November 5-6 , 2007 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee (LHOC) met on Nov. 5–6 in Columbia, S.C., in conjunction with the Southeast Member Chapter. The meeting began with a review of the status of the upcoming Lubrication Manual Training Seminar, which will be held March 10–13 in Portland, Ore., and will include a tour of Cascade Steel Rolling Mills. Based on feedback from the 2007 conference, each section was reviewed to eliminate overlap between sections. The upcoming conference will also be a half day longer to address topics that needed to have more time to be covered. Each attendee will also receive a copy of the Lubrication Engineers Manual. After finalizing the program, the members reviewed the status of the upcoming LHOC sessions for AISTech 2008. This committee will have two sessions and will also participate jointly in sessions with the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee. The LHOC finalized the program by identifying session chairs. Discussion was held on future industry needs that the committee could support, including the possibility of a training seminar on hydraulics or even a possible certification program for steel mill lubrication. The discussion led to the conclusion that there are currently other programs available, and this could be a duplication of efforts but will be discussed again at a future meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the members attended technical presentations and the Southeast Chapter Product Fair. The following day, a tour was held of CMC Steel South Carolina.

May 7, 2007 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee (LHOC) met on May 7 in Indianapolis, Ind., in conjunction with AISTech 2007. The LHOC statement — “To promote a forum to advance the knowledge of lubrication, fluid power, and related components for the iron and steel industry” — was reviewed and approved without modification. Officers were then elected for the upcoming year, and a programs chair was added. Walt Kusnier was elected chair; Jason Curtis, vice chair; Ross Kovanda, papers chair; and Jim Sidow, programs chair. The programs chair will be the main contact for further developing the Specialty Conference based on the Lubrication Engineers Manual. This conference was held in 2007, and its success led the committee to expand the conference to three days and offer it again in 2008. A special thanks was extended to Rick Schrama for leading the effort in revising the Lubrication Engineers Manual, which is one of AIST’s leading publications. The LHOC also discussed technical session ideas for AISTech 2008 and urged committee members to solicit papers. A brief discussion was held on their joint meeting with the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee, which was held the next day. Future meeting plans were discussed prior to adjourning.

January 27, 2007 - On Jan. 17, the RTOC was joined by the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee (LHOC) for a joint tour of USS-POSCO Industries. After the tour, members of each Operating Committee met with members of the San Francisco Member Chapter for lunch and an informal discussion on roll bite lubrication and other topics. The LHOC then began its business meeting. This meeting began with a welcome from the committee chair, Jay Ondrovic. There were several new members at this meeting, so introductions were made. The committee finalized its sessions for AISTech 2007 by confirming session chairs and identifying additional papers to complete the sessions. Information was provided on the update of the Lubrication Engineers Manual; it was stated that most of the updates were complete, but the book still required a lot of layout work. It was also mentioned that the review process would need to take place in a short time period to meet the publication deadlines. Lead reviewers were made responsible for necessary changes. There was also discussion about the possibility of translating the manual or parts of it into another language. The committee was then advised of the status of their upcoming Specialty Conference based on the Lubrication Engineers Manual. Since future meetings will not require additional work on the manual, the committee decided its next meeting will consist of a plant tour and a technical discussion.

September 26, 2006 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee met in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, on Sept. 26. Several committee members were presenters in the specialty conference, “Realize Improved Manufacturing Results: Maintenance Management Systems and Practical Maintenance Techniques,” so they reviewed last-minute details. The committee then reviewed abstracts for AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind., and planned their sessions. They also solicited papers from committee members in attendance and encouraged them to obtain papers from their colleagues. The committee is also working on a revision to the Lubrication Engineers Manual. The status of this project and the timeline to complete it were discussed. Plans were then discussed for a specialty conference based on the manual; this will be offered in March 2007 in San Antonio, Texas.

May 3, 2006 - A joint meeting of the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee and the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee was held on May 3 in Cleveland, Ohio. These two committees meet jointly each year at AISTech to find methods to support each other where needed and to jointly plan their programs to avoid overlap and dilution. They began by discussing the development of a few joint sessions for AISTech 2007. An update was provided from the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee on their plans to support the upcoming Maintenance Processes Operating Committee Specialty Conference, and a reciprocal agreement was updated for support of chapters in the Lubrication Engineers Manual.

May 1, 2006 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee held a meeting at AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 1. Their first order of business was to elect officers for the upcoming year. Next they discussed plans for AISTech 2007 and identified topics they would like to pursue for presentations. The status of the update to the Lubrication Engineers Manual was discussed, and plans were made to complete this update by early fall. This will enable them to hold their Specialty Conference based on this manual early in 2007. Volunteers were asked to support the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee’s Specialty Conference in September with some fluid maintenance topics. Plans were then reviewed for their joint meeting with the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee, held on May 3.

January 18, 2006 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee met on Jan. 18 in Cleveland, Ohio. The status of their sessions for AISTech 2006 was reviewed, and their program for the conference was finalized. Topics and presenters were identified for the upcoming Maintenance Specialty Conference, at which a section on lubrication and hydraulics will be provided. Additional topics to be included in the Call for Papers for AISTech 2007 were also identified. The main item of business was to work on the update of the “Lubrication Engineers’ Manual.” The status of work done on each section was reviewed, and plans were made to complete the update and printing before the end of 2006. Further plans include a Specialty Conference in 2007 based on the updated manual.

October 9-10, 2005 - On Oct. 9–10, the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee (LHOC) held a meeting in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the NSK headquarters. Paper selections were made for AISTech 2006, to be held in Cleveland, Ohio. Plans were also made to program joint sessions with the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee (MPOC), so that interested parties can attend as many presentations as possible. A request from the MPOC for the LHOC to participate in the upcoming Maintenance and Reliability Specialty Conference was reviewed. Topics and presenters were identified. The status of the revision to the Lubrication Engineers Manual was reviewed. The schedule for completing this project was also reviewed, and an update was provided on the addition of a maintenance chapter. Plans were also discussed to hold a Specialty Conference featuring the revised manual upon its completion. A tour of the NSK testing facilities followed the meeting.

May 11, 2005 - On Wednesday, May 11, a joint meeting was held in Charlotte, N.C., between the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee and the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee. Both committees are in Technology Division IX: Maintenance and Reliability and used this as an opportunity to coordinate activities to avoid overlap and promote each other’s activities. Discussion was held on potential topics for joint technical sessions for AISTech 2006. Potential presenters on lubrication topics were identified for the Maintenance Specialty Conference to be held in the fall of 2006. Plans were also made for a chapter on maintenance in the update of the “Lubrication Engineers Manual,” and discussion was held on topics to be covered and the format for this.
The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee held another meeting on May 17 in Las Vegas, Nev., in conjunction with the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) annual conference. Since many members of the committee participate in both organizations, they wanted to ensure that committee members who could not attend AISTech were able to contribute to this meeting. An update on the activities in Charlotte was provided. The balance of the meeting was dedicated to identifying additional topics for AISTech 2006 and input on the revisions for the update of the “Lubrication Engineers Manual.”

May 10, 2005 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee held a meeting in conjunction with AISTech 2005 on May 10 in Charlotte, N.C. Officers for the upcoming year were elected, and committee members in attendance were polled for preferred locations for future AISTech conferences. Discussion ensued on planning sessions for AISTech 2006, to be held May 1–4 in Cleveland, Ohio. Several key topics for discussion were identified. The committee is currently in the process of updating the “Lubrication Engineers Manual,” and actions necessary to complete this in the upcoming year were discussed. The committee plans, upon the book’s completion, to hold a Specialty Conference based on it, and possible venues for this conference were suggested. Also discussed were items pertinent to a joint meeting to be held with the Maintenance Process Operating Committee the following day, along with items that would need to be passed on to members who were unable to attend.

May 10, 2005 - The Maintenance Processes Operating Committee held a meeting in Charlotte, N.C., on May 10. Recommendations for future AISTech locations were offered, to be provided to the AIST Conference Steering Committee. AISTech 2005 sessions were discussed, as well as ideas for AISTech 2006. The committee’s next Specialty Conference will be held in the fall of 2006, and a task force was formed to begin planning for that conference. Another task force was created consisting of members willing to visit plants that submitted entries for the 2005 Reliability Achievement Award. Officers for the upcoming year were elected, and plans were made to solicit additional members for the committee. After examining feedback from the most recent Specialty Conference, the committee planned for the upcoming joint meeting with the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee and for the next meeting, before which the two task forces would meet in order to prepare to report on their results.

February 7-8, 2005 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee held a meeting on Feb. 7–8 in Daphne, Ala. Committee members were asked to review their sections of the “Lubrication Engineers Manual” prior to the meeting and to bring to the table their suggestions for changes. Development of the sessions for AISTech 2005 continued from the previous meeting. The upcoming maintenance conference was discussed, and possibilities for joint sessions and conferences with the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee were reviewed. Committee members were encouraged to generate topics in preparation for the 2006 conference. An extensive tour of the IPSCO Steel (Alabama) plant was held the second morning, with the opportunity to see the lubrication and hydraulics systems. After the tour, the committee meeting resumed, with the reviewers discussing changes in their areas of the “Lubrication Engineers Manual.” The update of this publication will be one of this committee’s main efforts throughout 2005, and a time frame was established to have the revision completed and published by early 2006. Plans were made to hold a Lubrication Manual Specialty Conference in the fall of 2006.

November 30, 2004 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee held a teleconference meeting on Nov. 30 to plan their technical sessions for AISTech 2005 and to discuss plans to support the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee Specialty Conference by making a presentation on new lubricants and lubricant technologies. The committee members are planning a review and update of the various chapters in the Lubrication Engineers Manual and are currently waiting for an electronic version of the chapters to begin modifications. Revisions are planned to be completed by the end of 2005 so a Specialty Conference can be scheduled in 2006 based on the manual.

September 15, 1004 - On Sept. 15, the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee and the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee held a joint meeting. These Operating Committees are both in the Maintenance and Reliability Technology Division. Both Operating Committees wanted to meet jointly to avoid overlap in their committee activities and to provide support to the activities and programs of the individual committees. Both groups provided an update of their current activities and plans for the near future.

September 14, 2004 - On Sept. 14 the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee met at AISTech 2004 in Nashville, Tenn. They discussed final plans needed for the beginning of their technical sessions at the conference. After a review of several updates within AIST, they began to plan sessions for AISTech 2005. Members were asked to solicit papers that could be presented at the May conference. After this discussion, they began to update the “Lubrication Engineers Manual.” A schedule was developed to complete this revision by the end of 2006. They also planned items for discussion in a joint meeting with the Maintenance Processes Operating Committee the next day.

July 21, 2004 - On July 21, the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee met in Maumee, Ohio, to begin updating the “Lubrication Engineers Manual.” They discussed which areas were to be updated and any new items to be added. The committee then identified members who would be responsible for updating individual sections. After the meeting, the committee toured North Star BlueScope Steel.

May 20, 2004 - On May 20, the Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee met in Toronto, Ont., Canada, in conjunction with the STLE Annual Meeting. The mission statement was finalized, and potential candidates for leadership roles on the committee were identified. Feedback was heard from the specialty conference based on the Engineers Manual,” with the general consensus that the conference was well received and provided value to the attendees. The committee finalized sessions for AISTech and continued planning the “Ask the Experts” session. Questions will be solicited for problems related to lubrication, hydraulics and bearings, and a panel discussion forum will address these questions at AISTech. Topics for discussion can be sent via e-mail to lubequestions@aist.org and attend the conference to participate in the discussion. Plans were then made to begin updating the “Lubrication Engineers Manual.”

January 26, 2004 - The Lubrication and Hydraulics Operating Committee held their initial meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 26. A review of requirements to participate on an Operating Committee took place, followed by a review of the committee structure. Discussion moved to the topic of updating the Lubrication Engineers Manual, and each member was asked to provide information on any topics that needed to be included. Papers selections for AISTech in Nashville was held, and the committee members were asked to solicit additional papers for this conference.