Safety Academy Days 2023

Distributors from literally all over the world, a total of 20 different countries, from Mexico in the west to Japan in the east, and South Africa in the south, participated. For many of them, it was their first visit to Sweden. The aim of the days was to increase distributors’ knowledge of what it takes to create a safe work environment in waterjetting and to gain an in-depth knowledge of our products.

– The distributors play a key role here. If they have knowledge of materials, equipment, and why and when to use certain products, they can convey this to companies and users in the industry. This will lead to increased safety, and save lives, which is ultimately what it’s all about, says Peder Lindström, Market & Sales Director at TST Sweden.

The timing of the event was perfect. The end of May is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year in Sweden, with sheer greenery and lilacs blooming. The Safety Academy Days contained a mix of theoretical and practical elements.

The theoretical sessions contained R&D, materials & certification, and Digital solutions. The audience got an overview of the process from idea to finished product and learned more about testing procedures, quality control, and production. During the Digital solutions session, the audience learned about new features of our website as well as the Distributor portal, with an improved webshop and brand-new marketing material bank.

During the theoretical sessions, the distributors learned about materials, products, and why and when to use certain products.

– We have just launched a new website with comprehensive information about our products and safety. Our customers will also have access to images, videos, and marketing material to use in their own channels. We hope this will help them in the work to create even safer workplaces together with their customers and end users, says Susanna Åkeräng, Marketing and Communications Manager.

“IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENT. JUST BIG ENOUGH SO THAT YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO TALK TO EVERYONE AND EXCHANGE EXPERIENCES!”

– Tom Rundberg at Hammeli, Finland

Then it was demo time. First out were Willem Olgers and Joost Ballieux from the Dutch company Peinemann, demonstrating the cleaning of a heat exchanger with robotic waterjetting, while our sales team Peder Lindström and Annette Hessel explained what’s important in robotic cleaning from a safety point of view. Our Protective Curtains were effortlessly put together and formed a protective wall around the heat exchanger.

We also demonstrated our all-new Safety Funnel for the first time. The application took just one minute, and the audience got to see the difference when cleaning a heat exchanger without, and then with, the Safety Funnel. The new product prevents both flying objects and water from hitting and injuring people and damaging equipment. Also, it makes less of a mess to clean afterward, as everything is collected with the funnel instead of being spread out.

– The Safety Funnel is really good and very easy to use. It felt like it made a real difference in safety, as well as making the noise much lower. All in all, a success! I think it’s going to be a great product, says Mark Van Heerden at Total Blasting, who got to test the Safety Funnel during a shutdown at a chemicals and energy company in South Africa, a couple of months ago.

Our sales team, Peder Lindström and Annette Hessel, guided the attendees through the demos.

We demonstrated our all-new Safety Funnel for the first time. A product used when cleaning heat exchangers. The application only takes one minute.

The participants got to see a prototype of the Safety Booth, a product that is still under development. The Safety Booth is specially developed for operators working with robotic waterjetting.

During the demo, Annette Hessel had the chance to talk about why Hose protection is important to use.

– The greatest risk areas of a hose break are near or on the waterjet gun; areas often very close to the operator and near sensitive areas of the body, such as the abdomen, the armpit, or the neck. These are areas that require high compliance and are therefore difficult to properly protect with clothing.

In the Smart Textiles Showroom ourproducts stand side by side with other high-tech textile products. In the Weaving Technology Lab at Textile Fashion Center research is being carried out on the textile materials of the future. 

“DURING THE TWO DAYS, WE GAINED LOTS OF KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR PRODUCTS AND SAFETY WORK. AND IT WAS REALLY NICE TO MEET TST SWEDEN’S STAFF AGAIN”

– Mahesh Parameswaran from Param Hydraulics, India.

The next day, after a dinner the evening before, the distributors had a study visit at the Textile Fashion Center in Borås. They got to both look back at textile history and had a peek into the future of the industry in the Smart Textiles Showroom. Here our products stand side by side with clothing that monitors the wearer’s health or measures movements, and technology that supports the development of circularity in the textile industry.

– It was very nice visiting Sweden and this event. During the two days, we gained lots of knowledge of their products and safety work. And it was really nice to meet TST Sweden’s staff again, says Mahesh Parameswaran from Param Hydraulics, India.

After the successful event, we continue to spread knowledge and educate about the importance of safety in the waterjetting industry, through our Safety Academy initiative. For more information, please visit tst-sweden.com.