Innovatech Institute
Through the Innovatech Institute we offer several types of product training and customer support.
As a part of our industry-leading policy of going the extra mile for our customers, the Innovatech Institute offers our entire catalog of hands-on classes: Basic Grinding and Polishing, Floor Covering Removal, Surface Preparation and Decorative Concrete without charge. We'll even provide the lunch.
However, advance registration is required and the number of students per company may be restricted due to space limitations. Students are responsible for their hotel accommodations, breakfast and evening meals, transportation and any incidental charges. Innovatech has arranged attractive discounts with hotels near our facility.
Basic Grinding and Polishing
Innovatech Institute offers a two-day concrete and natural stone grinding and polishing course that is designed to introduce our customers the most innovative and cost-effective ways to turn their toughest floor grinding and polishing jobs into money-makers. Innovatech wrote the book on concrete grinding and polishing and our Basic Grinding and Polishing course covers the subject from start to finish.
We will introduce you to the most innovative and job-site effective, industrial floor grinding machines, vacuums and tooling products in the industry.
Our grinding and polishing course is a practical combination of classroom discussion and hands-on experience, taught by industry leaders with years of experience on grinding and polishing jobs just like yours.
This course covers:
- Evaluation of the Job Site--What to do when your easy job turns out to be "down like death."
- Customer and Contractor Specifications - Knowing When You Are Done
- Planning Ahead to Get "The Right Look"
- Types of Surface Preparation Machines
- Removal of Floor Coverings and Coatings
- Tooling Selection - A World of Options
- Griding Wet, Dry Or Both?
- Vacuums - and Dust Control
- The - New Stuff - Developments in Grinding and Polishing Technology
- Economics 101 - How to Avoid Getting Burned On Your Bid
- Machine Demonstrations and Hands-On Operation
- Demonstration of the Latest Tooling, Chemical Products and Dyes.
2010 Course Dates:
- Dates not yet released for 2010
Floor Covering Removal
This one-day course is designed to help contractors learn how to quickly remove the following products in the most cost-effective manner:
- Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT)
- Sheet Vinyl
- Carpet
- Ceramic Tile
- Thin Set
- Elastomeric (Rubber) Coatings
- Epoxy and Urethane Coatings
- Paints and Colored Epoxy
- Traditional Hardwood
- Glue-Down Hardwood
- Glue (Mastic) Removal
Different types of equipment and tooling will be demonstrated and the most effective techniques will be discussed. The newest surface preparation tooling will be available.
Class discussions include:
- "Going Green" and the costs of flooring disposal.
- The economics of flooring removal.
- What to do when faced with an exceptionally difficult removal job.
2010 Course Dates:
Surface Preparation
This one-day course is designed to help contractors learn how to prepare a concrete surface for different types of floor coverings. The pros and cons of various types of surface preparation equipment will be discussed and demonstrated. Innovative tooling will be displayed. You will receive individual hands-on experience.
Surface preparation for the following types of floors will be covered:
- Polished Concrete
- Acrylic Sealers
- Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT)
- Sheet Vinyl
- Carpet
- Elastomeric (Rubber) Coatings
- Epoxy & Urethane Coatings
- Glue-Down Hardwoods
- Ceramic Tile
- Traditional Hardwoods
- Thin Set
2010 Course Dates:
Factory Service and Repair Technician Certification
Some customers, particularly those with several of our machines, have asked for a class in machine service and repair. The Innovatech Institute is pleased to offer a unique training opportunity designed to satisfy this need.
Innovatech's Factory Service and Repair Technician Certification program is designed for your maintenance technician. We will bring your technician into the Innovatech factory for three days of hands-on work with our design engineers, our in-house service technicians and our factory production team. Your technician will see how your machine was assembled, receive in-depth instruction from our design engineering team to help your technician maintain, service and repair your equipment, meet the staff of our parts department and, for a year's worth of experience in two short days, your technician will "job shadow" our in-house factory service technicians as they take service calls from our customers.
Your service technician will receive up-to-date manuals for each of our machines, a complete notebook of service and technical notes and will be listed in our register of certified technicians to receive Innovatech technical service bulletins and service-related e-mails from the factory. Upon completion of the course, your technician will receive his or her diploma as an Innovatech Factory Certified Service and Repair Technician.
Admission to our Factory Service and Repair Technician class is extremely limited. An applicant must be a full-time service and maintenance technician employed by an Innovatech customer. The fee is $10,000. This class is restricted to not more than three technicians at a time and must be scheduled concurrently with factory production runs of our various types of equipment.
Please contact your Customer Service Representative for more information or to reserve a place in an upcoming technician certification class. Sign up today and have your technician start packing his (or her) tool kit.
2010 Course Dates:
Decorative Concrete Appearance Polishing and the Use of Color
This one-day hands-on course is a follow-on to the two-day Basic Concrete Grinding and Polishing class. Innovatech's Decorative Concrete class is designed to teach contractors how to polish concrete on new concrete slabs as well as techniques to restore and polish older concrete floors. The following questions that are commonly asked about polished concrete will be discussed and practical, cost-effective answers will be provided.
- What is polished concrete?
- Why should I try polishing concrete?
- Are there different appearances possible from the same slab?
- What unique appearances are available?
- What unique appearances are attainable?
- How do you expose aggregates?
- How do I polish the edges?
- Is wet or dry polishing better?
- Do I need to densify the concrete?
- Which tooling grits should I use and in which order?
- How long does the shine on a polished concrete floor last?
- How do I maintain polished concrete?
- What equipment and tools do I need and what costs are involved?
- What rates are currently being charged for polished concrete in my area and in other markets around the country?
2010 Course Dates:
The hands-on portion of the Decorative Concrete course will illustrate the use of dyes and stains in the concrete polishing process. We also discuss how to protect the color in the concrete by sealing it and demonstrate decorative effects from the use of multiple colors, the decorative use of texture and mechanical etching of lines and borders to enhance the appearance of polished concrete floors.
