CENTURION's World-class Training Department

The act of learning is arguably the most valuable undertaking that one can embark on in life. I recall a university lecturer once saying to the class that learning only truly stops when one dies, and the famous American industrialist Henry Ford himself stated that “anyone who keeps learning stays young”.

In fact, there is no shortage of quotes when it comes to the virtues and value of learning, whether at the hands of some university professor or as an eternal student of life. Learning is something we take very seriously here at CENTURION, and that is why we have put a great deal of effort into ensuring that our Training Department is very well-equipped to make you an access automation master.

Through a meticulously designed programme of courses spanning the entirety of our access automation range, the CENTURION Training Department - under the very capable leadership of Chris Grobler – exposes our clients to both the theoretical and the practical aspects of our products.

To date, CENTURION has provided product training on four continents and in numerous countries including New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, India, Egypt, Mauritius and throughout Africa – and the response has always been overwhelming. We can say with confidence that not only is our Training Department world-class, but is has become world-famous. To ensure high standards of training, CENTURION has invested in two highly qualified and experienced educators, both holding Bachelor’s degrees in Technology Education, among other qualifications.

How can you benefit from attending our product training courses? Well, we caught up with the man himself, our training manager Chris, to chat about what sets us apart in terms of client training and, more importantly, what you stand to gain from attending.

Charl: Chris, what is the benefit of coming for training at CENTURION?

Chris: Every person has their own unique style of learning. Some enjoy reading a manual while others like to watch a DVD or video clip, but a large number of installers prefer the classroom situation, with hands-on experience and face-to-face communication. At Centurion Systems we aim to satisfy every learning style and need. For this reason we do offer online documentation and video clips, but we also go to great lengths to visit clients and present onsite training. Our classroom training sessions are of a professional standard – so much so that even qualified teachers comment on the professional approach!

What sort of insights and skills does CENTURION equip learners with?

We aim to develop the following skills during our training sessions:

• Observational skills (installation process and product knowledge)
• Lateral and critical thinking skills (specifying different products according to clients’ needs)
• Analysis skills (troubleshooting and problem solving skills)
• Communication skills (client handover and feedback)

Who should come for training?

Any person who learns better in a classroom environment, or finds it difficult to understand installation manuals, is welcome. We have trained a number of ladies (40 to date), so there is no limitation to who can be trained.

Do you have any final words for installers and users out there who might be considering coming for training at CENTURION?

The more our clients know about our products, the more confident they are in installing and selling them. One added advantage of attending our training is the personal attention, and on-demand answers to questions.

The more we learn the more we realise how little we know. Our passion is to see people learn to their full potential. We are the best and give the best.

Thanks, Chris! I couldn’t have said it better myself. For more information on our ongoing product training, please click here.

Why Buy and Specify CENTURION?

We have a beautiful little saying in Afrikaans that goes ‘goedkoop is duur koop’. It’s one of those delightful adages that’s endured through the ages and contains the sort of homonymic wisdom that is a trademark of all good sayings. 

Translated directly, it means ‘pay cheap prices and you’ll pay more in the long run’, and can also be understood to mean ‘the wise choice is to pay the higher price’ – which is really the same as the first denotation, but that’s where the homonym is effective.

Linguistics aside, it’s always important to know exactly what you’re paying for when it comes to access automation. 

Why should you go with CENTURION versus one of the many competitor manufacturers in the marketplace today? Well, we could take the easy way out and say ‘because we’re better’ (which is true, but still), but we elect to do the right thing and provide you with four very compelling reasons to buy and specify CENTURION.

The Support is World-Class

Purchasing any technical product can be a nerve-shattering experience if you’re unsure of the kind of after-sales support you’ll receive. What if something goes wrong? Who’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you towards resolution?

We will.

Our technical support call centre operates from 7am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am until 4:30pm on Saturdays and is able to provide you with support of the highest calibre in all eleven official languages, as well as French, Portuguese and Spanish. We also offer support through our social media channels, Facebook and Twitter.

Proven Reliability

With a track record traced through three decades, Centurion Systems is a South African gate automation pioneer. In addition, our gate motors and traffic barriers are designed and manufactured in South Africa for the harsh African conditions (and, let’s face it, this place isn’t for sissies. The sun in South Africa alone is enough to give an alligator a permanent tan) and some of our operators have been working in the field for close on 20 years without a hitch. 

We’re at the Cutting Edge of Technology

Innovative, high-security features such as Intruder-detection Alarm functionality, ChronoGuard timer technology and PIRAC Mode have gone a long way towards positioning Centurion Systems as the undisputed leaders in gate automation and access control.

These and other features have not only enabled users to get the most out of their access automation systems from a convenience point of view, but also allow home- and business owners to enjoy absolutely ironclad security and peace of mind.

Here is a slightly more detailed breakdown of the main technologies offered by our operators:
 

• ChronoGuard – a world-first timer technology that allows the user to set a myriad Auto-activation and Time-barring functions using the onboard Real Time Clock and Calendar, which tracks the date up to the year 2099
• Intruder-detection Alarms – The novel feature-set – consisting of the Beam Alarm and Ambush Alarm - ups the security ante even further by providing an audible output when the infrared gate safety beams are obstructed, or remain interrupted for a pre-defined period of time
• Code-hopping technology – CENTURION remote controls are equipped with code-hopping encoders which process the outgoing transmission through a sophisticated encryption engine, making copying and cloning impossible. No two transmitted codes will ever be alike
• Onboard diagnostics – Our D-Series range provides both audible and visual feedback of the gate status at any given time. In addition, a designated diagnostic screen makes fault-finding a breeze
• High-volume capability – CENTURION operators are designed to work hard, and work hard they do – with some operators such as the SECTOR II traffic barrier being capable of performing in excess of 3000 operations every single day

We Try Our Best to Make Your Life Easier

Whether it’s through wireless products like the SMARTGUARDair access control keypad and Photon infrared gate safety beams, intuitive, LCD-based setup procedures, removable terminal strips or advanced diagnostics, our talented engineers have developed a sort of intuition when it comes to the requirements of CENTURION clients. 

To throw another tried and true saying into the mix, time is money, and no one who respects the sanctity of time wants to sit on site for hours routing cable and receiving a merciless beating from the sun. For exactly this reason, we make sure that our products are quick and painless to install and maintain. 

Why Automate? The Benefits of Gate Automation

As members of the human race, the desire – or, to be more accurate, the need – to protect what is ours, is inborn.  Thousands of years of evolution have ensured that we will fight tooth and nail so that no harm will to come to us, our loved ones, or our possessions.  Whenever we are in danger, those little evolutionary alarms go off and our bodies offer us two choices:  either run away or stand and fight.  This is what psychologists call the fight or flight response.

But modern technology provides us with a third alternative:  prevent.  What if we didn’t have to stand and fight but didn’t exactly have to turn tail and run, either?  We can efficiently protect what is ours by simply making good use of the tools that the Cyber Age has given to us.

Gate motors have been around for the last two decades or so and, much like us, they have also evolved to be quick-thinking, robust machines that are able to relentlessly guard our homes and offices like unflinching sentinels.   They also serve as faithful servants, opening and closing our entrance gates without so much as a word of objection – it’s what they were built to do.

The benefits offered by gate motors are manifold, and we will now look at some of them.  We’ll also discuss a very close relative of gate automation, namely access control.

1. Safer

The obvious detriment to one’s lumbar region aside, getting out of your vehicle to open a gate can be extremely hazardous from a personal safety perspective.  We’ve all heard of people getting hijacked or attacked while opening their gates.  Having a gate motor installed may not eliminate this possibility entirely, but it will certainly reduce the likelihood.  Some modern gate motors have adjustable speed settings, meaning that you can have your gate open and close rapidly and thus reduce the time that the gate is open and also the time that you are stationary in your vehicle.  There are also some particularly advanced operators with innovative features such as beam automatic closing, whereby the gate closes the moment that the safety beams have been cleared.

2. Convenient

Why go through all the effort of stopping your car, getting out, and then straining your poor, long-suffering back just so that you can get into your own property?  It is certainly much more convenient to simply press a button and let your gate motor do the rest.  Gate motors also offer you considerable freedom when it comes to the manner in which you will activate it, since you can connect anything from a remote receiver to an intercom and use that as a triggering device.  There are even GSM-modules that allow you to trigger your gate using your mobile phone.  It doesn’t get more convenient than that, especially in an age where our phones have become extensions of our arms.

3. Versatile

Yes, gate motors do open and close gates, but there are several models on the market that do so much more than that.  Some models provide onboard timers, allowing you to set automatic activations or to bar certain inputs from working at set times, while others can be interfaced with third party alarm systems and infrared beams so that you’re notified when would-be criminals are loitering in front of your gate.  It’s easy to see how a device that once had a singular purpose has now become a compact electronic defence force.

4. Total control

As I mentioned in the introduction to this article, we’ll also take a brief look at access control.  Now, access control is rather a broad term and can refer to any number of devices including keypads, proximity card readers, GSM-modules, traffic barriers and of course gate motors.  The wonderful thing about access control is that it affords you total control over who enters (or leaves) a property.

Some variants, particularly proximity tag readers, can be interfaced with computers and allow the user to upload transaction logs, edit functionality remotely, selectively add and delete users, etc.  This does its bit for convenience as well as security.

Innovation in the field has also ensured that no matter what your automation requirement – whether you have a swing or sliding gate, light or extremely heavy, whether you require automation for your home or business – there is bound to be a gate motor and/or access control system out there for you.

So don’t wait:  Automate!

Pat Dickens: A Partner of Possibility

Centurion Systems’ sprawling, labyrinthine manufacturing facility in North Riding, Johannesburg, is a shrine in honour of human ingenuity, a vast monument of the marvels that humankind can accomplish if given the correct tools. For within the 15,000m² premises, a veritable agora of great minds interface with some of the most advanced and sophisticated equipment that the world of engineering has to offer to design and produce our winning access automation solutions. 

From the R & D wing where engineers go about their important work in scholarly silence to the hive of activity that is the factory floor, every square inch of the building speaks of a truly world-class facility.

The company’s manufacturing base recently hosted pupils and teachers from the Ferndale High School who were split into four groups and led on an extensive tour of the facility conducted by none other than MD Pat Dickens himself as well as business development department head Ant Williams, network engineer Tim Dickens and trainee project manager Corne Janse van Rensburg.

The pupils, who are all interested in pursuing a career in engineering or related fields, were introduced to some of the advanced software and equipment – which includes robotics and state-of-the-art SMT machines - used in the design and manufacture of our products.

Asked how the factory tour came about, Pat explains that it formed part of a youth development initiative of which he is an active member.

“I am part of an organisation called Partners for Possibility (PfP) which was started in Cape Town by a lady called Louise van Rhyn. The idea is to get business leaders in the industry to partner with school principals to help them run their schools more professionally. At the end of last year, I therefore partnered with Ferndale High School which serves the Randburg, Ferndale, Bryanston and surrounding areas”.

He went on to say that one of the organisation’s goals is to improve the pass rate of the learners, where learners become fully engaged in a learning experience that will transform them into well-balanced citizens having a strong set of ethics and values that will be cherished by future employers.

“In that vein, I asked the grade 10, 11 and 12 learners who are particularly interested in pursuing an electrical or electronic career to visit CENTURION in order to see a typical company involved in things electrical”.

In total, around 60 learners attended the factory tour.