New hot spot for bus and coach training

The new Customer Campus in Mannheim has actually been open since the end of November 2022. The official inauguration took place at the beginning of March. The somewhat unusual inauguration date, during ongoing operations, speaks volumes. Tobias Wölki, Head of OMNIplus Training: “we simply wanted to get started with our training sessions as quickly as possible.”

Everybody came to the small internal celebration: OMNIplus boss Bernd Mack, Germany Head of Sales Heinz Friedrich, the structural project management team and, of course, the entire OMNIplus training team led by Tobias Wölki. "Of course, we are absolutely delighted about the new training centre. I am particularly proud of the commitment and drive that our team demonstrated when working on the Customer Campus project, which enabled them to implement it in record time", emphasises Bernd Mack. It took just eleven months from the first idea in January 2022 to the finished training and event centre.

Everything under one roof.
For the first time, Daimler Buses is combining all OMNIplus training activities under one roof in the 580 square metre building right next to the Mannheim production plant. With three training rooms, a high-voltage workshop, a large hall with space for several vehicles and an open space, the new Customer Campus is the perfect centre for product training, workshop employee qualification and bus/coach driver training. There are also opportunities for customer events to take place here.

"Customer Campus Mannheim provides every opportunity there is for meeting the high demands of our OMNIplus training courses."

At the low-key inauguration festivities, Bernd Mack underlined the importance of OMNIplus training: "the complex technology of our modern buses and coaches ensures the highest levels of safety, reliability, economy and sustainability. However, this means that our vehicles also require sound knowledge – this is true of service technicians, drivers and sales staff alike. I am delighted that we now have a training centre that meets the high demands of our OMNIplus training courses with all the possibilities it offers in the form of the new Customer Campus Mannheim.

Short distances to the training vehicles.
As proof of this, all guests were able to get a taster of the new Customer Campus on an informative tour. First stop: “Bertha”, “Carl” and “Benz” training rooms. For Nils Ungericht, Coordinator DriverTraining at OMNIplus, training conditions are ideal: "The rooms are equipped with modern technology and ample space for up to 14 participants each. The distance between theory and practical spaces is also short so that participants can switch between these two aspects of their courses quickly. The hall with the training vehicles and the workshop is just a few steps away."

While “Bertha” and “Benz” were designed for intensive work with training material at desks, the OMNIplus training team designed the “Carl” room in a corner of the extensive hall as a spacious auditorium. Here, beautifully designed wooden seating elements developed with a local joinery have been arranged in semi-circles around a presentation area and offer space for up to 30 people. "Depending on the training content, it is possible to drive a Mercedes-Benz or Setra city bus, intercity bus or touring coach onto the premises, like a living showpiece", says Nils with satisfaction.

Studying and working under high voltage.
A dazzling highlight of the tour is the workshop for high-voltage technology, one of the most important facilities on the new Customer Campus Mannheim. It is not only equipped with all the equipment and tools required for training, but also especially with platforms on both sides for working on the roof of a bus or coach. The platforms cover the entire length of the vehicle so that there is space for all training participants at the same time.

In addition, the workshop is secured so that only authorised training participants are granted access. “This gives us the opportunity to hold high-voltage training courses in Mannheim for the first time”, says Tobias, describing one of the many advantages of the new Customer Campus Mannheim. Until now, this was only possible at the Dortmund training site. The new workshop is also ideally equipped for demonstrating and training with the functionality and adjustment of pantographs.

"With the increasing number of electric buses, the demand for high-voltage qualifications has risen significantly."

Tobias Wölki, OMNIplus Training Team Leader

“With the increasing number of electric buses in more and more fleets, the need for high-voltage qualifications for our own employees as well as for workshop employees in our service outlets and customer workshops has also risen significantly”, says Tobias Wölki, emphasising the need for expanded training courses. These include specialist training courses on the eCitaro as well as the basic and specialist high-voltage modules, in addition to electrician training at the highest qualification level.

The latter enables participants to carry out all works on high-voltage systems and high-voltage batteries without additional manufacturer instructions. The duration of the training sessions depends on the content and is between seven and 32 hours, with

around 150 training sessions taking place per year.
Last but not least, its proximity to the Mannheim production plant with the opportunity for a tour, good accessibility and the nearby parking facilities at the staff car park make the Mannheim Customer Campus an attractive site for bus-related training measures within southern Germany and beyond.

In future, the OMNIplus training team will conduct around 150 training sessions annually at the Customer Campus Mannheim, with the new premises offering the scope for three training sessions to take place simultaneously. In addition to Tobias Wölki, the team includes three technical trainers, a product trainer and three employees for organisation and event management.

“We offer both publicly accessible training courses to which everyone can sign up, as well as courses for dedicated groups, for example for customers’ employees”, explains Tobias. "Thanks to the centre's proximity to the manufacturing plant, we are focusing on city bus technology. However, we also offer product and technical training courses on touring coaches." The comprehensive OMNIplus training programme is rounded off with professional driver training courses centring around various topics.