American company L-3 MPRI is bringing world-leading training simulators to the Humber region. Its first European demonstration centre is being launched at the Logistics Institute at Hull University Business School next month in a partnership that will team its technologically advanced simulators with leading academic expertise.

The simulators, which relate to ‘real life’ jobs in construction and logistics, will offer scenario training for mobile crane drivers, tower crane operators, liquid cargo handling and port crane operators. The L-3 MPRI TranSim vehicle simulator recently installed at TIR Training Services in Beverley will also be present during the launch.

Speakers at the free event on July 22 include Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness; Dennis Corrigan, senior vice president at L-3 MPRI; Tim Watson of TIR and Professor David Menachof, Hull University Business School.

They will outline the significance of the new venture for the region and the future of technology-assisted training in the UK, specifically the vital role it can play in improving safety and security while helping to reduce costs and environmental impact. Re-skilling and generational issues will also be addressed.

The event is expected to attract leading executives from the Yorkshire and Humber region as well as visitors from other east coast ports, Poland and the Baltic states.

Richard Faint, commercial manager of the Logistics Institute, said that the simulators would enable the Humber region to have competitive advantage over the rest of the country.

“Coupled with our expertise in providing business education, and our world-class logistics and supply chain management programmes supported by leading academics, we will be offering a service that takes simulator training in this country to a new level.

“L-3 MPRI and the Logistics Institute will jointly pursue research in technology-assisted training, especially where it is related to vocational training in the logistics and construction sectors.”

Dennis Corrigan, senior vice president at MPRI, said that his company was excited by the opportunity to work with the Logistics Institute.

“It is a leading academic institution appropriately based in the UK’s largest port complex and has the facilities and staff to match the quality of our total training solutions philosophy,” he said.

With headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, L-3 MPRI is a recognised global leader in training solutions for driving, airfield, maritime and marksmanship training that are widely used by commercial operators, emergency responders, law enforcement agencies and the US military. The company is a division of L-3 Communications, which employs approximately 67,000 people worldwide and has headquarters in New York.

L-3 MPRI’s simulators are realistic, high resolution, and interactive using state-of-the-art software. As well as instructing the student on how to operate equipment safely and efficiently, the simulators also allow for scenarios to be experienced which would be difficult to plan into ‘real life’ training, such as accident situations or bad weather conditions.