You can feel it in the air, the exhilarating electricity of being surrounded by hundreds of people converged to share success, failures and ideas about oil analysis. Looking into the sea of attentive faces processing the streaming information from exhibitors pitching their products gives one the feeling that something special is taking place in this oil town in northeastern Oklahoma.
The Practicing Oil Analysis Conference and Exhibition 2002 took place in Tulsa, Okla., March 19-21 at the Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills. Attendees and exhibitors alike left the show with an increased awareness of exciting innovations in the world of oil analysis.
“Noria Corporation has captured the essence of oil analysis - from controlling product cleanliness to improving reliability,” said Chris Miller of Caterpillar.
The breakout sessions were well attended this year; most sessions were seated to capacity with standing room only. The exhilaration of watching the learning process unfold as questions are posed in sessions and discussions, and the sharing of ideas - not just in the sessions but throughout the week - is unrivaled by other events.
Some of the most popular topics included Wear Debris Analysis: A Predictive Maintenance Tool for Power and Weaving Industry Machines by Ray Dally of Predict/DLI, How to Align Your Oil Analysis Program with Modern Equipment Maintenance Strategies, by Drew Troyer of Noria Corporation and Beyond “Change the Oil:” Top Ten Tricks for Interpreting an Oil Analysis Report by Bill Herguth of Herguth Laboratories, to name a few.
“The presentations were informative and useful,” commented an anonymous attendee. Pre- and postconference workshops were all the rage this year including, How to Read an Oil Analysis Report and Filtration and Separation Technologies. Attendees gathered in the halls during breaks to share ideas and discuss theories and practices learned or revisited in the workshops.
The benchmarking sessions and panel discussions were by far the most popular learning sessions at the show. These open forum sessions allowed people of all stages in their careers to express their successes and concerns regarding the future of this industry. Many people called for more tools and strategies to help promote management buy-in and suggested that a separate track for managers be offered at future conferences.
“I learned a great deal about oil analysis that I plan to implement immediately,” said another attendee.
From professors and protégés to managers and technicians, all gained a great satisfaction from attending the best Practicing Oil Analysis Conference to date and are anxious to attend Noria’s new conference - Lubrication Excellence 2003 - in Houston, Texas next year.
“I will definitely make this an annual trip,” an attendee said on his evaluation form.
We hope that you will be able to join us for Lubrication Excellence 2003, April 1-3.
