Precast Inc. - September/October 2008 - (Page 56) A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S Caribbean Curriculum NPCA provides training for precaster in Saint Lucia. N PCA and its plant certification inspection firm Professional Services Industries Inc. teamed up in July to provide quality and safety training to an up-and-coming precast plant in the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia. Funded by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development-Caribbean Open Trade Support, the four-day training course for employees of C.O. Williams Precast Ltd. included detailed training in fundamentals of quality precast production, safety and cost control. William Ciggelakis, P.E., principal-incharge at PSI, conducted the training with logistical support from NPCA staff members Marti Harrell and Kathy Shelton. Ciggelakis has considerable experience with construction technology, design, quality control and THE 32-HOUR LEARNING EVENT CONSISTED OF CLASSROOM TRAINING AND ON-SITE TRAINING. 56 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 | PRECAST INC. precast concrete operations. He is the national chairman of the ACI Field Technician Certification Program and an ACI examiner for the laboratory technician. He also has been the testing services manager for many large and varied projects worldwide. Marti Harrell, director of Certification Programs and Continuing Education, and Kathy Shelton, training manager, presented information about NPCA and its Plant Certification Program and how it provides a valuable framework for developing a quality manufacturing process, improving safety, reducing costs and increasing profits. They were also responsible for ensuring the course met the quality standards of NPCA education. C.O. Williams is one of 10 companies that employ 150 or more people on Saint Lucia. The company, based near the capital city of Castries, manufactures precast culverts, septic tanks, piles, slabs, walls for warehouses and secondary work for major construction projects on Saint Lucia. As outlined by USAID-COTS, C.O. Williams was subcontracted to provide the precast components for a new villa/hotel project in the north of the island, although in order for the company to meet the demands of the subcontract and other potential opportunities, its employees required training in precast production systems, construction calculation, flooring systems, health and safety, panel erection systems and finishing methods. The 32-hour learning event, conducted at the Palm Haven Hotel and the C.O. Williams plant, allowed both classroom training and on-site training. The classroom portion included training on: • Quality • Batching Concrete • Fineness Modulus • Proportioning • Fabrication and Production • Working Smart and Safe • Concrete Strength • Powered Industrial Trucks These topics are the foundation for manufacturing quality precast concrete and are considered best practices within the industry. C.O. Williams’ implementation of these practices will help to improve the plant’s quality, safety, cost control and more. Many of the practices also can be adapted to the company’s ready-mixed concrete production division as well. Training at the production facility included in-depth discussions about production, safety, batching, yarding, raw material storage and testing practices. Together they examined the mix design the plant had been using and worked to find ways to reduce the amount of water and cement used in the mix design that would provide the needed strengths. NPCA has also provided C.O. Williams’
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