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The 2013 Pumper & Cleaner Expo was a celebration of the best technology and the brightest minds this industry has to offer.

The 2013 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo was another great experience filled with new technology, new insights and lots of industry veterans with great stories to tell.

There were so many new products, many launched right at the Expo, from inflatable shoring to camera systems. Several companies had new hydroexcavators on display, and the technology they're putting to use is incredible. Smartphones are also being put to greater use, with new and emerging apps doing everything from providing monitoring functions to serving as a new viewing platform for CCTV work, so you can watch a live inspection even if you're not there. It was truly the future of this industry and your utility on display.

The first-ever Demo Day drew people outside the Indiana Convention Center to take a look at some impressive products in action. Despite cold, wet and windy weather, five companies gave Expo attendees an up-close look at their products in action.

Hammelmann and Terydon teamed up to demonstrate a precision ultra-high pressure (UHP) abrasive cut using the Jack Track Cutting System. The system was powered by a high-efficiency Hammelmann pump with the dynamic plunger seal system, which eliminates the use of high-pressure packing. The cut was quick and easy.

Perma-Liner demonstrated its Top Gun continuous inversion system, which allows the cured-in-place liner tube to invert utilizing low air pressure. The steam-cured liner used in the demonstration inverts continuously without the need for above-ground water column towers, tall scaffold or excess water.

GapVax and NozzTeq also teamed up, with GapVax first demonstrating the MC Advanced Series combination sewer cleaning unit, and NozzTeq following with a demonstration of the BL SWIPER nozzle and the Paikert impact cutter for situations where digging isn't necessary. There was a good crowd on hand, and next year is sure to be better.

Beyond the technology, the greatest part of the Expo for me is meeting and talking to you. I speak with many of you from my desk in Northern Wisconsin, but the opportunity to meet face to face, to speak with you directly and hear your stories in person really brings everything together. It's great to hear how the work we're doing at MSW is making an impact on your work. That's the goal, and it's also the greatest reward.

There were many utility personnel on hand who have been involved in the post-Sandy cleanup efforts on the East Coast. The stories they told were incredible — and leant much more perspective to the devastation and work still ahead — than any national news story I've come across. You can look forward to seeing some of their stories on these pages as we move forward.

I also talked to a variety of municipal utility representatives from across the country. We talked about their work and I told them about stories I'm working on. Their feedback is invaluable, and that's really what this magazine and the Expo are all about: establishing meaningful relationships that help us toward our goals.

If you couldn't make it to Indy, start planning now so you can be there next year. It's the best thing you can do for your utility.

Enjoy this month's issue.

Comments on this column or about any article in this publication may be directed to editor Luke Laggis, 800/257-7222; editor@mswmag.com.



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