EUROMAINTENANCE JOURNAL - DNV Germany

INTERVIEW
EUROMAINTENANCE 2008
THE LARGEST MAINTENANCE EVENT
EVER IN EUROPE
Bemas will together with easyFairs organise Euromaintenance 2008.
Euromaintenance is an initiative of the EFNMS (European Federation
of National Maintenance Societies) and has been the leading biennial
European conference on maintenance since 1972. More than 500
maintenance managers from across and outside Europe are expected to
attend the event in Brussels from 8 to 10 April 2008. At the same time
easyFairs will organise a European maintenance fair with an expected
audience of 5000 attendees.
The event is unique because of its
scope and should therefore not
only be of interest to the maintenance
sector: International maintenance
managers and specialists will
address best practices, innovations,
and trends in maintenance, Production
Reliability and Asset Management.
The 3-day event will welcome over 120
speakers from more than 40 countries,
who will share their visions in various
sessions and workshops, in English or
in French, based on case studies from
the various industrial sectors. Together
with the exhibition, Euromaintenance
2008 will provide a unique opportunity
to attend an international top conference
on maintenance close to home. Various
parallel sessions are planned, allowing
participants to choose a personal programme
in their industry or around a specifi
c maintenance theme. Maintenance
Magazine talked to Johan De Coster,
chairman of the organising committee,
and Wim Vancauwenberghe, Manager
of Bemas.
Recognition
Since Bemas took on a new elan ten
years ago it has come a long way in
terms of growth – the organisation has
already more than 520 members – recognition
and professionalisation of the
maintenance process. Examples include
the organisation of various lectures and
other seminars such as “Maintenance
in the Boardroom”, the “Maintenance
Day”, the “Maintenance Manager of the
Year” award and many others. Johan De
Coster: “The fact that the organisation of
Euromaintenance 2008 – the European
top event in the fi eld of industrial mainte-
n Johan De Coster, chairman of the
organising committee: “Euromaintenance
2008 is the ideal opportunity for European
maintenance & operations managers and
other maintenance specialists to listen
to experienced top speakers and other
maintenance experts, and share their
knowledge with them.”
nance – has been entrusted to Belgium,
and to Bemas in particular, in cooperation
with easyFairs, is a sign of recognition.
It is the crowning achievement of the
work carried out thus far and a springboard
for the further development of our
organisation. For Belgian and other European
maintenance specialists, Euromaintenance
2008 is the ideal occasion to listen
to various experienced top speakers
and other maintenance specialists, and
to share their knowledge with them. In a
country where new investments are becoming
the exception, and maintenance
of the existing machine infrastructure and
production capacities therefore increas-
n Wim Vancauwenberghe, Manager of Bemas:
“In the NYSE Euronext CEO report 2008,
based on a survey of 240 of the world’s top
business leaders, operational effi ciency is
recognized as the most important internal
factor leading to profi tability (79 percent).
When we set up the Euromaintenance program,
we resolutely opted for quality content
that will help attendees in achieving operational
excellence in maintenance.”
ingly important, further professionalisation
of the maintenance activity might
contribute to make the Belgian industry
more competitive at the international level.
This depends not only on the labour
cost, but also, and perhaps even more,
on the productivity of a production facility,
and this is where maintenance has
a crucial role to play. Euromaintenance
2008 may help to make this issue more
prominent and visible”. The conference
is divided into industrial sectors: processing
and process industry, automotive, infrastructure,
building management, transport,
government, etc. Bemas presents
an ambitious programme with a number
of workshops and various international
top speakers. The programme includes
the latest concepts and practical case
studies in the areas of maintenance, asset
management and reliability. The main
issues will be discussed for each industry
sector, so the event is likely to appeal to
both maintenance and operations decision
makers.
Euromaintenance Journal, January 2008
7