The team of the training at Legoland Malaysia.
TÜV NORD Malaysia engineers have inspected a total of 20 rides at Legoland Malaysia in Johor Bahru in the southern part of the country, not far from Singapore. Stijn Baker from the TÜV Nederland office formed a team with three local inspectors from TÜV NORD Malaysia to perform the inspection. This is a very good demonstration of the use of knowledge transfer to enhance the skills of local inspectors. At the end of the day, local inspectors will be evaluated and records of their experience kept by the Global Competence Centre.
On the list were visual inspections, electrical and safety function tests, G-force measurements, functional tests of all safety installations and reviews of the non-destructive test reports and previous inspection reports. With the comprehensive knowledge gained from the trainings, the local technicians were able to do the job to a high standard. This marks the entry of the TÜV NORD Global Competence Centre for Amusement Rides & Leisure Industry headed by Ralph Pesgens into the South-East Asian market.
Moreover, four playground and waterparks, including utilities equipment, were recently inspected. All the equipment and slides underwent a visual inspection and functional safety tests. “Our inspectors also observed the operation of the slides by life guards when the park was open to the public,” explains Bill Kong, General Manager of TÜV NORD Malaysia. “We were able to make some constructive comments based on the behaviour of the guests and the layout of the water park.”
These inspections came after intensive trainings provided by TÜV Nederland staff earlier this year at Legoland Malaysia. The main objective of the training was to improve the knowledge of the existing maintenance team, especially of safety and corrosion prevention. The programme, with two days of theory and one day of practice, was geared to the types of rides found in the park and delivered the knowledge in a manner relevant to the reality of the condition of the park. In-depth knowledge of corrosion mechanisms and preventive measurement was included to promote appreciation of the everyday work that had previously been taken for granted. The technicians were observed on the practical day and taught a hands-on inspection method to facilitate their inspection. At the end of the training, a report was presented by the trainer Victor Paelsmaeker to Legoland, with all observations on both the personnel and the park itself.
“After the training and the improvement in the quality of the technicians, I believe that TÜV NORD and Legoland will work closely together,” states Bill Kong. “With the arrival of Ralph Pesgens to head our International Competence Centre (Amusement and Leisure Industry), we have successfully established a good showcase for international cooperation and made our first successful foray into the Legoland/Merlin Group.” He is convinced that more leisure parks in the region will in the future place their faith in the know-how of TÜV NORD.
Legoland is a chain of family theme parks owned by the Lego Group and the British theme park company Merlin Entertainments. The first Legoland theme park opened in Billund, Denmark, in 1968. In addition to Malaysia, further parks are operated in the U.K., Germany, the USA, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.