On my flight from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale I had the good fortune of sitting behind a gentleman who was going to the same conference I was – Reliability2.0. I suggested we share cab fare to the hotel but he declined as he had a rental car. He did invite me to join him though and in the end it was the two of us and another individual from the same Plant/Facility as the first man.
As we drove to the hotel, I inquired about their purpose in attending the conference…what did they hope to get from this conference? What were their specific interests, technologies employed at their facility, types of work and titles/duties etc… and I mentioned this was now my 5th year in attending this particular conference. Turns out that the AMP meeting of which I was to be a part of, was only minutes from starting when we finally arrived and they were left to check in for themselves and pick up their registration packets as well without any guidance. As a matter of record, I think it important to point out that, when a conference is run smoothly (as this one always is), by professionals (which they always are), it makes it easy for first-time attendees/registrants to make their way around. That is exactly what Larry and Kimball did and when I caught up with them at the first evening’s networking event, they were assimilating very well into the conference culture and refreshed after their long day of travelling.
Well, as I just returned from the Reliability 2.0 conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, I thought it appropriate to tell you what you may have missed. If you did not attend this incredible 4 day learning and CONNECTION experience, it began for many on the 19th with a value-packed day of pre-conference workshops, including apparently, a great deal of discussion about the PAS55 and its inherent similarities and differentiators with ISO.
As I noted earlier, there was also an Association for Maintenance Professionals (AMP) meeting in the afternoon. This was attended by several dedicated individuals who volunteer their time and resources to build up the organization for the improvement of sharing information between other professional organizations around the world. If you are interested in volunteering on the board or being on committees you should contact info@maintenance.org.
**If you haven’t joined this organization yet, it’s free just go to: www.maintenance.org and build a profile. Once you’ve done that, connect with other peers and professionals like you. If you are already on linkedin.com, you can find the AMP organization group and join that too. At the conclusion of the first day, there was a welcome reception in the hotel bar area for attendees who had come early and there was animated discussion around redundancy or necessity of PAS 55.
Day two held full day workshops and suppliers and sponsors set up for the expo hall opening event. The Reliabilityweb.com group staged another “speed networking” event and that is just as much fun the second time around as it was when they first introduced it in Daytona in November at the IMC/PdM conference in 2009. I personally hope they keep this event on-going. There was another welcome reception and the networking continued there.
Day three was the full day expo and the exhibitors really put on their best between session times and this continued well into the Casino Night and drawings. There were no fewer than 3 solution providers for different RCM methodologies as well as software, technology providers and training organizations. Also, as it relates to job-seekers, there were several requests by companies in attendance for help in locating talent. There is a great need for Reliability Engineers, Project Managers and other technically superior individuals. If you are any of these, contact me directly about CONNECTING you with these potential employers.
Also, on Day three, there were several “chill-out” sessions free-flowing with adult-beverages whose primary focus was not on the refreshments, but instead, getting instructors and registrants in a more relaxed learning environment.
I left early on the 4th day to return to work, but I understand that as per the standard process for Reliabilityweb.com conferences, Day four was another day of exceptional teaching, deliberate learning, culminating in panel discussions and the drawing for the prizes from the sponsors and exhibitors.
This event was a great time for networking, CONNECTING and speaking to companies and individuals who need really good people. There are also Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) walking around and freely accessible to registrants for direct questions and even one-on-one consulting time was also available.
The common element and purpose of such an event is CONNECTION.
Through attending a trade conference where topics being presented by SMEs can directly impact the success of your career and your business, you can benefit tremendously. These events are not just time out of your plant or office, they are meant to give you the environment to FOCUS on topics that would take you considerable concerted effort if you were to buy a book and study to learn the key elements.
There were several NEW books on the table at the MRO-Zone bookstore. Of note, The Professional’s Guide To Maintenance And Reliability Terminology by Ramesh Gulati, Jerry Kahn and Robert Baldwin and Hear More A Guide to Using Ultrasound for Leak Detection and Condition Monitoring by Thomas J. Murphy and Allan A. Rienstra were new releases this conference. I heard it rumored that Reliability Centered Maintenance using … RCM Blitz by Douglas Plucknette 2nd Edition will be coming out soon with a few significant updates. Keep an eye out for that!
Over the years, many great books have been written that are available online for the maintenance and reliability professional (try www.mro-zone.com) but the framework for these and the “voice” for many of the subjects is alive and well usually found at the head of the room in a facilitator role, expounding on the merits of the tried and true methods of many World-Class Maintenance organizations. Why not learn from thought-leaders who have the knowledge and expertise at a conference / classroom setting before jumping off into a marathon book reading session?
Want a chance to visit with the authors of these books or need more information? Give the internet a whirl….oftentimes, you’re going to find that your SME of interest has a blog site or is available through your PROFESSIONAL networking sites like:
www.linkedin.com
www.maintenance.org
www.twitter.com
and others!