The PMM team were on hand this week to witness the opening of the new Hella Academy near Banbury. As well as the official opening of the new training facilities, which have been given the official thumbs up from the IMI, Hella’s technical team gave the journos in attendance much food for thought on the thorny issues surrounding cyber security and ADAS (more on which to come).
Representatives from the IMI were at the event, where the certificate and plaque confirming IMI centre status was presented to Steve Fox, Training Manager at HELLA Academy.
He said: “This is a momentous day for all of us at HELLA Academy. Much work has gone into putting together this brand-new training centre. We can now work to support the sector up-skill, with the initial focus on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).”
HELLA Academy is based at HELLA’s UK office in Chipping Warden, near Banbury. The all-new academy is based around a modern classroom and state-of-the-art workshop, enabling attendees to experience both desk learning with hands-on training.
The day started with an address from HELLA Managing Director Neil Grant. He commented: “The opening of HELLA Academy is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for HELLA. While bodyshops in the crash repair sector already understand being ADAS-capable is a must, many garages are still catching up. Through the training we will deliver via HELLA Academy, they will be able to seize the ADAS opportunity.”
In a presentation from Steve, the significance of the ADAS focus was addressed in the context of the continuing sector skills gap. He went on to show how Hella Gutmann’s latest CSC-Tool Digital provides a flexible solution for front camera and sensor calibration, with targets downloaded from the CSC-Tool Digital App and displayed on an integrated 200cm screen.
Following the IMI presentation ceremony, visitors were able to experience ADAS calibration in the workshop using mega macs X and the CSC-Tool via a live demonstration. Further presentations looked at cyber security and the challenges for the independent workshop, and the advantages offered by macsRemote for garages looking to take on franchised dealers.
Julian Goulding, Head of Sales at Hella Gutmann, added: “We already provide the tools but with the opening of our new HELLA Academy, we are able to provide even wider backing for the garage sector in terms of training and development. As a result, independent garages will truly be able to make the most of ADAS.”
HELLA Academy’s ADAS IMI AOM 230 course grants technicians the required insurance approval to work on ADAS-equipped vehicles, while its ADAS L2Award encompasses calibration, vehicle alignment, workshop requirements and more. Both two-day courses are available to book now for just £500 + VAT.
