MainTrain 2022 Connects the Global Maintenance, Reliability and Asset Management Community

PEMAC’s annual MainTrain Maintenance, Reliability and Asset Management took a hybrid format for the first-time ever, and was a great success! 

The event brought together practitioners, professionals and asset owners from organizations across Canada and around the world, for three days of connecting and learning. Delegates took part in a range of engaging activities including insightful speaker presentations, roundtable and panel discussions and an on-site tour of a power plant. We also recognized and celebrated the outstanding achievements and contributions of PEMAC members from across Canada during our annual Awards Banquet.

Day 0: In-Person Board Meeting 

The day before the conference, the PEMAC Board of Directors met for their biannual face-to-face meeting in which they discussed the progress the association has been making towards the strategic plan, the opportunities to broaden community engagement through “connect, learn and contribute”, and opportunities to better engage members across a variety of sectors and industries.  

While these discussions were taking place, the Becoming Certified Asset Management Assessor course was underway, with participants strengthening their asset management knowledge and connecting it to the ISO standards for asset management. Some of the participants went on to sit the CAMA exam. The two-day course was led by Dharmen Dhaliah, a PEMAC Instructor and Asset Management Strategist at the Town of Halton Hills. 

After a full day's discussion, the board was excited and ready to kick off the MainTrain 2022 Conference! 

Day 1: Intensive Workshops Focused on Skill Building. 

The conference kicked off with a greeting from a robot dog named Coco courtesy of this year's platinum sponsor Cohesive. After welcoming delegates, the first keynote of the conference was led by Ron Bitten, President of Adduco Consulting, who spoke on why executives often don't appear to care about critical assets and what Asset Managers can do about it. This set the stage for the insightful presentations that would be continued throughout the event. 

Delegates expanded their knowledge in various topics related to maintenance reliability and asset management during the half day and full day workshops on Monday. Some attendees were able to take an off site tour of Capital Power - Goreway Power Station. They met with the engaged and inspiring team at Capital Power who shared a behind the scenes look at their safety and management protocols while producing power for the GTA and beyond. The eye-opening tour was greatly enjoyed by all attendees, with PEMAC Board Member and Corporate Asset Management Supervisor for the Town of Caledon, Robert Lash speaking of the tour saying it was, pun intended, "electrifying." Thank you to the team at Capital Power for allowing the MainTrain delegates to take a tour of the facility and learn of the great work the team is doing to keep the lights on in Ontario.

MainTrain hosted the Author's Corner that afternoon, which provided delegates the opportunity to connect with a variety of knowledgeable maintenance reliability and asset management authors who also happen to be PEMAC members, including Dharmen Dhaliah, James Reyes-Picknell, Susan Lubell and Doc Palmer. Those in attendance really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with these authors, ask questions, and get signed copies of books. 

The day ended with the opening of the networking and exhibition space during which engaged delegates, sponsors and exhibitors had an opportunity to connect with familiar faces and some new ones, while sharing the latest on the products and services available to organizations. The sponsors and exhibitors were especially pleased with how engaged and interested the delegates were and were thrilled to participate in the conference. 

Day 2: – Let the Presentations Begin 

The second day was packed with short presentations divided over four focused tracks: asset management, reliability, maintenance and people. Delegates, both in person and online, had the opportunity to learn from a variety of presenters from around the world and across industries. This first ever hybrid conference allowed online delegates to participate and learn during live presentations, as well as connect and ask questions to the presenters.

Media partner, MRO magazine, hosted a roundtable discussion ahead of lunch, in which delegates broke into four groups. Facilitated by Susan Lubell, Nigel D’Souza, Paul Daoust and James Reyes-Picknell, groups discussed various topics before coming together to share each group’s key insights.

In the afternoon, delegates attended a plenary panel discussion focused on technology, and how to enable data to support better decision-making. Panelists described the state of digital adoption in asset management, while exploring best practices in data-informed decision-making.  Justyna Krzysiak hosted the panel that included: Dr. Janet Lam, Assistant Director, C-MORE, University of Toronto, Paul Daoust, Founder, Managing Director, Scio Asset Management Inc and David Armstrong, Director, Cohesive Group. 

The day ended with the PEMAC Awards Dinner, where the association honored and recognized individuals who exemplified excellence in maintenance, reliability and asset management across industries and sectors. This year marked the inaugural presentation of the Maintenance Management Leadership award and highlighted the importance of acknowledging both the individual and team achievements of members.

A full list of the winners can be found below: 

The awards' dinner culminated with a relaxed and enjoyable live karaoke band and many delegates showcasing their vocal abilities. It was a memorable evening all around. 

Day 3: New Connections That Will Last a Lifetime

The final day of the MainTrain conference began with an inspiring keynote presentation by Danaka Porter, Regional Managing Partner, Iota Consultants, in which she highlighted the importance of communication and relationships in order to maintain reliability in unreliable times. After the presentation, the day continued with more opportunities for delegates to learn and connect with a range of presentations sharing stories of maintenance and asset management practice improvements within their organization. The final learning opportunity of the event was a panel discussion facilitated by PEMAC GTA Chapter President, Erica Mazza focusing on the MRO Supply Chain New Normal in a Post Pandemic World. The audience received great ideas about how to optimize their maintenance reliability and asset management practices to deliver the most value to the stakeholders they serve.

The conference was a great learning opportunity for attendees in person in Toronto and online across Canada and around the world. Special thank you to the organizing committee who worked together for over a year to plan this successful event and welcome everyone to join them again at next year at MainTrain 2023 in Winnipeg. 

PEMAC also would like to thank all the speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, partners and delegates who joined the conference in person and online, and helped to make the first ever MainTrain hybrid conference such a fantastic event! 

The in-person event might be over, but the learning continues. Conference attendees have access to presentation recordings until December 31, 2022, on the online platform. Not registered? Registration is still available to the online MainTrain platform for full access to all the conference recordings, exhibitors and sponsor showcase, making connections with other attendees, and many other great benefits to continue connecting, learning and contributing.   

To gain access to the MainTrain 2022 presentations, click the button below.

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Watch the MainTrain Recap Video Below