Third PTDA Canadian Conference is largest ever

PTDA’s third annual Canadian Conference, held May 13-15, 2004, at the Hyatt Regency Montreal in Montreal, Que., provided an opportunity for Canadian power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) executives to explore nationally focussed market issues, themes and trends. The conference set a new record for attendance, attracting 200 delegates this year.

Dr. Peter Andersen, president of Andersen Economic Research Ltd., kicked off the conference with an analysis of trends in Canada’s economy, breaking down his predictions by region and key end-use industries. He also compared the Canadian and U.S. economies.

The program also featured end-user presentations by Bernie Dauvin of Weyerhauser and Norm Clegg of the Plant Engineering & Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC). Next, Jim Holderbaum of Timken’s steel division provided insight into the future of the steel market in North America.

Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, gave a detailed presentation called “The Future of Manufacturing in Canada,” where he presented a combination of optimistic and negative predictions.

The event wrapped up with a retirement roast for Bob Marshall, formerly of INA-FAG Canada, that was attended by 60 of his closest friends and enemies from the industry.