Tokyo hosted the most successful IACDS meeting ever

The International Association of Concrete Drillers and Sawers, IACDS, celebrated a very successful 2018 Convention in Tokyo (Japan) with the participation of 100 professionals and companions who enjoyed a complete three days program.

The event was celebrated in the framework of the General Assembly of the Japanese Association, JCSDA, member of IACDS.

Visit to Daiichi Cutter Kogyo

The first activity of the Annual Convention 2018, on Monday 21^st, was a visit to the headquarters of Daiichi Cutter Kogyo, member of JCSDA, and one of the most important companies of the trade in Japan.

With a wonderful welcome from the staff of the company, the attendants spent almost 5 hours seeing machines, visiting the warehouse and receiving information about how the company works.

Workshop and Welcome cocktail

In the afternoon, there was a workshop about service design which involved almost 30 participants that were divided into groups.

The goal of the workshop was to design the “customer journey”: how a customer knows you, contact you and contact you.

After that, there was a welcome cocktail, which was a perfect idea to meet all the Convention attendants and have a drink and food together.

The former Japanese minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Fumio Kishida, gave a warm welcome to the attendants, and he highlighted the importance for Tokyo and Japan of hosting this kind of event, while encouraged to continue working together in benefit of the concrete cutting industry.

Conference sessions

On Tuesday 22^nd, at 9:00 in the morning, began the conference session with a welcome by the president of IACDS, Ms. Julie White, who thanked the participants and thanked the enormous welcomed by the JCSDA.

The first technical presentation was made by Joel Vinsant, form the Drilling and Sawing Association of the UK, DSA.

The paper turned around the water suppression in the drilling & sawing industry, and it explained the health risks of exposure to construction dust or airborne dust, among others.

The second presentation was about how to employ younger people in the industry, and it was managed by Ms. Erin O’Brien, from CSDA.

She shared with the attendance how the millennial generation is, its strengths and weaknesses, and a few tips to do the industry more attractive for them.

Before the coffee break at the exhibition room, Mr. Cota Fujio, JCSDA director, from the company Concrete Coring Ltd, explained a case story about the work done in a subway, which was one of the most applauded.

After him, the attendants of the event could enjoy free time during the coffee break, and this was possible with the support of TYROLIT, HILTI, PENTRUDER, HAKKEN, and CRETE BEATER.

The second conference session was open by Mr. Brian Wnuck, from the company Westcoast Cutting & Coring Ltd, who presented a case story of Ruskin Dam Seismic Retrofit Project Mission.

This paper, full of images, explained step by step how a huge project like this was possible, despite the hard weather conditions in Canada.

Mr. Jun Ozawa, JCSDA director, from the company Concrete Coring co ltd Osaka, was the following and gave a brief presentation of JCSDA, its history, activities, and recent developments.

The “Dismantling Technologies in Nuclear Power Plants”, was the title of another presentation, in this case, driven by Mr. Martin Braun, of the company Braun Machinenfabrik Gesellshaft MBH.

This paper focused on the requirements in dismantling of nuclear power plants, the procedure of dismantling, the modern technologies for dismantling of contaminated structures and the dismantling after decommissioning.

Finally, Mr. Michael Findeis, from the company FINDEIS and delegate of the German Drillers and Sawers Association, and Mr. Reiner Schulze, of the company DR. SHULZE, presented the new PQ6, a new conical six times polygon profile thread for drill bits.

The PQ6 has been designed by the FBS and the manufacturers association in Germany, the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau).

General Assembly

After lunch, the General Assembly of the International Association of the Concrete Drillers and Sawers took place, where the members reviewed the main subjects of the association, as well as the common issues of the industry.

In addition, there was time to create an overview of the industry in each country, where the delegates shared the forecasts for the future.

Formal dinner

At the wonderful and traditional Japanese Restaurant Tokyo Shiba Tofuya Ukai, with a friendly atmosphere, the attendants of the Annual Convention enjoyed a fantastic dinner, full of Japanese dishes.

In the frame of the Formal Dinner, Mr. Norizaku Shibuya, from the company SHIBUYA and highly involved in IACDS since decades, was called a member of the IACDS Club of Honor and received a commemorative plaque at the hands of Ms. Julie White.

Leisure program

On Wednesday 23rd, there was a leisure program designed, which consisted in a guided visit of the Meiji-Jingu Shrine, the National Diet Building, the East Gardens & Asakusa Kannon Temple, a Tokyo Bay Cruise and Odaiba Palace.

JCSDA Formal Dinner

In the evening, there was a formal dinner between the IACDS delegates, companions and the members of JCSDA, who celebrated its General Assembly this day.

The dinner was livened up by traditional Tokyo music, who made it even more special for the foreign attendants of IACDS.

IACDS Annual Meeting 2019: Bauma 2019

Next IACDS Annual Meeting will take place in the frame of the trade fair Bauma 2019, in Munich, Germany, and more details about it will be provided in the following weeks.