Announced Tuesday at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) 2016 in Las Vegas, the Bright Ideas Technical Training Program is a comprehensive instructional system that provides a fundamental understanding of electricity, vehicle wiring, lighting connections, installation and basic troubleshooting – all within the context of federal regulations and CSA requirements. Optronics says it will conduct the free training sessions at a fleet or distributor location, and participants who finish the free course will receive a certificate of course completion and a free Bright Ideas tool kit.
“Anyone associated with the sale or maintenance of vehicle lighting can benefit from our Bright Ideas Technical Training Program,” says Brett Johnson, president and CEO at Optronics. “Everyone from fleet maintenance professionals to aftermarket counter staff can now have a practical working knowledge of electricity, lighting and how these both relate to reducing CSA infractions.”
By using the system Optronics says vehicle owners can reduce exposure to CSA violations by addressing electrical and lighting issues, and by gaining a deeper understanding of both lighting operations and regulations. Distributors and jobbers can gain insights that will make them a more knowledgeable asset to their customers when sales involve electricity, wiring or lighting, the company says.
Optronics says the program curriculum includes the following training segments:
- Background on Federal Entities and Regulations
- DOT
- FMVSS 108 (including FMVSS codes)
- NHTSA
- CSA
- SAE lighting standards and their relationship
- Specific Lighting Regulations for Vehicles
- Electricity 101
- Installation and Preventive Maintenance (PM)
- Added Value of LEDs
- Tools and Technical Support
- Lab Support
- Lighting Requirements Tables and Diagrams
One of the unique aspects of the program is the use of advanced TMCSuperTech 2015 competition units. The units were originally used last September at ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), at its eleventh annual National Technical Skills Competition.
The TMCSuperTech competition features professional commercial vehicle technicians competing for top honors and valuable prizes as they demonstrate their diagnostic abilities through a series of skills stations. TMC chose Optronics to engineer and manufacture ten lighting and electrical testing boards used in the TMCSuperTech 2015 competition. Now, the same TMCSuperTech testing units used by the nation’s top vehicle technicians will be used by Optronics to train a wide variety of industry professionals.
“Optronics was honored to be chosen by TMC’s PTDC to bring the TMCSuperTech competition boards to fruition,” says Marcus Hester, vice president of sales and marketing for Optronics International.. “We’re so excited to repurpose this same sophisticated technology within the industry, and we think folks will be excited to use the same equipment that the pros used in their competition.”
“The Bright Ideas Technical Training Program is just another way Optronics is providing better value, better options and better lighting to the marketplace,” says Johnson. “We feel confident that stakeholders up and down our channel will enjoy and benefit from the unique program.”
