Web resources expand with mro-esource.com

There are now more reasons than ever to visit Machinery & Equipment MRO on the Internet. The magazine relaunched its web site with additional components and features at an industry event and press conference in Mississauga on June 1. The event coincided with the renaming of the web site as www.mro-esource.com and bringing to life several elements that have been under development over the past few months.

“We believe our approach to the web is different from what other magazines and web providers are attempting,” said Peter Helston, mro-esource.com manager and publisher of Machinery & Equipment MRO magazine. “Our objective is straightforward–to be the portal of choice on the Internet for the machinery and equipment business, not just in Canada, but around the world.”

With its added features, mro-esource.com has the potential to connect buyers and sellers beyond the ability of a print magazine. “There just isn’t enough paper in the world to do the different tasks that the web can do,” said Helston.

One important application of the web site is its Product Locator Guide section, which undergoes continual expansion (200 or so additional categories are currently in development). The Guides are designed to be an easy-to-access database that tells who makes what products in what sizes and capacities, and where they are made. The Guides also tell how quickly a product or component is available, give warranty and repair policies, and provide contact information for technical and repair experts.

Those of you familiar with Machinery & Equipment MRO will have seen earlier Product Locator Guides published in the magazine. However, the physical limitations of print–paper size and available pages–put certain constraints on each Guide. The web has proven to be a much better method to deliver this information in an easily searchable format. It also can easily be updated daily, so will be much more current than print directories. There are already more than a half-dozen Product Locator Guides online at www.mro-esource.com.

In addition, the updated site features machinery auctions, maintenance and engineering career links, searchable archives of past issues of Machinery & Equipment MRO magazine–by product, company name or topic, and an interactive discussion and Q&A area featuring Mr. O, the Practical Problem Solver. There’s also a continually updated industry events section to keep you abreast of seminars, training programs and exhibitions related to machinery & equipment and maintenance work, as well as a new Online Features section that includes articles not available in the print magazine.

For example, you currently can find a report in Online Features about how Cerro Copper overhauled its chain-driven material handling system to reduce maintenance, cut energy use and increase capacity. Another tells how the Custom Castings foundry in Winnipeg boosted its bandsaw productivity 25% to 100% and cut blade costs six-fold. Plus, there’s an article about often-overlooked welding equipment–including a schedule for planning routine maintenance of engine-driven welders.

And if you’ve ever wondered how the flat terrain around the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, will be able to feature white water canoeing and kayaking events, another Online Feature tells you how it’s being done (it involves using huge industrial pumps).

If you want to be alerted each time new features such as these, or other new data, are posted to www.mro-esource.com, simply sign up on the web site for our e-mail newsletter. The site also allows you to easily send a letter to the editor or renew your magazine subscription.

Another significant benefit of the web site is that it is interactive. If you have a technical problem and don’t know where to find the answer, or need a product but can’t find a source for it, you can ask other readers in the Mr. O Discussion Board. This chat room lets you discuss problems and solutions or general maintenance issues with your peers, both readers of Machinery & Equipment MRO and interested experts from around the world.

The key goals of mro-esource.com are to present information that is useful globally, furnish data in a simple and easy-to-find format, offer unique resources that will save web users time and money, and provide consistent site updates to encourage regular visits by web users.

We know that presently, only proportions of our readers use the web regularly, but we also know the numbers are increasing significantly every month. As you probably already expect, there are considerable business and personal benefits to using the Internet. We think the resources we’re providing through mro-esource.com make one more solid reason you’ll benefit even more from the web in the months and years ahead. We encourage you to visit www.mro-esource.com soon and invite your comments and feedback.