EACH TRAINING PAYS FOR ITSELF

Mehmet Uygun knows his way around at itsme Industrial Automation

The row of course binders at his home looks impressive. Even more so when you take into consideration that they don’t even include all of the training courses he has undertaken at itsme Industrial Automation. As many as seventeen, in just over three years. Quite a few, Mehmet thinks, but pretty logical in his opinion. “I get a lot out of the itsme training courses.”

He’s still proud of the bronze judo medal he won for Belgium during the Youth Olympic Games. And look at that champion’s belt. Mehmet holds it up and talks about his national mixed martial arts title. It’s martial arts at its very best, and in which a lot is allowed. You have to be driven, he says, to get somewhere. A real go-getter. And be persistent, even though sometimes a solution seems far away.

He is no longer as fanatic in the sport as he used to be. It’s now up to him to pass on his knowledge of martial arts to a younger generation because Mehmet knows one thing for sure: without proper guidance nobody will get far. That’s also the reason behind the training sessions provided by itsme Industrial Automation, about which he has just told us enthusiastically at his home in Zonhoven, Belgium. For Mehmet they come down to the same thing as his beloved sport. “Thanks to the course materials, I’ve often been able to help my customers. The training sessions provided by itsme are indispensable to my work.”

MEMTECH: focus on logistics

Mehmet founded his own company in 2009. It’s called MEMTECH. Although the company name sounds like a derivative of his first name, the first three letters are actually an abbreviation. “The first M is indeed my first name, but the second stands for mechanics, and the E for electrical. It sums up nicely what I do. I extend existing installations, I modify them. Both for software and hardware. I also coach engineers and offer my customers technical advice. I work a great deal for the construction industry and steel and food industries, although my focus is now mainly on logistics. For example, a company like Vanderlande hires me regularly.”

Mehmet himself has no employees. He tends to work on projects he takes on himself, and on which he has no problem enlisting the help of one of the many specialists within his network. Or the other way around. Great, challenging projects; that’s what excites him, that’s when he most enjoys sharing his knowledge and trusting in the knowledge of others. “I prefer to help a customer as quickly as possible. So why should I spend days looking for a solution when someone else can come up with one much faster? That’s why networking is so important.”

“Things are really moving fast in our field.”

Making contact seems to be no problem for Mehmet since he’s very easy-going and cheerful. However, how do you maintain your own level of knowledge? How do you keep up? At one time, when he had just completed his Bachelor’s degree in Electro mechanics with process automation as an option, Mehmet thought he knew the market. “I was very disappointed. Things are really moving fast in our field. I therefore had to retrain myself, especially when I started to move more and more in the direction of automation.”

Training around the corner

Mehmet went online looking for a provider of courses and training sessions. Then it turned out that there was one with itsme Breemes practically around the corner. “That was invaluable. If I have a question, I can drop by quickly. Through Breemes, I followed the Siemens SIMATIC S7 basic course at itsme Industrial Automation. I was quickly impressed by the transparent approach. I felt at ease right away. I also noticed that that was true for the other participants as well.”

That first course was in April 2016, after which another sixteen followed within three and a half years. Mehmet observes the row of binders on the shelf above the workbench at his home. “I think I only need to take a course on TIA Portal Safety and then I’ve completed the entire offer for Siemens.” Then what? “I’ll probably take one of the previous training courses again. Course material changes, you know.”

The latter is indeed true, says Marcel Steijger, training manager at itsme Industrial Automation. “Siemens releases a new software version every year. We therefore adapt our training courses accordingly, check our course modules and add new screen shots and products. We also make sure that our trainers receive further training, including knowledge of the latest state of affairs in the field.”

“I like to learn, I find the training sessions relaxing.”

While the basic training courses take place at itsme Breemes, the location for the more specialised courses is usually itsme in Raamsdonksveer. That’s quite a drive from Zonhoven, says Mehmet. “I’m happy to make the journey though. I know it might seem risky to invest your precious time into so many training sessions, but I definitely don’t see it that way. I like to learn, I find the training sessions relaxing. The teachers all have their own way of teaching, they’re all open to questions and go to the same lengths to help you. Their input has already been so incredibly valuable to me, every training course pays for itself.”
 

itsme Breemes as backup Everyone in their field of work will undoubtedly know that feeling, says Mehmet. You have something in your head, but you don’t know exactly how to link theory to practice. “It’s at exactly those moments that it’s valuable to know who you can turn to. itsme Breemes is that backup function for me. Even when I’m working on a customer-specific test set-up here at home. In that respect, itsme Breemes is much more than just a training provider to me. The people at itsme Breemes simply know what they’re talking about.”

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