Crown Equipment Corp., New Bremen, Ohio, opened a new regional forklift service training center in Toledo, Ohio, increasing the company’s training network to 14 sites globally, including nine regional service training centers across North America.

Located within the Crown-owned branch in Toledo, the new training center is overseen by Rod Schenck, regional service trainer.

“As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to transform the way we interact with machines, data and each other, it is bringing a new level of connectivity to the forklift and the service technician. Having educated service technicians with high-tech skills is vital to helping reduce maintenance costs, ensure fleets are operational and available when needed and create a safety-based culture,” says Justin Moore, general manager service training. “Crown’s [Demonstrated Performance (DP)] training delivers the knowledge and skills service technicians need to keep pace with evolving technology and equipment. They also learn important safety practices, so they can continue to play an important role in maintaining a safe working environment.”

Crown’s DP Training for service technicians provides intensive, one-on-one instruction that is customizable to match the needs of each technician. Through hands-on learning, participants work directly on forklifts with instructor supervision to learn firsthand the skills and knowledge necessary to keep a fleet up and running. To complete the program, students are required to demonstrate learned skills during an individual instructor evaluation.