ANS Operations Training Performance Improvement

American Nuclear Society Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo 2019

This month a majority of the Accelerant Solutions Management team headed to Jacksonville Florida to attend the American Nuclear Society Utility Working Conference at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort from August 4-7.

ANS Utility Working Conference

The Utility Working Conference live event was put on by the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and was nothing short of spectacular. With over 50 vendors in attendance and a drove of workshops and keynote speakers to kick things off it was a week to remember.

Although the event didn’t start until early Monday morning, most of the Accelerant Solutions management team flew in on Sunday and met at the resort to pre-stage the vendor booth with our partners at Tecnatom USA.

Due to multiple layovers I personally didn’t arrive at the Omni Resort until 7pm (because PSC and JAX are small airports it was 3 flights just to get to Jacksonville – I left at 6am PST and landed just after 5pm EST). But I was still able to reach my Marriott hotel beachside just 15 minutes from the resort and make it out in time to catch up with the team.

Jose Delgado, Jose Martin, and Robert Rodriguez were in attendance from Tecnatom in the vendors area, while myself, Mike Cadden (COO), and Billy Mack (President) were in attendance representing Accelerant Solutions.

I was astounded upon arriving at the hotel by how many ANS vendors were staged.

There were 6 to 7 aisles in one of the larger ballrooms on the resort with probably 8 vendors per aisle. And that was just inside the ballroom.  Outside in the hallway there were another 10 vendor booths.

Vendors in attendance included some recognizable names in the commercial nuclear industry (because there were 50+ we didn’t name them all):

It’s also important to note that there were some key sponsors that helped to make the American Nuclear Society Utility Working Conference possible:

  • Exelon
  • Certrec
  • Framatome
  • NextAxiom
  • AECOM
  • Sargent & Lundy
  • Lockheed Martin
  • System One
  • Toshiba
  • Bechtel
  • Hukari Ascendent
  • Urenco

The ANS event kicked off in the vendor ballroom where buyers greeted prospective sellers to see what new technologies might support their goals and objectives for upcoming quarters/years.

Technologies ranged from drones that could survey hot spots without human involvement, to 3D plant imaging using XBOX controllers, and more. It was quite a sight to see regarding the future of nuclear power and technologies associated with it.

At the Accelerant Solutions and Tecnatom booth we had the opportunity to demonstrate our services in compliance, performance, and training, as well as our software solutions developed by Tecnatom; designed to help the industry move out of the standard Death-by-PPT training model and into a more self-paced, data-driven approach to training.

I personally had the opportunity to interact with a number of utilities interested in improving their performance, including: Duke Energy, Southern Company, Exelon, Entergy, and others.

After a full day of sessions, breakouts, and vendor demonstrations in the ballroom, Monday wound down to a productive close for ANS.

Monday evening the Accelerant management team spent time compiling feedback, improving booth operations, and setting up for Day 2. I had a chance to get some quality time with the COO himself as well in the Omni Resort lounge area: Mike Cadden:ANS vendor technology expo

Day 2 of the ANS Utility Working Conference was just as productive as Day 1. Sessions outside the vendor expo included:

  • Transitioning to Permanently Defueled Status
  • Innovative Leadership Techniques
  • Effective Use of Technology and Supply Chain in Disaster Response
  • Causal Analysis for HU Events or Investigation
  • Embracing Technology and Its Transformational Impact
  • Crew Performance Evaluation Changes
  • Closing the Gap in Organizational Effectiveness

Following the Day 2 sessions, including catered lunch and break sessions that allowed interaction with vendors, ANS ended with Casino Nuclear night.

Although I did not have time to attend due to my prior dinner plans with Energy Solutions I was drawn into the bright lights and noise as I walked back to my car:

Summary

Looks like everyone had a good time on Day 2 at ANS, including the vendors on the dance floor!

Day 3 was primarily breakdown time with a few remaining sessions. And although most folks packed up and fled town I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Billy Mack (President of Accelerant Solutions) and our partners at Tecnatom (Jose Delgado & Robert Rodriguez).

We finished up our ANS trip Wednesday August 6th at The Golf Club at North Hampton designed by Arnold Palmer. Although I’ve played golf since I was 8 years old, I had never seen so many 600-yard par 5s in my life on one course. And not a single fairway was adjacent to another, making it incredibly difficult.

Glad it was the President of Accelerant Solutions playing and not me.

Until the next event.Did you enjoy this article? Here are a couple other articles you may like to read:Click the link to learn about improving the quality of comprehensive assessments in nuclear training.

Click the link to learn what makes a great nuclear training organization.

Click here to register for the FREE WEBINAR on CORE – the new self-paced replacement for GFES!

Author

Jason Smith

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Verified by MonsterInsights