Global recognition of the importance of press simulators in skills training is reflected in the choice of Sinapse simulators as the recommended training tool by Chinese printing technical organisation PTAC.
 
A landmark agreement was made on May 11 during China Print when the Chinese Printing Technical Association of China (PTAC), officially announced that Sinapse Sheetfed Press Training Simulators (SHOTS) would become their recommended printing skills training tool.
 
PTAC selected this technology to:
 
1.    Promote and accelerate the understanding and use of the PTAC Chinese offset print standards throughout the industry
 
2.    Provide the Chinese printing industry with an advanced print simulation training tool so that these standards can be rapidly taught, understood and put into practice
 
3.    Enable a more advanced, objective and economic means of evaluating print operators in the annual Chinese industry skills contest
 
The agreement furthers co-operation between Sinapse and the Chinese printing industry, PTAC and Chinese Print Studies Educational Centers (represented by three major print universities) plus Sinapse distributor China Yin King, who will be the national coordinator for much of the work done by the universities in this project.
 
Sinapse will provide the PTAC and the three universities with a SHOTS license for the period in which the universities will develop a curriculum and set of evaluations for SHOTS based on the PTAC print standards. Support includes full training and certification to accomplish these goals and to implement a first set of operator evaluations later this year. All parties to the protocol fully recognize and respect that SHOTS simulator software copyright has been recorded and protected in China.
 
“Press training has historically been a tough task, but the Sinapse system is truly excellent” said Shen Zhong Kang, a Senior Consultant to the PTAC.  He added “The value of the advanced training approach was widely recognized at the first high-level training class held in March by the PTAC.  This is undoubtedly good news for the Chinese printing industry as it goes through a process of strategic transformation.
 
Shen Zhong Kang concluded, “The PTAC standard curriculum for the simulator will be supplied on demand and without charge to any Chinese printer or educational institution.”
 
Sinapse Managing Director, Peter Herman, adds: “The rapidly growing Chinese printing market faces a significant shortage of skilled press operators. Typically it takes three to five years to train a skilled operator using real presses. However, a worker can become proficient in press problem solving by completing an 18-month training program with our simulation software.  This is a major advantage for companies whose workers have never had formal print training and is also ideal for printing colleges in China and the 10,000 to 20,000 print students for whom it is not possible to provide hundreds of real presses to practice on.”
 
Sinapse Print Simulators, the world’s leading supplier of training simulators for flexo, gravure and offset presses, is proud to be selected for this important skills training role in the Chinese market.
 
For more information on Sinapse Print Simulators visit www.sinapseprint.com or contact: [email protected]