Page 48: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2013)

The Way Forward For Transas, keeping up with its customers is important, but just one of many drivers for its growth and product develop- ment. Since the Þ rst iteration of the Users Conference in 2005, the number and diversity of the attendees has doubled, and during that eight year span, the Transas Simulation group has grown to be the second largest of the corporation, encompass- ing 200+ employees. The group regularly invests as much as 25 percent of its total revenues back into R&D, producing 15 new products into the market and more than 50 upgrades of existing products during that timeframe. From the customer end of the equation, MPTÕs Amy Beavers says that MPT pays for every one of those product upgrades. She explained, ÒIt costs money. But, the upgrades give each student the most realistic outcome. Every time, Transas inserts something that makes something else more possible.Ó Continu- ing, she insists, ÒThey (the upgrades) are worth it. But, our prices do not necessarily go up every time we spend on simula- TRAINING??We have long ago embraced per- formance based assessments, as have many of our client compa- nies. Pre-vetting has been a staple for us for over 10 years. We see a logical up-tick in demand as more companies see the beneÞ ts of that concept. More and more segments are looking at changing their pro- cedures to match that paradigm. Ted Morley, MPTÕs Chief Operations OfÞ cerManufacturerTraining Schools Simulators must Þ t in smaller spaces Raise funds (for upgrades)Simulators must have a high utilization ratekeep up with customer requirementsSimulators must be multi-functionalIncrease quality & diversity of trainingMinimal down time Ð Easy, Quick Maintenance Recruit qualiÞ ed instructors Minimize hardware to reduce priceTranslate Tech Training form class to sea Challenges for manufacturers ? and training providers, too: 48 I Maritime Professional I 3Q 2013MP #3 34-49.indd 48MP #3 34-49.indd 489/10/2013 10:22:36 AM9/10/2013 10:22:36 AM