The bookbinding industry in Baden-Württemberg has been given a boost through the project ‘Industrie Buchbinderei Ostalb GmbH (IBO)’. With the support of EU funding, a new 400 m² training centre equipped with the latest machinery was inaugurated at the company IBO to provide an environment where the skills required in this competitive and specialised field can be developed to the highest level.
Apprentices benefit from new training facilities
- 17 September 2009
Apprentices will also have a good chance of securing a job in the years to come.
A concern for many young people when embarking on a career is whether or not they will find a job once the initial training period is over. The training offered by the centre is oriented towards skills that can be applied in real job situations, and it caters for three apprentices who can begin their training every year.
Quality and service – the clincher
The idea to build this new extension to IBO’s premises was first put forward in 2007. The desire to offer quality and service were behind the idea, with the aim being to provide virtually 24/7 availability, three-shift operations, the capacity to meet deadlines and a customer callback service. With the support of European funding, the new training centre at IBO’s premises was soon opened and included new machinery such as a cutting machine, stitching machine and seaming machine.
Established company nurtures new skill base
The new training centre, now up and running, enables IBO to train new workers and meet the demand for extra staff due to the expansion of its machinery department and also the need to meet the quality and service aims above. The training is practice-oriented where apprentices learn about modern bookbinding production techniques using their own machines and under the supervision of training managers.
Benefits for people and the environment
The combination of trained workers, new machines and new techniques means that the company can use more efficient and cost-effective working procedures and generate products more rapidly. This represents benefits for local and foreign buyers and also local employment. Environmental considerations have also been incorporated into the project. In both the new building and the existing ones, heat coming from air emitted is captured and used for heating.