Pepsico, Britvic, Alcon, Experian and Scottish & Southern Energy are all confirmed to speak at the first ever Business Strategy Conference; the major new feature at Maintec 2013, at the NEC on 5-7 March 2013.

Held in a special theatre on the show floor, the complimentary Business Strategy Conference will address a different strategic maintenance theme on each of the three days, with some of the UK’s biggest brands and most respected experts sharing their experiences and insights.

Day one, the focus is on ‘Making the Business Case for Maintenance,’ with Mark Haarman, CEO, Mainnovation exploring the economic drivers of a maintenance organisation.  He will outline how to measure maintenance’s economic contribution, why steering on value leads to continuous improvement and what can be learned from leading maintenance organisations around the world.

In a session moderated by Bill Parker, CEO, Institution of Diagnostic Engineers, and drawing on case studies, John Davenport, Operations Director, Alcon and Paul Dennis, Technical Facilities Manager, Experian will explore successful maintenance strategies, how to choose the right one for your business and the merits of total productive maintenance versus a reliability-centred maintenance approach.

There is much debate within the profession about which is better – control maintenance or a reactive maintenance operation. Mark Thompson, Head of Wastewater Assets, Southern Water will examine the merits of each and how to decide which one is the right strategy for your company. He will then ask whether there is a third way – that involves a mix of asset management systems and reactive self monitoring devices.

The theme for day two is ‘Innovation in Action’ with Steve Statham, Manager, Manufacturing Technology Centre exploring the latest effective methodologies and high-impact technologies.  As innovations go, social media has been transformational for many areas of business; Steve will outline its implications for maintenance professionals, specifically social media’s role in providing feedback and alerts for building maintenance.  He will also give examples of where innovation in asset management is helping to overcome the issues of legacy systems & obsolescence.

Condition-based monitoring is another hot issue.  Is an evolutionary or revolutionary approach to implementation best? Which assets and equipment should be included and what about all the data you are likely to gather? Any attendees struggling with these and other questions will get the chance to learn firsthand from Dr Sethuraman Muthuraman, Condition Monitoring Engineer, Scottish & Southern Energy.  He will even have some suggestions for those daunted by condition-based monitoring, outlining the occasions when reactive or preventative measures may suffice.

Many wonder whether formal standards really add value to an organisation.  To answer this Daniel Pairon, Global Head KPMG Asset Management will outline the core standards in asset management and how PAS 55 / ISO 5500x certification might actually empower a company.

A panel discussion featuring David Smallbone, Head Asset Management, AMCL closes day two.  In a lively session the cost of asset failure versus the cost of condition monitoring will be debated.

‘People, processes and legacy’ sit at the heart of good maintenance management and day three focuses on these elements.  Keynote speaker, Wayne Curry, Engineering Team Leader, Britvic will outline how the company manages the impact of new processes and KPI reports on maintenance staff.  In a highly practical talk he will also cover the usability and access issues you face when rolling out new devices and equipment to a mobile work-force.

Rounding off this people focused day, Ian Rigby, Engineering Manager, Pepsico will look forward to 2017.  He will predict what shape, dynamics and focus the maintenance team will have by then, the skills and experience likely to be needed, how people will be recruited and the implications for areas like training, procedures & policy.

Alongside the conference, will be a major exhibition, plus A Maintenance Exchange programme featuring 38 learnShops delivered by some of the show’s most innovative exhibitors.   MAINTEC is free to attend and pre-registration is advised to avoid queues on the day. Register visit www.easyfairs.com/maintecuk.