The annual IEEE-IAS (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.-Industry Applications Society) and US PCA (Portland Cement Association) conference was held this year at the convention centre in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, in an atmosphere of typical southern hospitality. Over 700 delegates attended the event in a large exhibition area which for 3-4 days was the scene of debates and meetings.

Sandro Buzzi, Chairman and CEO of Buzzi Unicem, opening the conference on behalf of the host group, chose a subject that many participants cherished: the importance of good operational and engineering skills in managing a cement plant. In his speech he emphasized that a high level plant should be able to run round the clock for 47 weeks a year, hence the basic need for an operations-oriented engineering department which would assure uptime consistency and equipment reliability. At the end of the conference a visit was paid at Buzzi Unicem recently enlarged cement plant in Chattanooga. Next IEEE-IAS conference will be held in May 2005 in Kansas City.