Fabrication and Welding students from Dumfries & Galloway College have enjoyed a tour of the Cochran workshops.
The world-famous boiler maker, which has a plant near Annan, welcomed the students to help them see how the skills they are learning are applied in industry.
Quality Compliance Manager, James Lynn, who has been making boilers at Cochran for 40 years, conducted the interesting and educational tour which took in the different manufacturing stages that Cochran’s boilers go through before being shipped as far afield as Bangladesh and China.
Students also learned about the tools used in the boiler making trade, including heavy lifting gantries, sheet bending machines, and computer-controlled cutting and boring machinery.
The boilers made at the plant range in size from the compact units mounted on articulated trailers for use at remote sites to the huge ones used on ships and in heavy industry.
The Engineering Department of Dumfries and Galloway College is grateful to Alan Shaw, Product and Service Delivery Manager, and James Lynn at Cochran for giving students the opportunity to visit their production site.
Developing and maintaining positive relationships with significant local employers, including Cochran is a vital part of Dumfries and Galloway College’s continuing commitment to playing its part in promoting the prosperity of the South of Scotland.
Principal Joanna Campbell said:
“We are incredibly grateful to Cochran for providing our students with this interesting and educational tour.
“As a college, we believe that tours like this are important to providing our students with a comprehensive picture of what the skills they acquire here can do in industry.”
