Maintaining show's success
January 1st 2009

MAINTEC marks its 34th year as the UK's leading maintenance and asset management show when it returns to Birmingham's NEC in March and, with the recession forcing plant managers to prioritise cost-saving measures, MAINTEC 2009 is arguably the most pertinent in its history

The event (March 17-19 2009) showcases a host of new products designed to optimise plant availability and productivity by avoiding unplanned shutdowns, cutting maintenance costs and improving efficiency, concerns that are more crucial than ever in today's challenging industry environment.

Peter Heath, easyFairs UK MD, (pictured above) says "In tough times, when budgets for new capital expenditure are tight, effectively maintaining existing assets and machinery is paramount for factory bosses. easyFairs MAINTEC is a trade show for the kinds of technologies and products needed to achieve this." Many of the 150 exhibitors have chosen to launch advances in hazard detection and predictive maintenance technology. In addition, this year's show embraces suppliers of a wide range of mechanical equipment, buildings and facilities management services, lubricants and energy efficient products.

Heath adds "The show evolves every year…and in 2009 there's a mass of new products scheduled to be unveiled and a significant number of exhibitor debutants alongside show stalwarts. Our Summit Conference is an exciting new addition, plus visitors can tap into a wealth of free information through the industry experts delivering learnShops seminars.

Summit Conference Former trade union chief Lord Bill Jordan CBE will chair the Summit Conference on March 18th that brings together some of the leading authorities in the field of plant maintenance and asset management.

The Conference includes papers and case studies from leading lights in the fields of 'lean' plant management, lubrication technology, condition monitoring, automation, and energy efficiency.

Between them they'll address the need to understand the key challenges and opportunities impacting on the asset management and maintenance functions going into the next decade. And they'll give guidance on how to get board-level attention to change the behaviour of front-line employees in order to deal with these challenges and exploit the opportunities.

Now Governor of the Ashridge Management College and president of RoSPA, Lord Jordan says "The MAINTEC Summit promises delegates an opportunity to benchmark their asset management capability, set performance expectations, better manage the risks and regulatory pressures, and build a business case for change. And, crucially, it will highlight why asset management should be considered a value adding operation, not merely an overhead." Maintenance project case studies come from rubber belt and hose manufacturer Gates Power Transmission, in Dumfries, whose lean production initiative was pivotal in it being named 'Best Engineering Plant' at this year's Best Factory Awards, and Schaeffler UK's engine components plant in Llanelli. The latter won the 'Best Manufacturing Award' at the Wales Quality Awards 2008.

Elsewhere, John Woodhouse, MD of The Woodhouse Partnership, an international authority on the management of industrial risk and asset performance, explains how plant managers can best judge where, when and how to apportion their maintenance budget.

The Institute of Asset Management will use various studies to show how UK factories must raise their game in order to remain competitive, with specific focus on how chronic and sporadic failures need addressing within a CIP.

David Wright, chief executive of the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service, delivers the MAINTEC 2009 Industry Address in which he considers the wider health of UK manufacturing and highlights performance enhancing opportunities.

To book a place at the MAINTEC Summit Conference, and to take advantage of 'early bird' delegate prices, call Lucy Daley on 0208 622 4468 or email lucy.daley@easyfairs.com.

For a full itinerary of papers, including seminar times, go to www.easyfairs.com/maintecuk.

Last year's show attracted almost 2000 visitors from the manufacturing and processing industry and, with this year's expo acting as a platform for new maintenance technology, easyFairs expects to break visitor attendance records.

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