Just flew back from Seattle and boy, are my arms tired! (okay, I promise to never use that line again).
Yeah, went out to the Rottler Manufacturing “Annual Rep Training Session and Open House”. Rottler takes this rep training very seriously and they brought their entire sales force from all over this big world of ours to this event. Lots of hands-on training on their newest machines, machining centers and technology advances made by Rottler. It was great to see a lot of our International Goodson Distributors who are also Rottler reps at this event. Rottler has a very nice manufacturing facility with many multi-axis machining centers that they use to make the machines you have in your shop. I think the coolest thing I saw was them using a Rottler machine to make other components for other Rottler machines. If you can use your stuff to make your own stuff that in my opinion means your stuff must be pretty good!
Now I was not part of the entire Rottler training session, but I was part of the open house and I was mostly there for the AERA tech conference.
The AERA tech conference open up with Keith Jones, from Total Seal Piston Rings delivering a very informative presentation on piston rings, and the necessary cylinder wall requirements to make them seat. Keith really delivered on this topic as he knows it very well indeed. Next up was Steve Fox of AERA who brought everyone up to speed on the latest PROSIS feature and benefits. To round out the conference, Clemens Ortgies of BU Drive, finished up with a detailed presentation on converting diesel engines to run on natural gas. With all of the natural gas available this conversion makes sense in a lot of areas here in the USA as well as around the world.
After the presentations, it was off to B&G Machine for a detailed tour of their heavy-duty diesel engine building shop. Smaller engines in the world are used to start these big boys of serious diesel displacement. I must say the Bianchi’s really have one of the cleanest and well laid out diesel shops I have ever been in. They are certainly on their game in the world of diesel engines.
After the tour it was down to the harbor for dinner and a boat ride. Watching the sun go down in the Seattle Harbor was a highlight for sure. I am an avid boater and being on the water in a place I had never been to watch the sun set with a bunch of engine builders was very cool indeed. Great food, good fun and everybody got to learn something new.
Big thanks and hats off to Rottler and all of their employees for making this event very special!
See ya on the web!
Dave