A Learning Experience

Changing Face of Support

To fully understand how much the concept of support and training has changed, one need only think back to a time when for many, overhead projectors and slide carousels with fold-up screens were commonplace and laser pointers were cutting edge. Today, using Power Point presentations with embedded video in a classroom environment is standard fare and even the traditional whiteboard has been replaced by an interactive version that runs Windows and offers Zoom capability. That shift in how people were learning was just one factor in the push to upgrade the training environment at Topcon, according to John Dice.

“So much has changed as a result of things going digital,” he said. “A good example: service people’s shelves used to be crammed with manuals — now, most everything they need is available online and much faster and easier to access. Our customers are getting their info in different ways; it stands to reason that we should be presenting it in new ways as well. The new training center incorporates those changes — and a whole lot more.”

Dedicated in 2021, the John D. Dice Training Center is the sequel to the service Dice and his team had been providing at the previous training center in nearby Pleasanton, California. While that site proved very functional and highly successful for more than two decades, a combination of space limitations, location, and the opportunity to take all training efforts to the next level led to the development of the new center in Livermore.

That learning experience is enhanced by a number of extra touches in addition to the technology mentioned above. One of those, floors that incorporate markings used in a construction layout operation, is especially popular — and effective. “We started doing that at trade shows and saw how successful it was,” said Dice. “We wanted that feature in the new site and having larger-sized classrooms made it possible.”

New Era in Training

If the Pleasanton training center was early Apple, the John D. Dice Training Center is post-iPhone Apple. Rich in features and able to do so many things that were previously a challenge, the new center offers six acres of training and demonstration capability — with a host of additional amenities as well. According to Dice, however, having a site designed for effective, informative demonstrations was key in the decision-making process leading up to construction.

“Traditionally, we’ve had a lot of success doing demos for the sales department — what we call a ‘Fly and Try,’” he said. “That program is aimed at the contractor fully realizing the value of a solution by having a machine available, getting in and experiencing it. It is coordinated through the local dealer, but once contacted, we put together a program based on that contractor and their specific needs. It’s proven so successful that we now have interest in it all year round, whereas it used to be limited to the winter months when contractors’ workloads are usually slow.”

The new site also features a 6,000 square foot equipment depot where instructors can conduct training sessions regardless of any inclement weather. The depot has video screens located throughout, allowing for training sessions to take place — augmented by an actual machine available for the hands-on element of the session. “It really provides the best of both worlds,” said Dice.

While the entire site is impressive, its centerpiece is undoubtedly the demonstration area known as the Fieldwork Theater building. Designed to provide maximum value for any customer wanting to see Topcon heavy equipment-based solutions at work, the theater impresses right out of the gate.

“The theater features a retractable wall which, when opened to the demonstration area, literally brings the outside in,” said Dice. “Projected on huge monitors in the seating area, Sitelink3D, allows customers to see the control box in the cab as the machine works in front of them. Being able to communicate directly with the operator, they can describe exactly what they’d like done using the solution, then immediately see it happen. We always envisioned this as a powerful tool to have — we could not have been more right.”

The Social Network

The final component to the new site is geared more for what happens after the training sessions, demonstrations and hands-on work are completed. And while, at first glance, it might seem less important than those tasks, Dice would beg to differ.

“Our business, more than selling solutions, is about building relationships,” he said. “We are continually asking ourselves what we can do to establish — and maintain — a solid relationship with our customers. So the social aspects of the training center, the after-class areas, if you will, were a very important element. As a result, we have a large, comfortable patio area, a barbecue pit, a well-stocked break room, all the amenities needed for a more open, informal, relaxed environment. At the end of a day of training, the opportunity to sit down, have a beer and a meal and just talk about anything from backsighting to baseball can prove almost as valuable as the classes themselves.”

“House” Calls

Anyone who has received hands-on training at the California headquarters, in all likelihood received it from Dice. He was a member of Advanced Grade Technology,  the company Topcon acquired in the mid-‘90s, and since then has played an integral role in ensuring that thousands of dealers and customers alike understand and appreciate all the benefits technology can provide. Perhaps Jamie Williamson, executive vice president, summed it up best: “For his entire career, JD has not only been a tireless, professional ambassador to the world for Topcon and machine control, he’s also been a shining example of the goodness that can come from mankind.”

And, as anyone who knows John Dice will attest, he is perhaps the humblest person one could meet, so the subject of the center being named in his honor is not readily brought up or easily discussed.

“I am still floored by the fact that this site bears my name,” he said. “It was the biggest surprise of my life, for sure. I genuinely feel that I am only doing my job here at Topcon and don’t think someone should be honored for that. But, nevertheless, I am extremely grateful for the honor and am reminded of how lucky I am every time I look up at the entrance and see that name.”

If the walls could indeed talk, those in “The House That John Built” will long be ringing out with impressive tales of machine control development and the key role John’s played in it.