Industry Outlook

Dear Maintenance & Reliability Professional:

This issue marks publication of our third annual “Industry Outlook” section, our largest ever. As in years past, we asked a select group of industry thought leaders to give us some insight into what’s on their minds and on the radar screens of the organizations they head. Sixteen company executives were invited to participate this year; 14 took us up on it—a 50% increase over last year.

Participants were free to discuss any topic they deemed important. Given this magazine’s emphasis on capacity assurance solutions, however, and the fact that businesses everywhere are struggling to cope—even survive— amidst a worldwide energy crisis, we had hoped the respondents would focus their attention on matters of sustainability and successful approaches to cost-saving effi ciencies. They did.

As heads of major manufacturing and/or supplier operations serving your industry, the contributors presented here are quite in tune with you as an end-user. Their organizations are just as sensitive to rapidly increasing operational costs—primarily due to soaring energy costs—as your company is. Thus, when it comes to energy effi ciency and cost-saving strategies and tactics, they’re not just talking the talk, they’re really walking the walk.

We thank all participating executives for putting their time and energies into our “Industry Outlook 2008”section. It’s not easy to carve out space in a busy schedule for this type of project. To a magazine editor, the perspective refl ected in these pages is invaluable—just as it should be for you, the reader. The time you take to digest and consider this “big picture” thinking and associated suggestions for dealing with your own capacity concerns will be time well spent.

Jane Alexander, Editor
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