Software updates are a challenge for companies with distributed development locations because they must train their users simultaneously. ABB High Voltage Products reduces the required training time by 25%. The configurable PTC University eLearning libraries makes these time savings possible. Custom-made content ensures highly effective training and satisfied users. Read the PTC case study to learn more!

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Case Study
Customized eLearning from ABB
High Voltage saves time
ABB High Voltage Products
Software updates are a challenge for companies
with distributed development locations because
they must train their users simultaneously. ABB
High Voltage Products reduces the required
training time by 25%.
The configurable PTC University eLearning libraries makes these time savings pos-
sible. Custom-made content ensures highly effective training and satisfied users.

2. PTC.comPage 2 of 4 | PTCU Case Study: ABB
Case Study
Nothing makes users lose focus faster than training that doesn’t account for their
daily tasks or the standard operations of the company. Experience shows this low-
ers their capacity to absorb the content they should be learning, which reduces the
effectiveness of the training and causes the need for costly retraining. This has
been the experience of Frank Kraner, who, as the Process Manager for Global PDM
at ABB High Voltage Products, makes sure the PDM environment of the Business
Unit runs smoothly. The users’ training plays an important role in the effectiveness
of PDM operations.
ABB High Voltage Products is a global business division of the ABB Group which
manufactures high voltage products for a reliable, efficient and sustainable supply
of electricity. Its product portfolio includes everything from mass-produced surge
arresters for cross-country power lines to gas-insulated switchgear stations for
controlling the load distribution on power junctions; they are usually configured as
a single piece to fit the customers’ specifications. The customers of ABB High Volt-
age Products include both the power companies themselves and the system sup-
pliers that provide them with complete solutions, including control and monitoring
technology.
Seven locations in one shot
The high voltage products are developed at seven technology centers distrib-
uted around the world that work together closely. Individual parts or modules are
reused at several locations and resources are also distributed flexibly among the
locations to optimize project durations and costs. There are collaborative devel-
opment projects where the employees from several locations work jointly on new
products for certain markets. “The cooperation can only work if we use the same
tools and methods everywhere,” says Kraner. “Therefore, we must always conduct
software updates at all locations and train the users in a timely manner.” Addition-
ally, an essential requirement is the ability to respond flexibly to the special train-
ing needs of individual locations, because they aren’t always homogenous in terms
of the number of users and their knowledge bases.
A few months ago, ABB High Voltage Products replaced an older version of the
parametric CAD/CAM system from PTC with a newer generation of software, PTC
Creo 2.0, and switched to the current version of PTC Windchill PDMLink at the
same time. The budget for the migration was limited because no major changes to
the processes were required, Kraner says, but a total of 500 developers and engi-
neers at seven technology centers and 500 other PDM users in development, proj-
ect management, purchasing, quality assurance, production planning, and techni-
cal documentation had to be trained in the use of the new tools in just a few weeks.
To reduce the training time, the Business Unit decided to use eLearning with con-
figurable training content through the PTC University Precision LMS platform. The
training program can be configured to the needs of specific user groups and extra
content can be added to it. However, the biggest advantage of the online platform is
that the training materials are available to the users anytime, anywhere, and theo-
retically in any language. ABB High Voltage Products decided to offer the program

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Case Study
in English only, as Kraner explained: “We want to create a uniform
understanding of the language in all locations so the ABB-specific
content doesn’t have to be translated into dozens of languages.”
PTC didn’t provide any ready-made training content, but supported
the project team from ABB High Voltage Products actively in
designing custom-made training for the customer. This applies
to both the choice of content and the educational structure of the
training, which gives the users a uniform look and feel. In addition
to the learning content for the new versions of the PTC applications,
content was also provided on the use of SAP and other programs to
supply training in the overall process. PTC University Precision LMS
was thus the central platform for the entire eLearning presentation,
which is also used for instructor-led training. This enables a very
short planning and ramp-up time for trainings. Also, the training
can be updated without having to constantly print out new training
materials.
Training with learn-it-yourself processes
The eLearning libraries were used both for retraining the so-
called heavy users who work with CAD and PDM systems and for
the users who only used PDM. For the PDM training, the users
were given the learning content only, which they were encouraged
to study on their own, and it could be supplemented with individ-
ual retraining if necessary. Last but not least, thanks to the new,
essentially intuitive user interface of the PDM system, the pro-
gram was conducted entirely without any instructor-led training,
where the locations were able to decide what type of training they
preferred and also organize the training themselves. “The feed-
back shows us that our training concept worked,” says Kraner.
For the CAD training, ABB High Voltage Products factored in the
different cultural conventions and languages at the individual
locations, as Kraner explained: “While the training in the USA
was conducted completely through the self-learning processes,
we combined the eLearning approach with traditional training in
Europe, for example. A trainer explained the new applications to
the users in their native language with the help of the eLearning
library. We wanted to make sure there was a uniform, company-
wide knowledge base using the same content from the Precision
LMS tutorials.”
User-specific learning content
ABB High Voltage Products configured the learning content of
the standard training to fit the needs of the different user groups
beforehand. Certain steps were removed from the training process
ABB generator circuit breaker factory in Zurich,
winner of the Manufacturing Excellence Awards
2014 in the category Customer Orientation.
Frank Kraner himself is a user of PDM and the
Precision LMS environment. It’s important to him to
know what his employees are receiving.
Engineers doing everyday work. The goal of the
learning strategy is an optimal knowledge transfer
with minimal downtime.

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Case Study
400kV gas-insulated switchgear station in Qatar.
– for example, the lessons on steel construction, which were only
relevant to a handful of users – so the users wouldn’t be confronted
with a lot of unnecessary material. At the same time, the content
was specifically adapted to ABB or supplemented with ABB-specific
materials. “This was the eLearning approach’s biggest strength. I
can offer the user a training environment specifically tailored to his
needs,” Kraner says.
Thanks to the customized learning content, the company was able
to significantly reduce training expenditures: “We needed 25%
less time on average for training for our developers and engineers
during our update to PTC Creo 2.0 because we only made the
content that was necessary for their everyday work available
to them. We saved about 500 man-hours at the locations in the
German-speaking region alone,” Kraner says. “These results have
encouraged us to use the PTC University training program for
future training projects as well.”
Although ABB High Voltage has not empirically verified the success
of the training, Kraner believes the users learned more in a
shorter time than in previous training. Their feedback about the
eLearning program was very positive, in any case. And if they forget
something, they can access the same materials used in the training
at any time. The PTC Learning Connector in PTC Creo makes
context-based content from online help sources, the eLearning
library and other sources available to them right in their work
environment.
© 2015, PTC Inc. All rights reserved. Information described herein is furnished for informational
use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be taken as a guarantee, commitment,
condition or offer by PTC. PTC, the PTC logo, Product & Service Advantage, Creo, Elements/
Direct, Windchill, Mathcad, Arbortext, PTC Integrity, Servigistics, ThingWorx, ProductCloud and
all other PTC product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC and/or
its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other product or company names are
property of their respective owners.
J5109–PTCUCaseStudy–EN–0015
Although the participants can go through the
course on their own computers and do the included
exercises independently, they can also easily take
notes on their mobile devices using the digital
course material.
PTC University eLearning in use during class
training. Here, the instructor is using the course in
Precision LMS as the training documentation and is
leading the participants through the module.