The Reliable Plant 2025 Conference & Exhibition, held June 2-5 at the Schaumburg Convention Center near Chicago, Illinois, took attendees on an exciting journey along the "Route to Reliability." Drawing inspiration from the historic Route 66, the conference showcased how industry professionals are navigating the changing landscapes of reliability and maintenance to reach peak performance, operational excellence, and sustainability.
Over four packed days, attendees participated in more than 70 insightful sessions spread across diverse categories, including Lubrication Excellence, Maintenance Optimization, Digital Transformation, Condition Monitoring, and Training, Leadership & Culture. Specialized training programs held alongside the conference provided even more in-depth learning experiences, while carefully curated keynote presentations highlighted emerging industry trends, practical strategies, and actionable solutions to enhance asset reliability and drive measurable improvements within attendees’ organizations.
“It's like going to church in some ways,” said attendee Alex Bolan from Digital Thinker. “You're learning about something that very passionate people are delivering content on and preaching about, so to speak. But you're also with a group of – even though they're strangers – they're all friends because we're all trying to fight the same fight.”
The event officially kicked off on Tuesday with an energetic opening ceremony led by Noria Vice President of Services Wes Cash and Noria President Bennett Fitch, whose remarks set the stage for the impactful days ahead. Fitch emphasized the importance of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning in driving the industry forward. During this opening session, attendees also celebrated the announcement of the prestigious 2025 Lube Room Challenge winner: Georgia Pacific’s Toledo, Oregon plant. This year also saw the introduction of the Reliability Champion award, won by Vale’s Lisandra Cobu. These awards further one of the central goals of Reliable Plant: recognizing and celebrating excellence and innovation within the reliability and lubrication community.
Throughout the week’s learning sessions, notable industry experts and thought leaders took the stage to share their valuable knowledge. Wes Cash, Noria’s VP of Technical Services, outlined critical steps necessary for transforming lubrication programs and fostering proactive maintenance cultures. Mobius Institute’s Michael Dwyer challenged attendees to journey beyond traditional maintenance methods by integrating advanced reliability strategies while Lake Speed Jr. from Speed Diagnostix expertly guided participants through the complexities of lubrication analysis. Lake’s presentation was insightful, but also intriguing: he tailored his presentation to an often-unexplored application for oil analysis: daily drivers.
Among the most popular sessions was "Optimizing Lubrication Practices for Improved Asset Condition" presented by Daniel Shorten and Ameer Salah of John Crane Solutions, which provided attendees with practical, actionable tools and techniques to extend asset life and enhance operational reliability. Drew Mackley from Emerson captured attendees’ attention with a retrospective analysis of 25 years of wireless vibration technology experience, offering key lessons learned and future considerations in condition monitoring.
“It is massive,” said first-time attendee Yuraima Redondo. “There is representation from all over the world. It's very exciting. Definitely a lot of great sessions about advancements in sensors, lubricants and condition monitoring systems to enhance maintenance and reliability practices as well as amazing vendor exhibitions. I definitely got great insights on how multiple industries have common issues with the equipment.”
The always extensive exhibit hall was alive with innovative products and groundbreaking technologies, offering attendees firsthand demonstrations of solutions specifically designed to boost reliability and maintenance efficiency. Attendees had numerous opportunities to engage directly with industry-leading vendors, gaining deeper insights and discovering innovative tools to support their reliability initiatives.
Networking events such as the VIP Reception, Meet & Greet, and the lively Casino Reception provided valuable opportunities for industry professionals to connect, exchange stories from their reliability journeys, and collaboratively address the unique challenges facing their respective industries.
Cody Creager from Timber Products was excited to talk with other attendees. “There's a lot of homegrown conversations about what you should do before you start doing all this other stuff. What are the basic things to do? And I think there's a lot of great conversations about that here.”
The conference concluded with an exciting closing ceremony featuring the highly anticipated annual prize giveaway. Multiple lucky winners celebrated by taking home popular personal items such as AirPods, a DJI drone, and more. Attendees left inspired, equipped with practical knowledge, new connections, and renewed motivation to steer their organizations toward even greater success.
Mark your calendars now for Reliable Plant 2026, scheduled for June 15-18 in the scenic and exciting locale of Reno Tahoe, Nevada. Stay informed and connected by visiting conference.reliableplant.com and subscribing to updates to be notified about details about future events as they happen.