Plant & Asset Management 2012 06 February 2012

Does the industrial maintenance sector need another exhibition? The organisers of MACH, Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and IFPEX clearly think so. Brian Tinham looks at the line-up

Plant & Asset Management 2012 is a shiny new biennial exhibition being inaugurated this year, aimed at plant engineers and technicians, and dedicated to industrial maintenance, in the sense of managing and servicing physical plant assets. It runs in Hall 3 at the NEC, Birmingham from 17 to 19 April and, interestingly, will be co-located with several other notable engineering events, including MACH, Drives and Controls, Air-Tech and IFPEX (International Fluid Power Exhibition).

That makes it particularly attractive: bringing all these events together under one roof means there should be something for everyone. As a result organiser DFA says it expects some 40,000 visitors overall. It also means an unusually extensive seminar programme, under the guidance of RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), which is also running the event's new central Energy and Safety seminar theatre.

Presentations in this hub theatre, sponsored by CompAir, will focus on energy management topics, with themed panel discussions and seminars ranging from wind turbine maintenance to legislative issues around health and safety, including machinery safety and the EU's ATEX Directive. Meanwhile, RoSPA is also looking after the new Plant & Asset Management technical workshops – with a programme so packed, it has to run in two seminar theatres – and the Motion and Control Industry theatre.

Looking specifically at the Plant & Asset Management workshops, there is an impressive array of backers. Primary sponsors, for example, include Artesis, Flir, Fluke, Micro Epsilon, Moog, Schaeffler and Shell. Meanwhile, others lending their august names range from BCAS (British Compressed Air Society) to the British institute of Non Destructive Testing, Cranfield University, the Institution of Diagnostic Engineers, RoSPA and SOE IPlantE.

Just providing an idea of the depth of coverage, on the first day, Mark Barnes of Des-Case will be examining the real cost of lubrication contamination. He suggests that this problem is responsible for 82% of component wear, and says his session will put the spotlight on the most common fluid contaminants, revealing how they affect machinery and how they can be eliminated. Simple, effective methods for cost-benefit analysis of contamination controls will also be covered, he says.

Again on Tuesday 17 April, Ian Pledger of Schaeffler wil be talking about 'health insurance' for plant and machinery, making the obvious point that prevention is better than cure. He says his session will explain why condition monitoring and predictive maintenance are so important to today's process and manufacturing industries, and cover the main tools and techniques available – with case studies to demonstrate just how much money can be saved.

Another not to miss on the same day is Richard Kelly's (of EMS) analysis of what you need to get 'lean reliability' working for you on plant. Kelly reckons he will cover how maintenance thinking has evolved in recent years, the RCM (reliability centred maintenance) pioneers' approaches and why integrating quality, safety and efficiency into reliability is the way to go – if you can negotiate the politics. For him, this is about achieving the plant and business benefits of value-added maintenance, not least through considering condition monitoring as more than just about plant gadgets.

Then getting into the details of thermography for condition monitoring, the Tuesday also sees Paul Sacker – ex of Flir, but now with Crimson Industrial Vision – talking about what's involved in using infrared cameras for plant and asset management. Sacker is an old hand at this, and delegates can look forward to application examples showing how thermal imaging makes a real difference to plant and asset management approaches.

And so it continues: on the Wednesday, for example, delegates will be able to hear from Timothy Bradshaw, an applications specialist with Mistras, speaking about the application of on-line asset inspection and monitoring. Bradshaw says it's all about the "intelligent prioritisation of asset maintenance that minimises unnecessary downtime" – meaning condition monitoring by inference, specifically without pulling large-scale assets from service. Expect a review of the range of techniques available, their advantages and limitations, with the emphasis on pipework, storage tanks, pressure vessels, structures, transformers etc.

Other sessions particularly worth attention include: early and accurate detection of rolling element bearing faults; risk mitigation through strategic maintenance and reliability; predictive maintenance on electric motors and their driven loads; OEE and effective asset management; PAS 55 and what it has to offer asset management; the hidden factory and releasing your plant's full potential; and staying on the right side of the law, with help from Andy Kidd of RSA Engineering. Go to www.maintenanceuk-expo.com for the full programme.

As for the exhibitors, the Plant & Asset Management 2012 event will host an eclectic mix, from Antech Hydraulics to Artesis, Beran Instruments, C-Cubed, Cygnus Instruments, Das Developments, Des-Case, EMS, Flir, Fluke, Forward Industrial Products, GDO Engineering, Helmet Integrated Systems, Idhammar Systems, Integrated Maintenance Centre, Keytracker, Mainnovation, Mistras, Monition, Petro-Canada, Propeller GB, Reliability Maintenance Solutions, Schaeffler, SKF, Strategic Maintenance, Techni Measure and Testo.

Given the co-located shows, you can expect many more.

IPlantE at P&AM 2012
SOE will take a leading role in this year's new Plant & Asset Management 2012 exhibition, with Institution of Plant Engineers' sector chair David Bates and Bureau of Engineer Surveyors' man Andy Kidd (chief engineer at RSA Engineering) providing content for the technical seminars.

Says Bates: "Having been called to a site to investigate a problem on a grit removal machine, it was obvious that there were maintenance problems. More importantly, there were clear differences in the concepts of maintenance 40 years ago, as opposed to our throw-away, 'green' society today." Bates' revealing seminar will be an eye opener for anyone trying to contend with ageing plant – not least because his engineering solutions accommodate today's attitudes to (and abilities with) plant maintenance and offer viable ways forward.

Meanwhile, Andy Kidd will outline the legislative requirements associated with the purchase and use of equipment for use at work – covering issues related to CE marking, as well as the requirements, in terms of inspection and maintenance of equipment and plant.

IPlantE and BES will also host a stand at the show, providing an opportunity for networking – and for non members to learn about how membership can benefit their engineering careers. SOE president Garry Gilby, a plant engineer for over 30 years, says: "Plant & Asset Management 2012 is a great forum for our industry to get together, to learn and to grow. IPlantE intends to be a focal point for engineering professionals, both members and non-members – to talk, relax and network in a professional, yet friendly environment.

"Visitors are welcome to pick up a complimentary copy of Plant Engineer magazine, or to talk to any of our staff about their careers, membership benefits, professional registration with the Engineering Council and more," he continues. "The work of engineers in the plant sector has been undervalued for far too long, and the IPlantE is working to recognise and reward those who have contributed so much to the industry and the wider community."

For Gilby, this is about working with organisations to promote the sector to a new generation of engineers, as well as welcoming existing engineering professionals into membership where IPlant can actively support the development of their careers.

Brian Tinham

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