JLG debuts training simulators

JLG Industries, Inc., invited members of the media to experience the company’s new 17,000-square-foot training facility at its McConnellsburg, PA location. The $2.5 million customer training center is four times larger than its predecessor and features a classroom, training simulator, dining and meeting spaces, a large bay area for maintenance and service training, and a four acre ground course for hands-on driving and operating skills.

Rick Smith, senior director of product training for JLG, debuted the company’s new simulator program, which looks and feels like a video game. The web-based simulator can be used on tablets, phones and computers and is aimed at familiarizing operators with the controls and operations of JLG’s 800S telescopic boom lift and G10-55A telehandler models. The simulator offers three training sessions on the chosen equipment and teachers operators the controls on certain scenarios that range from beginner to advanced levels.

“All of the controls work just like those on a boom lift or telehandler,” Smith said. “Two joysticks allow an operator to maneuver height and reach, and also drive the machines. Everything is to scale, and the module offers two views: one from the operator’s perspective and a second external side view of the equipment. The simulator helps reduce the learning curve when a user first operates a piece of JLG equipment, as it replicates working with an actual machine on an actual job site.”

Outside, the training center’s four-acre proving grounds includes an obstacle course for telehandlers and various hazards that might be present on a live construction site. It features slopes, grades, obstacles to move around and over, as well as telephone poles with faux power lines. The proving grounds were designed to help participants master equipment operation as they learn to overcome jobsite challenges.

Meanwhile, the indoor space includes three classrooms, the newest of which can accommodate up to 24 people and features a 20-foot ceiling in order to bring equipment inside to inspect and become familiar with. The outdoor bays allow JLG to conduct maintenance and related training in a climate-controlled environment. Live demonstrations are enhanced with multimedia media projections on a large screen and several HD monitors that ensure students a clear view of the lesson no matter the class size.