Festo Didactic launches manufacturer-specific PLC training courses * Courses include Basic and Intermediate Level Maintenance and Troubleshooting for Siemens, Allen Bradley and Mitsubishi PLCs Northampton, January 16, 2008 --- Festo Didactic, the training and consulting arm of automation giant Festo, has launched a raft of new training courses for maintenance and service engineers. As a result of a collaboration with Industrial Training & Consultancy Services (INTACS), the company is now able to offer 14 manufacturer-specific PLC training courses, covering Basic and Intermediate Level Maintenance and Troubleshooting requirements for popular Siemens, Rockwell/Allen Bradley and Mitsubishi PLCs. Two further courses have also been introduced for personnel having little or no electrical knowledge - one covers Basic Industrial Electrics and Control Fundamentals, the other provides training in Health and Safety competency. The manufacturer-specific PLC training courses complement Festo Didactic's general courses on this subject and enable maintenance engineers to familiarise themselves with the actual PLC technology in use at their place of work. The courses cover the Siemens S7-300/400 and S5 PLCs, Rockwell/Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLCs, SLC 500 and PLC-5 and Mitsubishi PLCs. According to Gary Wyles, Managing Director of Festo UK Ltd, "The UK manufacturing industry is facing unprecedented challenges and has to work ever harder to remain competitive. And there are no 'silver bullets' - it's all down to 'doing what you do, only better'. One of the most effective ways of achieving this is refining and tuning maintenance engineering skills - which is what these courses are all about." The Basic Industrial Electrics and Control Fundamentals training course targets non-electrical maintenance personnel and provides the knowledge, skills and confidence required to work safely alongside qualified electricians. Course participants will become familiar with modern industrial components, along with the principles of operation and how to check for fault status. The course also covers safe working practices and provides a practical introduction to fault finding. The new course on Electrical Health and Safety competency is designed for fitters, mechanics and electricians, who, to satisfy the requirements of current Health and Safety law, now need to be able to show proof that they have received appropriate and current formal Electrical Health and Safety training and have been coached and assessed regarding their responsibilities and on-site isolation procedures and Health and Safety requirements. Festo Didactic delivers these training courses in collaboration with INTACS. All course participants complete a Training Record Log, which details the key knowledge and essential practical skills covered on the course, with attendees being required to sign off essential topics to confirm understanding and competence. - Ends - About Festo Didactic Training & Consultancy Festo is most widely known as a manufacturer of pneumatic and electrical components and systems for automating industrial processes. Festo Didactic offers learning systems to the education sector and training & consulting services to industry. It operates in 70 countries world wide with a full time work force of over 200. More than 42,000 people attend training courses and more than 230 consultancy projects are managed each year. For more information about Festo Didactic, please visit http://www.festo.com/gb/didactic. About INTACS Industrial Training & Consultancy Services has been providing top quality training on industrial control systems equipment since the end of the 1980s. The organisation's instructors are all qualified training professionals who have many years' relevant industrial experience. The INTACS Training Centre is based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. For more information, please visit http://www.intacs-training.co.uk. For further information please contact: Nicola Meadway, Festo Ltd, Technology House, 1 Fleetwood Park, Barley Way, Fleet, Hampshire GU51 2QX, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1252 775000; Fax: +44 (0)1252 775001; http://www.festo.com; email: nicola_meadway@festo.com --- Visit http://www.wordsun.com/release.php?id=475 for downloadable photos.