The PMA negotiates and administers maritime labor agreements with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). This includes coast-wide contracts covering roughly 14,200 registered longshore, clerk and foreman workers at 29 ports along the West Coast, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest. These ports drive nearly half of all maritime trade in the US, including a majority of all imports from Asia. PMA intends to train numerous ILWU longshore workers using the Vortex Simulators.
The Vortex Simulators are equipped with ship-to-shore, rubber-tired gantry, ship pedestal, and/or harbor mobile crane training modules. Over the course of the next 60 months, the PMA plans to train hundreds of operators at its simulation-based training facilities in Tacoma and Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Training with the Vortex Simulators started in July 2015 at Los Angeles/Long Beach, and in September 2015 at the Tacoma location.
Vortex Simulators are characterised by their ability to replicate multiple cranes on a single simulator. Thanks to their hot-swappable controls and an immersive visual system, each PMA Vortex Simulator will be equipped with ship-to-shore (STS), rubber-tired gantry (RTG), ship pedestal, and harbour mobile crane training modules.
Training on a Vortex Simulator allows clients to reduce costs associated with operating assets, and engage in learning methodologies not possible on real cranes, such as preparing for unexpected or adverse conditions with safety-first response.
The PMA’s 2015 annual report states that the purchase is money well spent: “Using the same technology used to train commercial airline pilots, the simulator can give a taste of what it’s like to operate a crane in any condition – day or night, in fair weather or rain.” This purchase signals significant adoption of Vortex Simulators as a port training standard in the North American market, on the heels of widespread implementation of the Vortex Simulators in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and the Middle-East.
CM Labs builds simulation-based solutions to help clients design advanced equipment and prepare for skilled operations. Through its Vortex Studio platform, CM Labs provides capabilities for training simulators, mission rehearsal, serious games, virtual prototyping, and testing. Today, CM Labs is the leading vendor for simulation-based training in the construction industry. With over 1,000 simulators in 30 countries using Vortex software, it has become the de facto standard for the industry.
For two years in a row, CM Labs was named to the prestigious Deloitte Technology Fast 500TM and among the fastest growing technology companies in North America. The company’s markets are global – working with established leaders as well as emerging market trailblazers. A few of its prestigious customers include Honda, Hitachi, Liebherr, NASA, and Volvo.
Vortex® is a registered trademark of CM Labs Simulations.
For more information, visit www.cm-labs.com. Contact us: [email protected].
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