In most factories, critical know-how rests with just a few people. An operator retires, a temp worker arrives, a production line changes its pace, and knowledge is passed on however it can: through redundancy, by word of mouth, or using a procedure that no one has opened in two years.
The cost is clear: longer training periods, inconsistencies in quality from one position to another, and authorizations that no one can account for on the day of the audit.
This is the problem that Mercateam and TWI Institute France, operated by ISOKAN Formation, have decided to join forces.
The TWI Method in Three Minutes
Training Within Industry is the gold standard for on-the-job training. It is based on three pillars:
- Job Instruction : Breaking down a task and teaching it correctly the first time
- Job Methods : improving the way work is done
- Job Relations : Address human issues before they impact production
Tried and tested for decades and a cornerstone of lean initiatives, it remains the gold standard for manufacturers who want to ensure the reliability of their operators’ training rather than simply endure it.
Why the method alone isn't enough
TWI answers a question: How is this work done, and how can it be taught without distorting it?
Mercateam replies to the other person: Who has been trained, who is authorized, who can share information, and where does each person stand?
Taken separately, these two answers go nowhere. One TWI approach A well-run training program produces excellent training standards, which often end up in a binder or a shared folder, with no connection to the teams’ actual skills. A skills management tool, on the other hand, can display an up-to-date matrix without guaranteeing the quality of what has been taught.
Together, they complement each other: The method generates expertise; the platform provides it with a home and connects it to real-world skills on the ground.
«The manufacturers we work with know how to provide training. What they often lack is visibility: who has been trained, by whom, and who can now pass on that knowledge in turn. With TWI Institut France, we link on-the-job training to how skills are managed.»
Adrien Laurentin, CEO of Mercateam
What This Partnership Offers You
A free 45-minute consultation with an expert from TWI Institut France. An outside perspective on your current on-the-job training approach, and on how this method would make a concrete difference in your organization. No obligation.
Support for the digital transformation of your operations. If you're already implementing a TWI program, our teams can help you move away from paper and Excel spreadsheets and make it clear who has been trained, who is certified, and who can train others.
A platform that continues to evolve in this direction. This partnership directly contributes to our roadmap, drawing on the expertise of TWI Institut France.
Who is TWI Institut France?
TWI Institut France is operated by ISOKAN Formation, a training organization founded in 2015 by Stéphane Roquet. It serves as the French representative of the international TWI Institute network and assists manufacturers in implementing on-the-job training.
His role: to train the in-house trainers at the industrial sites so that expertise is passed on in a structured manner, position by position.
In practical terms, how does it work?
1. A 45-minute discussion with an expert from TWI Institut France
An outside perspective on how you currently provide on-the-job training: what works, what relies on a few individuals, and how a structured approach would change things at your organization.
2. A structured training program with TWI Institut France
If you decide to take it a step further, TWI Institut France will train your in-house trainers and assist you in implementing the program on your production lines.
3. Best Practices at Mercateam
Your station instructions are centralized and accessible at the workstation. Your skills matrix shows who is trained, who is certified, and who can train others. Your critical skills are identified and passed on, even when teams change.
Who is this partnership intended for?
To the teams responsible for on-the-job training at the plant: production managers, continuous improvement, industrial HR, and QHSE.
And especially if you’re facing one of these situations:
- retirements that threaten critical expertise
- extensive use of temporary workers, with frequent retraining to build skills
- variations in quality from one team or position to another
- an upcoming audit, and authorizations that are difficult to trace
Would you like to find out how to digitalize training and skills management at your plant? Request a Mercateam demo.
