Hands-On Training Takes Center Stage at Geiger Mid-Atlantic Pump & Process Equipment Symposium XI

Can you say “beehive of activity?” That’s what 830 Tryens Rd., in Aston, PA was like on Thurs., Oct. 6. 2016. It’s where 300+ industry professionals, representing more than 100 end-user organizations and leading suppliers, gathered for the Geiger Mid-Atlantic Pump & Process Equipment Symposium XI.

Maintenance Technology’s managing editor Jane Alexander and contributing editor Michelle Segrest were on the ground with the large crowd that included personnel from operations such as Dow, DuPont, D.C. Water, GAF, DELCORA, Air Liquide, Exelon, the U.S. Coast Guard, Kinder Morgan, American Sugar Refining, The Hershey Co., Perdue, Buckeye Partners LP, Chemours, Westway Group, Johns Manville, and Veolia Water; and vendors such as ITT Goulds Pumps, Viking Pump, Weir Specialty Pumps, Blacoh Surge Control, John Crane, Westech, and Verder.

Presented every two years by well-known industrial distributor Geiger Pump & Equipment (geigerinc.com), which has facilities in Aston and Baltimore, these popular day-long events feature a full slate of pump and process-equipment training (much of it hands-on); product displays; and plenty of food, drink, and networking. The 2016 installment didn’t disappoint.

This special issue of Maintenance Technology was distributed to all attendees at the symposium. You can download a pdf version here.

From the start of this symposium series through this year, these free Geiger events have always attracted a wide range of attendees from end-user sites across the region. One of the biggest draws is the practical, expert-led, hands-on training that they incorporate. It’s an effective workforce-development and refresher model that’s very much needed, but not available everywhere. As an example, Geiger president Henry Peck and his team point to having trained more than 2,000 (unique individual) pump and process-equipment pros in this manner—just since 2004. Some individuals and teams, though, have returned more than once.

Classes at Symposium XI included hands-on exploration of pumping-system optimization, centrifugal pump maintenance, and installation and maintenance of mechanical seals. The breakdown on attendees included the fact that:

• nearly 75% were first-timers
• roughly 2/3 were from Industry, and 1/3 from municipalities or related consulting-engineer groups
• more than 50% had 10+ years experience in their field
• 67% were in plant operations and maintenance
• almost 25% were in either plant process or consulting engineering.

To learn more about the day’s activities and also pick up some helpful equipment-maintenance tips, check out the videos and photos on this page.

Hands-on was the key learning tool at the Geiger Mid-Atlantic Pump & Process Equipment Symposium XI, held Oct. 6, 2016 in Aston, PA. Above are several images of attendees in action during the day. Images provided by Craig Fuller.