and the parts engineers carry. Together, these measures are helping us improve mean time to repair and the support we provide to customers.”
DiPerk has also developed a two-day engine fundamentals course for non-technical employees who work closely with customers but do not come from an engineering background. First delivered to three service controllers last year, it combines classroom learning using real components with a supervised workshop session in which participants dismantle and rebuild a training engine.
The course covers engine components, cooling, turbocharging and exhaust aftertreatment systems, helping participants understand the terminology used by engineers and customers.
“There is a lot of implied knowledge in this industry and people regularly use acronyms without explaining what they mean,” Gavin said. “We start from the beginning and give people the opportunity to ask questions. The workshop session brings the subject to life, builds confidence in customer conversations and gives our non-technical colleagues a better appreciation of what engineers are asked to do in the field.”
Find out more about DiPerk Power Solutions at: www.diperk.com/en-gb
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