Training center of Roma Benelux (almost) finished

LIFELONG LEARNING

There are managers who are only managers. They manage, but don't ask them anything about the technology of their product. Not so general manager Toon van Osta of ROMA Benelux. Those who know him - and there are many in the sun protection industry - know that talking in detail about the technology of ROMA products is almost his greatest passion. So if anyone is happy that the new ROMA Benelux training center in Zevenbergen is ready, it is Toon van Osta.

The (re)construction of ROMA Benelux in Zevenbergen was completed last year. Z&R paid extensive attention to it in the September/October issue of 2021. What wasn't ready then was the training center. So now it is!

As far as Toon van Osta is concerned, the timing could hardly have been better. "Now that the Netherlands is opening up again, we at ROMA Benelux can get back on the gas with training. The training center for practical training is now ready and almost fully equipped. Everything to do with pre-setting is ready, everything to do with installation will soon follow."

In the training center, all Somfy and elero motors used in ROMA products are present for (practical) training and instruction. Plus a dozen small products from both motor suppliers, such as remote controls used for learning the motors. "Most of the questions that come into our service department are about setting up the motor," Van Osta says. "Our service engineer Hans van Overveld is a household name among our dealers and the most frequently called person at ROMA Benelux. Mechanics even like to call him sometimes for help with non-ROMA products. Hans has more than thirty years of practical experience in the field of all engines and will have been with ROMA Benelux for twenty years by the middle of this year. He is an authority!"

Because ROMA Benelux sales are still growing strongly, more than 150 awning technicians are normally trained every winter, but during the corona period, there were suddenly far fewer. "The reasons are obvious," said Van Osta. "We had to keep our own staff safe as much as possible, especially since we only have one Hans! After all, everything had to be able to continue running during the pandemic, which, as we know, caused a huge rush in the industry. Moreover, construction work here in Zevenbergen also made schooling impossible for a long time. But now we are completely ready. Appointments can again be made for both assembly and sales training. We are going to actively invite our customers to this."

Training space

For sales training, a separate training room has been realized at the (re)construction of ROMA Benelux in Zevenbergen. For small groups of up to about six people, the meeting room can be used if necessary. Both rooms are equipped with a large screen. The large training room has a stand that can accommodate 25 people. "The LCD screen in this room is impressive and has a great sound system to best present instructional, promotional and other films," says Van Osta.

What is trained is product knowledge and assembly, the price book, online ordering and - this will be surprising - haggling. "The latter is very important to us because we have a high level of quality and because we want to keep our prices healthy," Van Osta explains. "A good earning customer is also a good paying customer. Our price list is set up 'top-down' and our prices are at the highest level in the market. Often we would like our customers to charge 'bottom-up,' because with one or just more than three products, that is the better way to go. Now, fortunately, a lot of our customers are already a step ahead and we don't have to teach them anything in this area."

Practical training

The training room for practical training has an area of 75 m². Here there are nine fixed windows to practice mounting shutters, screens and exterior blinds. There will also be a roller shutter door. And there is an arrangement of changeable windows for training with built-in products (Belgians say surface-mounted products) mounted on the window. On this, the assembly of the PURO.2 roller shutter, the RA zipSCREEN and the fall-through protection can be practiced. "We often start the training with 'tips & tricks,'" Van Osta says. "Furthermore, we train how to set, adjust and reset all Somfy IO motors. We also have a basic program, in which we tell mechanics what they might encounter with our products, such as changing the bottom position on a zipSCREEN, adjusting the Somfy RS100 IO motor, changing the top adjustment of the J4 IO Protect motor for outdoor blinds and so on."

"For many awning technicians, the outdoor blind is the big unknown," Van Osta says in conclusion. "With this product, we change the motor, a text tape, the package and pay a lot of attention to the adjustment. In practice, the latter means that the bottom rail comes parallel to the cassette when raised. Roma Benelux is ready for it!"