Opportunity to look and learn

MAINTEC 2013, an exhibition for the UK's maintenance, plant and asset management community, returns to the NEC from 5th to 7th March and, in addition to a wide range of exhibitors keen to talk about their latest products and services, the event will feature more learning opportunities than ever before. Here IP&E outlines what visitors can expect

In addition to new show features, lots of first time exhibitors and a growing Hazex area, MAINTEC 2013, will feature two key learning opportunities.

The Maintenance Exchange Featuring a programme of 38 learnShops, delivered by some of the show's most innovative exhibitors, these practical sessions will provide visitors with an insight into the latest innovations, products and services to be found within the maintenance and asset management arena.

These free learnShop sessions are designed to help plant and asset managers, engineers and maintenance professionals save money, improve efficiencies and enhance asset care.

For those looking for new ways to reduce the amount of energy used, John Roberts, managing director at Idhammar Systems, will give an insight into the OEE concept and how it is linked to return on investment. The concept is based on the availability of the plant for production and the performance of the plant. This is determined by the rate that units are produced and the quality of the saleable product. When these elements are considered together, and the current and desired efficiencies analysed, strategies to reduce energy use can emerge.

Managers of Energy from Waste (EfW) plants will be interested in the talk by Robin Buller, director of business development at KRR ProStream. "Using smart technology to maintain these specialist systems can result in more efficient outputs," explains Buller. He will be focusing on three cleaning technologies, in particular, for boilers, bag house filters and heat exchangers. KRR ProStream specialises in power generation facilities and this talk will give delegates the opportunity to discuss specific efficiency issues with industry experts.

Condition based maintenance offers many economic benefits, as Stan Jackson, managing director of SPM Instrument UK will explain. The concept focuses on using staff more effectively on routine inspections to determine possible corrective maintenance. This is said to increase reliability and ensure maintenance work is planned.

Similarly, Roy Davis, senior consultant at MCP, will speak about how Operator Asset Care is implemented to complement maintenance excellence and the benefits to a business when asset care is carried out. He explains: "The increased awareness and machinery-based knowledge of production operators will ensure that any machinery failures or malfunctions are detected at an early stage, so that planned actions can be implemented." For those who have a health and safety agenda, Sira Test and Certification will hold a seminar on the world's first international scheme for the certification of personnel associated with equipment, installations and servicing used by Ex industries, known as IECEx.

Any uncertainty of hazards associated with static electricity will be clarified by Mike O'Brien, product manager from Newson Gale: "Sometimes thought to be witchcraft due to its invisible nature, static electricity can spark an explosion in combustible atmospheres," explains O'Brien.

"The highly dangerous charge can be built up by the movement of powder and liquids in a plant." Using a video to illustrate the dangers, he will be discussing practical measures on how to manage static electricity.

Attendees who work with fragile substances will not want to miss the talk by David Furley, distribution manager at CorDEX instruments. He will explain how to control the deployment of standard thermography equipment.

Visitors will also be able to hear about web-based predictive maintenance systems, from Dr John Atkinson, technical director from C-Cubed.

Andy Parkinson, business development manager from James Walker will speak about improving efficiency and costs by reducing maintenance downtime.

Ian Pledger, IAM product specialist from Schaeffler will discuss the implementation of an efficient asset management system using plant condition monitoring.

Dr Trevor Holroyd, technical director at Parker Kittiwake Holroyd, will speak about the application of acoustic emission to detect ineffective lubrication in operating machinery.

Marketing manager at Ernst Schad, Ram Greenshpon will explain how to keep your good old gearbox in service at a fair cost, while Reliability Maintenance Solutions will be speak about improving reliability by correcting the 'big four': balancing, shaft/belt alignment, looseness and resonance. How to get more from your floor will be the subject of a seminar hosted by Flowcrete.

Business strategy conference The Business Strategy Conference, like the Maintenance Exchange, is being run throughout the three-day show and features a line-up of world-class experts and major end-user brands.

Day one Each day addresses a different strategic theme. On day one the focus is on 'Making the Business Case for Maintenance.' Mark Harman, CEO, Mainnovation will kick off proceedings by exploring the economic drivers of a maintenance organisation. For those struggling to measure maintenance's economic contribution, he will have suggestions and lessons from real life experiences. Delegates will learn why steering on value leads to continuous improvement and what can be learned from leading maintenance organisations around the world.

In a session moderated by Bill Parker, CEO, Institution of Diagnostic Engineers, and drawing on case studies, John Davenport, operations director, Alcon and Paul Dennis, technical facilities manager, Experian, will explore successful maintenance strategies, how to choose the right one for your business and the merits of total productive maintenance versus a reliability-centred maintenance approach.

There is much debate within the profession about which is better - control maintenance or a reactive maintenance operation. Mark Thompson, head of Wastewater Assets, Southern Water will explore the merits of each. Drawing on his own experience he will look at how you decide which one is the right strategy for your company. He will then explore the idea of whether there is a third way - that involves a mix of asset management systems and reactive self monitoring devices.

Day two The theme for day two is 'Innovation in Action' with Steve Statham, manager, Manufacturing Technology Centre, starting the day by exploring the latest effective methodologies and high-impact technologies. As innovations go, social media has been transformational for many areas of business; Statham will outline its implications for maintenance professionals, specifically social media's role in providing feedback and alerts for building maintenance. He will also give examples of where innovation in asset management is helping to overcome those thorny maintenance issues of legacy systems and obsolescence.

Condition-based monitoring is a hot issue. Is an evolutionary or revolutionary approach to implementation best? Which assets and equipment should be included and what about all the data you are likely to gather? Any attendees struggling with these and other questions will get the chance to learn first-hand from Dr Sethuraman Muthuraman, condition monitoring engineer, Scottish & Southern Energy. He will even have some suggestions for those daunted by condition-based monitoring, outlining the occasions when reactive or preventative measures may suffice.

Many wonder whether formal standards really add value to an organisation. This day will be your chance to find out as in his talk Daniel Pairon, global head KPMG Asset Management will outline the core standards in asset management and how PAS 55 / ISO 5500x certification might actually empower your company.

A panel discussion featuring David Smallbone, head of asset management, AMCL closes day two. In what is expected to be a lively session, the cost of asset failure versus the cost of condition monitoring will be debated.

Day three 'People, processes and legacy' sit at the heart of good maintenance management and so appropriately day three focuses on these elements. Opening proceedings, keynote speaker, Graham Darch, regional engineering manager, Britvic, will outline how the company manages the impact of new processes and KPI reports on maintenance staff. Today's workforce needs to be flexible, but when roles change there are important health and safety and HR regulatory changes to consider, Darch will examine these. In a highly practical talk he will also cover the usability and access issues you face when rolling out new devices and equipment to a mobile workforce.

Another big name will round off this people-focused day. Ian Rigby, engineering manager, Pepsico will look forward to 2017.

He will predict what shape, dynamics and focus the maintenance team will have by then, the skills and experience likely to be needed, how people will be recruited and the implications for areas such as training, procedures & policy.

Explosive issues An opportunity to learn more about the limitations of flammable materials in the workplace will be provided by DENIOS. The company will be running a live and explosive lecture on all three days, using graphic demonstrations to get across its message..

And the Winner is… The winners of the first ever MAINTEC Maintenance Professional Awards will be announced live from the show floor. There are two categories: 'Maintenance Professional of the Year' and, in support of newer entrants to the industry, 'Maintenance Apprentice of the Year.' The judges - Paul Sacker, managing director of Crimson Industrial Vision, Mike Brook, business development director at Eriks Industrial Services and Dr Steve Lacey, engineering manager at Schaeffler (UK) - are pleased to see the awards being introduced: Mike Brook (pictured) says: "It is hard enough for maintenance to get recognition from within its own company that it is doing a good job, so for professionals to get recognised by peers at MAINTEC for the job they are doing and receive an award for it, encourages the winner and boosts the maintenance profession as a whole." Paul Sacker agrees that maintenance's contribution is not always recognised: "Maintenance sometimes struggles to get the reward for delivering a reliable plant that underpins the ability of an organisation to deliver products to time and on cost.

Maintenance professionals that adapt best practice to their site and show the benefits should be rewarded with industry recognition." Dr Lacey also thinks the awards are an important way to promote apprenticeships: "The award for apprentices recognises the need and importance of apprenticeships to industry and will help widen the appeal of apprenticeships to talented individuals who may think that a university degree is the only route to a top job."

Forward-looking exhibition These free learning opportunities will run alongside an equally forward-looking exhibition. James Walker, Decksafe Solutions, AW Chesterton, Metool, SAACKE Combustion, Intertek, Keytracker, REBO BV, MOLYDAL Lubricants, Lubricus Grutzner and Ernst Schad are just some of the many names, from both the UK and overseas, making their MAINTEC debut. They will join MAINTEC veterans such as Schaeffler (UK), Flowcrete UK, R.Stahl, ERIKS, Idhammar Systems, SPM Instruments, PRUFTECHNIK and Prevost UK.

There is so much going on that the Institution of Diagnostic Engineers (IDE) has decided to host a spring gathering during MAINTEC. This will also be attended by members of the Institution of Local Exhaust & Ventilation Engineers, another show supporter. IDE chief executive, Bill Parker, says: "We'd urge all our members to put the dates in their diary."

HAZEX MAINTEC will once again include a HAZEX area. Successfully launched last year, the area brings some of the UK's top hazard prevention experts under one roof.

Exhibitors in this area will include Newson Gale showcasing its Bond-Rite static earthing clamps (pictured), plus its Earth- Rite series of hazardous area static grounding systems. Also in this area will be R.STAHL which is introducing IS1+ a key innovation for the company's explosionprotected remote I/O system IS1.

Pre-registration advised MAINTEC is free to attend; pre-registration is advised to avoid queues on the day.

Register visit www.easyfairs.com/maintecuk.