Why Simulation
Q. Why Simulation?
A. Reduced training costs, higher training effectiveness. More resilient operations, improved performance, (individual, team, corporate), plus brand protection!
Public tolerance of avoidable error is rapidly reducing and the cost of error is ever more damaging, both in terms of direct cost and in equally damaging loss of reputation and brand value. Either can be fatal to a company shown to be operating to lower than optimal accepted standards.
As an Owner of high value equipment you are entitled to expect the maximum value from your investment on day one of installation. Equipment failure is also costly, as much as $260k an hour, so rapid repair and excellent maintenance training is key to cost saving.
As a Consumer you expect and deserve the transport you take or the hospital, facility, you visit to provide safe and effective service while you are with them.
As an Operator; soldier, mining engineer, oil and gas worker or an ocean going sailor; in fact anyone carrying out difficult or dangerous work in potentially hazardous conditions, you have the right to expect not only the best equipment but the best training possible in its use so that you can complete your task safely and successfully.
Finally, if you are a corporate executive you need your operation to run at peak efficiency and your staff to be fulfilled and executing to the highest level possible.
Often labelled as ‘too expensive’ by those resistant to change and improvement, the range of simulations available today via the cell phone to the $20m simulated device can be built to suit any pocket while the use of modeling techniques to ensure process and system functionality ensures maximum ROI and operational efficiency.
Today, more than ever, the old airline maxim is even more applicable;
“If you think training is expensive try paying for an accident.”
New Technologies for Training
At the start of Halldale’s involvement in the world of “technology enhanced training” or S&T nearly 40 years ago, simulation was largely the preserve of the defence community. Devices were highly expensive and usually one off, or short run, bespoke systems design to run as stand alone training tools.
They were usually bundled with the purchase price of the bigger system and thus ‘given away’ as part of the package; if training was thought of at all. Often failure of the man machine experience and the resulting cost and casualties drove eventual training and device deployment.
Many companies spun of their training departments into new profit centers or offloaded them, frequently to the staff running them, as stand-alone businesses. Mostly because the business model is so different, long term, service and ROI driven.
Today, simulation is used in the design and development of new systems and the training devices and curriculum are deployed prior to the deployment of the device. Often those devices are networked enabling training of widely geographically dispersed teams, without leaving home.
The global airline drive to safety from the 1980’s is well known and their stellar safety improvement to today has many other enterprises from rail to medicine looking to the airlines as an example of best training practice. Rightly so, as although Nuclear power may post even higher levels of safety and performance, the commercial aviation model is a better fit for most other enterprises.
In the next few years the continued improvement in computing power will be combined with 5G internet and machine learning. This will allow global, personalised, sustainable, standardised, training and assessment of the most difficult skills to be made available enterprise wide in multiple languages, to different cultures, 24/7. Most critically of all it will be provided affordably!
Why this site?
The technology changes mentioned above have impacted and enabled the training community over the past decades at an increasing pace.
At the time of writing the Covid crisis literally brought home to all of us the power of systems like Zoom and Microsoft Teams in enabling new ways of working. These systems were certainly not available in past crises like 911 or even the 2008 financial meltdown. They will only get better and do not impose a price barrier to adoption.
We have seen the same happening in the Simulation and Training community worldwide and with the growth of XR technologies in particular it is now possible to combine subject matter expertise with training delivery systems from companies that have not grown in the technology space, not in any one vertical eg defense and so are better able to address training needs across multiple industries.
This site aims to provide information to those who are focused on training for safety and performance, drawing on the experience of those who are already deploying these systems, and to transfer the accumulated experience to any user.
Our team of training and simulation experts, as well as our corporate media team, have lived and breathed simulation and training for years, if not decades. They have designed, sold, assessed and used training equipment, built training curricula and depended on the quality of their own training through their career.
Halldale is the sole provider of information focused on technology enhanced training for multiple user communities, globally. We deliver information through live and virtual events, print, digital and electronic formats on any platform, anywhere, and at all times.