This article is meant to inform customers of the role service technicians play in Farnham Equipment Company’s (FEC) organization.
A Key Ingredient For FEC’s Service Department
There are several ways Farnham Equipment Company distinguishes itself as an incredible resource to its customers. The collective product knowledge within the organization, easily combining to be over 100 years worth of experience. The reach to work with customers throughout the state of Ohio, and now Michigan as well. The countless ways FEC can assist with emergencies to customers equipment. However, at the center of all of these is the team of in-house technicians and installers FEC trains and equips to be a critical resource to our customers.
The in-house service technicians have different levels of training, with the highest level of certification being a Master Technician. The training the technicians cover focuses primarily on telescopic seating, athletic equipment and outdoor bleachers and grandstands. However, training never truly ends for the technicians. It is not simply enough to know how to repair and install bleachers, but moreover to know how each part of the equipment works, both as the whole and alongside other parts in the systems. This is what helps technicians be able to diagnose problems, provide solutions and understand how to best anticipate what future needs a customer’s equipment may need.
While FEC is a representative of multiple manufacturers, the technician’s expertise does not solely pertain to those manufacturers alone. Through the training support received through FEC, technicians can be well prepared to understand the ins and outs of all makes and models of equipment, not only the ones we specifically represent. Over the years, the high-quality manufacturers FEC represents have produced ongoing content and training, to ensure that the Service Department is up to date on everything pertaining to seating and athletic equipment. With these high-quality manufacturers comes the added benefit to customers to anticipate what problems might arise with a product that is different from what manufacturers like Hussey Seating Company or Gared Performance Sports Systems produce. It is FECs goal that technicians serve as the expert, whether it’s for an FEC-represented manufacturer or a competitor. This all begins and starts with the internal training that technicians receive.
Outside of the ongoing, personalized training at FEC, technicians have a thorough knowledge of our manufacturers products as well as the International Code Council requirements (ICC 300). This allows them to be able to properly inspect customers equipment and utilize the FEC Inspection App to determine the best course of action for any repairs, upgrades, or maintenance that may be needed on any telescopic bleachers, basketball backstop, divider curtain, outdoor grandstand and more.
Additional qualifications of FEC Service Technicians include:
- All technicians are required to complete Hussey Seating Company’s factory certification program. Hussey’s program requires several years of industry experience, dealer sponsorship, and is followed by a weeklong, on-site Hussey training course in telescoping seating. Upon completion of the training course, the passage of a written exam is required to obtain a certification card with photo identification. This certification also requires you to maintain it by continuing to perform the work and maintain employment with the sponsoring company.
- All technicians are required to complete OSHA 30 Hour Safety Training before acquiring their certification status.
- All Technicians are encouraged to complete their First Aid and CPR Certification
- All Technicians are required to complete the apprenticeship requirements to become Union, Journeyman Carpenters. FEC is a union signatory company and has agreements throughout Ohio with the local carpenter’s unions. All FEC employees benefit from union affiliation because of proper training, health & welfare programs, and retirement & annuity funds. FEC also feels our customers benefit from union employees’ professionalism, quality of work, and pride in their job. Additionally, our union affiliation allows us to meet and exceed all regulatory and compliance requirements for public work.
- All technicians are required to complete training and pass testing for operating any equipment and be certified operators of the same prior to use. Equipment includes, but is not limited to scissor lift/aerial platforms, scaffolding, articulating boom lifts, and forklifts of various types.
- All technicians are required to work towards factory welding certification.
- All technicians are required to have and pass BCI and FBI background checks on a regular basis to meet Title 3919.39 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Utilize Your FEC Technicians
FEC service technicians are one of the most valuable resources a customer has when working to upgrade, repair or service their equipment. That is thanks to the dedication of the FEC Service Department continuing to work and strive to ensure that customers get their questions answered and solutions are provided for their equipment. Customers can utilize the technicians while they are on site to look at other items that may need inspected, repaired, or upgraded. The technicians are the boots on the ground for FEC, the ones that see customers equipment the most up close and personal and therefore should be viewed as a great resource to customers when they interact with them.
