Directing with Composites
The decisions made by those at the top of organisations have the biggest impact throughout the company. To make sure those decisions are correct, they have to have a grounded understanding of what their company does and the opportunities available to them.
This Directing with Composites training package is designed for directors of small and large businesses alike to
Who is it suitable for?
This package is designed for directors of both large and small companies. This course works for companies that are fully involved with composites or with those where composites is a branch or a new venture.
For technical managers, we would recommend our Managing with Composites package as this delivers more day to day technical information. For non-technical managers we would recommend our Working with Composites package instead.
What is covered?
This course requires no prior knowledge about composites however any previous experience will always help.
The course is made up of 8 different modules as below:
This will cover the basics of composites including:
- What is a composite
- Where are composites used
- What matrices are used
- What reinforcements are used
- What manufacturing techniques are used
- Your choice of one of the practical exercises
Practical exercises include wet layup, resin infusion and prepreg layup
This section goes through the a range of the sustainability considerations of composites including:
- What a life cycle assessment (LCA) is
- How LCAs can be applied to composites
- Sustainability sourced materials
- Routes to disposure of composites
- Practical ways to implement sustainability
This section covers what different composite factories might contain including:
- General layout an different process flows
- Key equipment needed for different processes
- Services needed for general and specific processes
- Common small tools and general ancillaries needed
This section looks at a range of supply chain issues including:
- Typical suppliers and what they are geared towards
- Understanding product codes and names
- Influences on lead times
- Specifying composite components
NB. While international suppliers will be mentioned, this is primarily a UK supply chain focus.
This section looks at what a range of workforce and qualification topics including:
- What “typical” workforce might included
- What skill set groups are commonly found
- What qualifications are available across multiple levels
- Tips on how to assess candidates
NB the qualifications mentioned here are UK specific only
This section looks at how the costs of composites are built up including:
- Influences on raw material cost
- Associated recurring and non-recurring costs of different manufacturing methods
- Lifed materials and components (moulds, resins, etc.)
- Tips on costing up composite production jobs
This section gives an overview of some of the common health and safety concerns within composites including:
- Common risks with different manufacturing processes
- Risks from material handling
- Common defences against hazards
- What emergency procedures should be considered
While not directly against the criteria, this course provides supporting information towards ISO 45001
This section looks to cover what the composite industry is including:
- How different sectors use composites
- What are the key challenges the industry faces
- How the industry is regulated
- Where different support can be found
- Where the industry is going next
In addition to the modules, this course also includes up to 3 hours of 1-2-1 support made up of:
- Up to 1 hour before the course getting to know the student, their business and experience
- Up to 2 hours recapping content and / or talking through specific cases
How long and how much?
This is a 5 day course that is split into days as follows:
- Day 1 – Introduction to Composites
- Day 2 – Composite Sustainability Fundamentals
- Day 3 – Factory Operations / Supply Chain Management
- Day 4 – Workforce and Qualifications / Costs of Composites
- Day 5 – H&S Management / Industry at a glance
It is recommended that this is done in one block but the reality of the world doesn’t always allow for that. Therefore this course can be broken down into smaller blocks as needed.
This package would costs £1,400 per person with group sizes up to 10 people*.
*minimum course size is 4 people for the Introduction module
What can I study next?
While there is no direct learning that follows on from this course, the topics here can be covered in more depth across a range of our courses.
Courses of more interest include:
- Digital in Composites
- Composite Manufacturing Fundamentals
- H&S Management (full course)
- Quality Management
We are also able to create bespoke courses and support around your businesses precise needs and direction.