Technical Conference
Now in its 53rd year of existence, the 2011 edition of the IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, May 22-26, will feature a mix of educational tutorials and technical papers at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis, Mo.; the adjacent Renaissance St. Louis Grand & Suites Hotel will service as the host hotel.
This year’s event is taking place at a time when the cement industry faces unparalleled challenges: an avalanche of new and changing environmental regulations combined with a significant drop in cement demand since its peak in 2005. The goal of the conference will not be to change these factors, but to engage the industry, its engineers, equipment suppliers, and designers to equip cement manufacturers with the latest technology. The industry’s top technical minds will be on hand to discuss diverse technical issues and propose potential solutions to the many challenges of today cement landscape.
The ever-popular Environmental Workshop held last year will be continued this year (May 25) with a new set of current topics relevant to challenges being faced by the industry. In addition, special tutorials (May 23) and technical papers (May 24-25) drill down to focus on topics of most concern to cement operations.
Tutorial topics in 2011 include Wireless Technology for Cement Plant Applications; Variable Speed Drives–Types, Sizing, Selection; How to Implement Into a Project; The Need for an Engineered Refractory Solution to Provide for Improved Plant Reliability; Analysis for the Design of Electrical Power Systems; and MSHA Part 46 Annual Refresher Training–For Personnel Not Employed in an MSHA Facility.
Conference organizers have again divided the technical papers into six sessions: Environmental, Energy and Sustainability; Power; Automation; Maintenance and Safety; Drives; and General Practices. Preceding the first day’s technical papers, PCA Chief Economist Ed Sullivan will deliver his “Economic State of the Industry” presentation.
The St. Louis event will include a vendor exhibition hall, featuring about 158 booths in the America’s Center. Additional companies will be hosting hospitality suites in meeting rooms in and around the facility.
In addition to the technical conference and networking opportunities in the conference’s exhibition hall, attendees will have a chance to see the latest technology in the form of the newest and largest plants—both located about 40 miles south of St Louis. On Thursday, May 26, tours of the new Buzzi Unicem 7,000-tpd Selma plant as well as Holcim (US) Inc.’s 12,000-tpd Ste. Genevieve plant are being offered as part of the conference. Both plants came on line in 2009, feature the latest in large plant equipment from an array of different suppliers, and are currently among the most energy-efficient plants in the world.
What follows is an alphabetical listing of every company exhibiting at this year’s IEEE-IAS/PCA conference. Available booth numbers and company web addresses are provided.
