Maintec 201418 February 2014

Maintec, now in its 39th year and incorporating HAZEX, is one of the key shows for maintenance managers and engineers this year.

Maintec – the annual free-to-attend event for maintenance and asset managers, engineers and technicians – is set to return to the NEC, Birmingham from 11-13 March. Organiser EasyFairs says this year visitors can expect the usual educational programmes alongside a packed hall, full of industry-leading exhibitors. Additionally, there are two large co-located events in the form of Facilities Management, the only event for facilities managers running outside London and a new Health & Safety show, endorsed by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM).

Looking at the educational opportunities, there are two – the Business Strategy Forum and The Maintec Exchange. The former majors on innovative, but proven, approaches to asset management, with several expert speakers, all hosted by Dr Andrew Starr of Cranfield University. The latter offers practical advice and information on new equipment plus case studies, mostly from exhibitors at the show. Both run on all three days, but with a changing cast: See the EasyFairs Maintec website for times, dates and details (www.bit.ly/LvA24l).

Focusing first on the Business Strategy Forum, key speakers include: Alan Wilson of Carmichael Smith on asset management; Andy Bates of Heathcote Associates on the new world of embedded maintenance systems; Trevor Holroyd of Parker Kittiwake on condition monitoring technologies, and Andrew Fraser of Reliable Manufacturing on achieving sustainable plant improvements. Others certainly worth hearing include: Ian Daniels, from Sellafield, on instilling discipline and structure in maintenance; Paul Gibbons, of Gatwick, on the airport's approaches to asset management; professor Rajkumar Roy, of Cranfield, on automated damage identification; and Geoff Walker, of Artesis, on new cloud-based systems.

Moving on to The Exchange, EasyFairs is expecting around 20 free presentation slots. For example, Chris Dean, global technical trainer for AESSEAL, will offer solutions to premature pumping system failures, while also introducing the firm's latest seal and support technologies. Similarly, Score Diagnostics' director Dave Anderson will major on valve condition monitoring, with a look at his company's equipment, techniques and systems. Meanwhile, for those concerned about reducing energy consumption, Jit Patel, technical sales manager at Fluke UK, will reveal how to achieve up to 20% improvement by identifying and quantifying waste.

Turning to CMMS (computerised maintenance management systems), Roy Rothwell, implementation account manager at eMaint Enterprises, will explain why up to 80% of implementations fail to meet expectations in the first 12 months – and offer his top 10 keys to success. And predictive maintenance – including how to select condition monitoring tools and techniques – will be covered by Ian Pledger, field service engineer at Schaeffler UK, and condition monitoring consultant for Schaeffler UK, Ian Taylor.

What about Maintec exhibitors? Expect the great and the good – including Flir Systems, Fluke UK, Grundon Waste Management, Hansford Sensors, Idhammar, IRISS, KDP Systems, Keytracker, Matthews Engineering Training, R-Tek, Shire Systems and Valveforce.

IRISS, for example, will be launching a range of thermal imaging inspection windows designed for permanent installation and aimed at easing safety inspection on electrical systems. Then, for portable, ruggedised test instruments, Fluke will be showcasing its new Ti200, Ti300, Ti400 infrared cameras, the 1730 energy logger, its latest power quality analyser and vibration tester, plus the VT02 and VT04 Visual IR thermometers. And Flir Systems will be introducing its Ex entry-level and Exx series thermal imaging cameras – the latter more advanced and thermally tuneable, with a manual lens focus.

Elsewhere, R-Tek is to demonstrate how its range of high-grade PVC interlocking floor tiles provides a versatile and hard wearing system for modern plants and factories. Then Grundon Waste Management will be outlining how its service capability is being increased through Hazpack 6000, a new recycling facility for aerosols.

Finally, on CMMS, Idhammar Systems is to exhibit its latest mobile maintenance management system, dubbed Pocket MMS, which is compatible with iPad and android tablets. And Shire Systems will be showing its latest Pirana Mobile PRO – a handheld system for processing work orders and maintenance stock control. The firm also intends to show its new Pirana browser-based CMMS software, claimed to enable managers and engineers to access plant and factory asset information via a personalised dashboard from anywhere in the world.

Brian Tinham

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