This past weekend saw a lot of people observing the one-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States. Friends on social media shared stories of where they were, what they were doing, and when/how they were recalled from travel on the next available flight.
It was a memorable week for me, but not for those reasons. One year ago this week I was at the only place to be during the second week of March – UT-RMC’s Marcon, the unofficial kickoff of the maintenance and reliability event calendar, and a premiere learning and networking opportunity. And last year was a busy year, as I was able to present results from the 2020 Plant Services PdM survey, as well as moderate a terrific closing panel with five industry pros who all are early in their careers.
This year conference organizer Dr. Klaus Blache has put together another terrific program for MRO professionals, with one major difference: this year you can attend from your own home or office. This year’s conference is virtual, which means that if you always meant to attend but could never quite get away from the plant for that long, this is the year to attend!
The 2021 Marcon conference includes a full set of nine workshops to choose from on Tuesday, and a four-track program over Wednesday and Thursday. The sessions that I’m looking forward to include:
- Wednesday’s keynote address on digital twins by Chad Stoecker, Vice President of Global Services, GE Digital
- A Wednesday session by Jimmy Adcock & Travis Childress, CNS Y-12 / Pantex, on how consolidated nuclear security transformed the reliability culture at the Pantex Plant (in a previous job at Battelle Memorial Institute, I worked on reports prepared for the Pantex team, so I am especially curious to hear about what’s been going on since then!)
- Thursday’s case studies on reliability from Owens Corning, WMATA, and Bonnell Aluminum
There also will be compelling presentations from industry thought leaders like Uptake, Fluke, and Rockwell Automation on the ways that advanced technology continues to push proactive maintenance into new territory.
But don’t take my word for it – this year is the perfect year to attend Marcon and participate in these conversations yourself. After all, U.S. plants are starting to see light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, and MRO teams are positioning themselves to help their plant compete in new ways. The industry conversations at Marcon are crucial to helping you achieve success.
I hope to see you there this week!