It’s a mere 252 days to IFPE 2014, and I’m looking forward to some great reporting on the show from our editorial staff. (We have some interesting things planned, so stay tuned!) There will be so much to cover, including the educational component to the show, the National Conference on Fluid Power, which will cover a lot of developments across the fluid power technology realm. Topics being planned include systems, basic components, analysis/modeling/simulation, noise and vibration, fluids, materials, manufacturing, standards, renewable energy applications, control systems, and sealing technology.

But it was also to see a release today that the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) will be hosting a meeting of international fluid power leaders at IFPE. Dubbed The International Fluid Power Summit, this meeting will take place on Thursday, March 6. The NFPA says that the Summit is “a forum for the exchange of information on the fluid power industry worldwide and an opportunity for peer associations to identify global challenges facing the industry and work together to devise strategies to confront them.”

At past summit meetings, the NFPA has been joined by representatives from numerous countries, including Canada, Mexico, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the U.K.

Also on the 6th, the NFPA will also host the International Statistics Committee meeting, where representatives from fluid power associations from across the globe will discuss international statistical and data collection programs.

IFPE is always an international event, and it’s great to see that our national fluid power association will be rolling out the red carpet to its international peers once again.