The 2010 MARTS (Maintenance & Reliability Technology Summit) wrapped up on April 30 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.

This year's event, the 7th in an increasingly successful series of these conferences, spanned almost an entire week with 13 full-day Workshops and 32 one-hour Conference sessions devoted to issues of maintenance, reliability and energy efficiency, among others. The 200+ maintenance professionals in attendance got to learn from and network with a number of internationally known experts in the field and a host of noted practitioners, consultants and manufacturers with deep industrial insight.

One of this year's very special highlights was Keynote speaker John Ratzenberger, the well-known actor, director, author and champion of the skilled trades. He spoke for nearly 90 minutes on topics ranging from his New England upbringing and hard-work ethic to the life philosophy he's gained through acting. It was while he was working on his Made in America television series that he became keenly aware of the shortage of trained industrial workers. This realization, in turn, inspired him to establish the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation (NBT) that encourages youngsters to consider manufacturing as a career choice. Following his talk, Ratzenberger autographed copies of his book We've Got It Made in America for long lines of enthusiastic attendees.

Other highlights included Keynoter Bob Chernow, a futurist and financial professional, who provided an analytical look into tomorrow's business environment, and the "Reliability Gives Voice to Autism" dinner and gala that kicked off MARTS week. The dinner raised funds and awareness for autism with comments from MARTS attendees who have been affected by autism, and top-flight entertainment.

Preparations are already underway for next year's successful MARTS. Look for details in upcoming issues, or on www.MARTSconference.com. LMT