Online wood finishing course
The Centre for Advance Wood Processing will be offering the Online Certificate in Industrial Wood Finishing Course as well as two online Management Skills Training courses starting in January 2011. The finishing certificate course will run from January 4th to April 16th, 2011 while the Production Planning and Sales Marketing Courses will run between January 10th to February 20th 2011.

The online Industrial Wood Finishing course is one of the most comprehensive wood finishing courses offered in North America. It provides the learners with a broad understanding of the field of wood finishing. It is designed for individuals employed in the wood products industry who have some general experience in manufacturing and would like to expand their knowledge and understanding of wood finishing. Learner will gain access to information on many aspects of wood finishing including: wood properties; colour theory; application methods; coating types; safety; environmental considerations; quality control and testing methods; and cost/economics.

The Centre for Advanced Wood Processing is now offering a set of affordably-priced online courses to teach skills such as production planning, quality management, new product development, and equipment justification to workplace learners in the wood products industries. Each module requires about 5hrs of study per week for 6 weeks. The courses were designed specifically for the wood products industry and the content is based on case studies from the various sub-sectors. Our goal is to teach skills that can be immediately applied in the workforce related to production, purchasing, HR, QC, equipment evaluation and purchase, sales/marketing, and new product development. These are NOT academic courses, and the skills learned can be applied immediately in the workplace. Each course is led by a tutor with extensive industry experience.

The following is list the learning objective for the courses:

Production Planning
* Develop detailed data collection sheets to conduct time and motion studies.
* Be familiar with production management techniques and how they relate to;
o Types of products (standard, custom)
o Types of processes (projects, batch production, mass production, continuous production)
o Fixed versus variable costs
* Describe Lean Manufacturing methods
* Explain the various types of production documentation (route sheets, Bill of Materials, product structure sheets, etc.)
* Use tools for break even analysis e.g. payback, operating costs etc.
* Explain key measures such as labour productivity, yield, and units per hour
* Explain important factors in Make versus Buy decisions (outsourcing)
* Be familiar with the capabilities of production scheduling software.

Sales and Marketing
* Foster effective communication between salespeople and production personnel to create profitable trade offs
* Describe the importance of communication between sales and marketing, and the manufacturing process
* Be familiar with and use the basic ‘4 Ps’ concept of marketing (product, price, place (distribution) and promotion), and the total product concept
* Explain the importance of understanding your customer.
* Describe basic sales techniques, selling solutions, and how to integrate sales in manufacturing.
* Differentiate between sales and marketing
* Describe the key components of a marketing plan
* Explain mass versus niche markets, customization, and types of retail outlets
* Describe niche and customisation strategies that can be employed to achieve competitive advantage over low-cost imports
* Explain the importance of responding to customer needs and be familiar with negotiation skills
* Explain the key points relating to green marketing

SOURCE: Centre for Advanced Wood Processing
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