Maintenance Pros Meet, Mix And Learn At IMEC 2009

Five years into a successful run, this Toronto event again brought together recognized experts and eager participants from around the globe…

Maintenance and asset-management professionals from around the world met in Toronto, Canada, September 9-11 at the fifth annual International Maintenance Excellence Conference (IMEC). The nearly 100 attendees included reliability professionals and academics with a passion for research in maintenance. IMEC was organized by the University of Toronto’s Centre for Maintenance Optimization and Reliability Engineering (C-MORE) in partnership with Applied Technology Publications (ATP), publisher of Maintenance Technology magazine. The event was held at the University conference center in the heart of Toronto.

University of Toronto Professor Emeritus Andrew K.S. Jardine opened IMEC, welcoming participants to Toronto, and helped guide the event over its three-day run. Among the many outstanding IMEC speakers were Nelson Montano, La Silla Paranal Observatory, Chile; David Oberhettinger, NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Lab; Bob Platfoot, Covaris Pty Ltd, Australia; Lloyd Chiotto, Enbridge Gas, Toronto; and Norm Hann, Hydro One, Toronto. Maintenance Technology contributing editors Bob Williamson (Strategic Work Systems, Inc., North Carolina) and Ken Bannister (Engtech Industries, Ontario) rounded out the mix. Countries represented at IMEC this year included Australia, Botswana, Chile, Egypt, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as Canada and the United States.

IMEC attendees said they found the presentations both stimulating and, importantly, valuable enough to justify often lengthy journeys to Toronto. Gert Mayer, chief operating officer of Cairo, Egypt-based ContrackFM, a facility-management firm, made one of the longest treks. “I would have had to pay a lot more to get the information I got here,” he said. “It was well worth the money. I’m going home satisfied.” Similarly, Edgar Waniuk, an asset-reliability leader based in Ontario, noted that IMEC hosted “some world-class speakers. It’s a great knowledge base and I’ve enjoyed hearing every one of them.” Another commented that he “benefited tremendously” from IMEC’s exchange of ideas. And while most of those ideas were discussed in the conference setting, attendees also enjoyed an opportunity to gather informally over dinner atop Toronto’s CN Tower, officially the world’s tallest building.

Mainnovation of the Netherlands agreed to be IMEC’s general sponsor, and Guy Delahay, Mainnovation’s managing partner, gave the opening keynote address. Other sponsors and exhibitors reflected IMEC’s international flavor: IFS of Sweden; IDCON, LAI Reliability Systems, NOBREAKDOWNS and Strategic Work Systems, from the United States; Conscious Asset Management, BANAK, OMDEC and PEMAC, from Canada; and Artesis, from the United Kingdom.

Thanks to the success of IMEC 2009, the sixth annual IMEC is expected to take place in Toronto in September 2010. Watch Maintenance Technology or visit www.imec.ca for details. Have specific questions? Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it MT