Reliable Plant 2017 Makes Another Successful Stop in Columbus, Ohio, USA

The 18th annual Reliable Plant Conference & Exhibition recently welcomed nearly 1,600 industry experts, leaders and decision-makers from around the world to the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, for three days of learning and fnding solutions to plant problems. The premier event for lubrication, oil analysis and reliability professionals drew delegates from 40 U.S. states and 28 countries, including groups of individuals from top organizations such as Cargill, Chevron, Citgo, Entergy, Honda, Ingredion, Lafarge Holcim, Michelin and Whirlpool.

Case Studies and Learning Sessions

Nearly 100 learning sessions on a variety of topics were available for attendees to choose from. Case-study presentations were given by a number of prominent end users. Mark Beatty from Nissan detailed how the Nissan North America plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, continued its journey to lubrication excellence after winning the John R. Battle Award from the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML)

"This was a fantastic show. There were lots of technologies and sharing of ideas. It was a great experience." – Rick Pierce, Roseburg Forest Products

Paul Kimble and Jeremy Jeffers from the GeneralMotors metal stamping plant in Marion, Indiana, described how their facility was able to develop an online vibration program for monitoring its stamping presses, which has resulted in detecting numerous anomalies and saving hundreds of hours of downtime.

Michael Macsisak explained how Nestle Purina was able to successfully implement predictive maintenance (PdM) at its plant in Allentown, Pennsylvania, including how the organization developed its PdM program and kept it moving forward, which PdM tools were the most effective, and how PdM helped the plant add to its bottom line. Ford Motor Company’s Gordon Van Dusen and William Harmych revealed how Ford performs root cause analysis for its equipment failures using a team approach.

New Technologies, Products and Solutions in the Exhibit Hall

The exhibit hall featured 120 industry leading companies and organizations showcasing a broad range of services and solutions. Many innovative products were also unveiled at the event, including new offerings from Luneta, Y2K Fluid Power, Pall Corp., Whitmore, TestOil, Generation Systems, SPM Instruments and MP Filtri. Reliable Plant attendees also were granted access to the exhibit floor of the Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS). This international gathering of manufacturing professionals included more than 280 exhibitors displaying equipment, products and services to more than 6,000 attendees. Opening General Session and Keynote

In the opening general session, veteran NASA astronaut Dr. Tom Jones gave a stellar keynote address on teamwork and leadership lessons from the astronaut corps. Having spent more than 11 years with NASA, flying on four space-shuttle missions, and working and living in space for 53 days, Dr. Jones recounted the good and the bad from NASA’s half-century-long experience in human spaceflight, from the terrible loss of the Apollo 1 crew and the triumph of the frst moon landing less than three years later to the daring repair of the Hubble telescope and the preventable losses of two space-shuttle orbiters and crews. Attendees even had the opportunity to meet Dr. Jones and have him autograph two of his space and aviation books in the exhibit hall immediately following the keynote address.

2018 Registrations Now Available

Preparations are already underway for next year’s Reliable Plant Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for April 17-19, 2018, in Indianapolis, USA. New case studies, learning sessions, certifcate programs, workshops and an exhibit hall full of the latest technologies will be showcased once again. Registration is now open for Reliable Plant 2018, so don’t miss your chance to take advantage of the bottom-line results that attending this event has to offer. Visit Conference.ReliablePlant.com or write to us at admin@machinerylubricationindia.com to register your team today.