Illustrator Hiroki Tsuboi visits Sumitomo Group
Meidensha Manabi-ya Skills Training Center

I select "fall." I put on a head-mounted display, stand on a plate that simulates movements in all directions, vibration, and jolts, and hold a controller with both hands. I am at a work site and about to ascend an unstable ladder while holding some gear. As I start to ascend, the ladder lurches to one side. It all happens in an instant. Since what I see and the movement of my body are synchronized, it's scary. The moment I hit the ground, I see blood splatter. So realistic!

Two areas feature AR. In the virtual asset area, trainees learn maintenance procedures without having to go to an actual site. AR conjures up a 3D model of large-scale equipment in actual size together with a display detailing operational procedures. In the real asset area, AR is superimposed on actual equipment so that trainees can get tips on how best to execute work procedures. Other areas feature MR and motion capture.

Next, I proceed to the practice area on the first floor. After joining Meiden Group in April, new employees receive six months of group training centering on classroom lectures, but also including programs at Manabi-ya Digital Zone. Then, employees are assigned to maintenance departments for a further six months of training. Previously, after six months of classroom lectures, new employees were assigned to factories where they gained skills through OJT. "The scope of training covered by OJT is limited. Manabi-ya enables us to broaden and deepen the training experience to encompass practical assembly training, inspection, emergency response, and facility maintenance," says Mr. Shigeru Funashima of the HR Training & Administration Section.

In October 2020, Manabi-ya welcomed its first group of trainees, comprising 15 people. The team of six instructors consisted of three service engineers and three skilled factory workers. Take a look at the switchgear used in hands-on training and you can still see where a trainee sheared a bolt. In a way it's reassuring to know things don't always go to plan. Indeed, the sheared bolt attests to the fact that we learn by having a go and not getting it right first time. Mr. Funashima says: "I tell trainees not to worry if things get broken as long as they are giving the task their best shot. Of course, the instructors will stop the trainees if what they are doing could escalate to a hazardous situation, but we encourage trainees to take the initiative to learn through collaboration with their fellow trainees. As almost all the training is conducted one-to-one, trainees can thoroughly master skills. The great advantage of training at Manabi-ya is that trainees can repeat the procedures until they become second nature. We offer a training experience that cannot be replicated by using facilities at customers' sites.

Learn from your mistakes. This is the fundamental policy. The instructors do not laboriously drill trainees in every detail of a given task. Rather, conceiving of skill acquisition as a collaborative endeavor, they guide trainees while encouraging them to learn from one another so that eventually they all acquire the targeted set of skills. "In the past, trainees learned by observing how those with more experience set about tasks in the workplace. Now, we offer content-rich training supervised by experienced instructors that motivates trainees. With our key objectives in mind, namely, ensuring the transfer of expertise to the next generation and expediting the training of service engineers, we believe we are on the right track," says Mr. Suzuki. Since Manabi-ya is still in its infancy, Meidensha continues to refine its approach to training through trial and error.

In the training field, the trend is toward ever-greater reliance on ICT as a means of enriching capabilities. But over and above anything that technology can offer, Meidensha believes effective training is rooted in fruitful human relationships. Manabi-ya showed me a novel approach to training that is truly inspiring.