9th Annual World Wide Bearing Conference

Bearing 2006, the 9th annual world wide bearing conference and trade show display, is set for May 26 through 28. In a different country each year, organizer Ian McPherson announced the 2006 event is being hosted in Italy, at the Regina Palace Hotel on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Lake Maggiore is a 70km-long glacier-formed lake, extending from the Piedmont and Lombardy regions of northern Italy into Switzerland. Regina Palace Hotel, built in 1908, is a four-star hotel on the lakeshore in Stresa. Formal programs and conference displays are set for May 26 - 28. Mid-sized events, the Bearing conferences host manufacturer and distributor representatives from dozens of countries, in an atmosphere conducive to establishing and maintaining contacts throughout the industry. Relationships, ideas and information are built and exchanged in a structured but informal environment. In addition, there will be a tour of the Prosino s.r.l. bearing ring factory on the 26th. Continuing a process begun in 2005, a major focus of Bearing 2006 will be discussion and development efforts to establish a Bearing Industry Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct has already established some key principles, in particular focusing efforts to eradicate some of the bearing industry's most problematic practices: • Counterfeit branding and packaging • Re-badged or re-marked bearings • Rings and packaging not marked with their true country of origin • Ensuring all component modifications are clearly marked on rings and packaging • Establishing penalties for breaches of the Code, enforced on a Worldwide proof basis (i.e. Offenders may face cancellation of Insurances for both Companies and Directors) The majority of the days' programs will be, "the usual," presentations, meetings, networking opportunities, tours and social events. At least 80 exhibitor display sites will be available, with Internet access, phone, power and lighting. Full days of optional activities are scheduled for the 25th and 29th, the day before and following the formal conference. Conference website links: www.BearingConference.com