Speakers

2023  CMVA Annual Technical Conference brings to you the knowledge of high level specialists. Meet our  speakers!

 

Mr. Bernie Pringle, P. Eng., Keynote speaker

Bernie Pringle graduated in Mechanical Engineering, UBC, 1976 having specialized in acoustics, vibration and industrial engineering. He has over 50 years of hands-on experience in the field of vibration analysis and balancing, working mainly in western Canada and covering a wide range of industries. Work positions included companies like Cominco Mining and Smelting, Kadon Electro Mechanical, Dynamic Signal Analysis Corporation, and his present company Primac Reliability Consultants Ltd which was started in 1993. Mr. Pringle is now semi-retired and when not driving or working on his collection of cars and motorcycles, he works mentoring young Engineers and Technicians who share his passion for vibration and condition monitoring. Bernie is equally driven by giving technical input to the development of new technologies and applications. Building a company, being a trusted advisor in the field of Condition Monitoring, acting as a mentor and teacher to many bright young minds; Bernie’s life journey has been full of adversity, strength, challenge and impact. As former President, training and certification committee member and continued active member and advocate of the CMVA, Bernie is excited and honoured to share his knowledge at the CMVA 2023 conference.

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Dr. Keivan Ahmadi, Keynote speaker

Dr. Keivan Ahmadi is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Victoria (UVic) and the director of the Dynamics and Digital Manufacturing lab. After completing his PhD at the University of Waterloo, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Pratt and Whitney Canada before joining UVic in 2015. Dr. Ahmadi’s research focuses on the dynamics of machining processes and machine tool vibrations. In addition to academic research on these topics, he also collaborates closely with Canadian and international manufacturers to improve the dynamic performance of their machining processes.

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Vincent Bédard

Vincent Bédard is a vibration analyst who has been working in the reliability department at Laurentide Controls since October 2022. Graduated in mechanical engineering from E.T.S university in Montreal, Vincent has acquired work experience in several industrial fields including pulp and paper, aerospace and manufacturing.

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Keith Berriman

Keith is a Senior Consultant with Spartan Controls Reliability Solutions team. He has 35 years of experience implementing maintenance and reliability programs and developing digital solutions. Keith has worked with a variety of industries to deliver programs and digital transformation projects across global organizations in utilities, oil & gas, food and beverage, chemical, mining and agricultural processing industries. Prior to joining Spartan he was Director of Reliability & Engineering for a major fertilizer producer. A regular conference speaker and recognized thought leader, Keith has presented at conferences across North America, England, Australia, South Africa and Brazil.

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Arnaud Deziel-Richer

Arnaud Deziel-Richer, B. Eng, CPI, is a representative at Spartakus Technologies with 3 years of experience as a reliability engineering consultant and infrared thermographic analyst. He has work in different industries in Canada to create and optimize preventive maintenance program, plan weekly and yearly shutdowns, create mechanical thermographic maintenance program, and others.

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Ali Ebrahimi Tirtashi

Ali E. Tirtashi is currently in pursuit of a Ph.D. in the field of Dynamics and Vibrations of Machine Tools at the University of Victoria (UVic). Having graduated from the University of Tehran, where he completed his Master of Science degree, Ali laid the foundation for his academic journey and cultivated a keen understanding of Control Theory and Vibration.

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Thierry Erbessd

Dr. Erbessd is a graduate of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico and is also a passionate programmer, he is the creator of DigivibeMX software that competes among the best systems for vibration analysis. He is currently the President and Chief Innovation Officer of ERBESSD INSTRUMENTS, a leading company in solutions for machine health monitoring and fault correction.

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Matthew Firth

Matt Firth is a Red Seal Journeymen Millwright with nearly 25 years experience in the trade. He has worked in many industries including Automotive Manufacturing, Steel Manufacturing, Material Handling, Pulp and Paper, and is currently a Predictive Maintenance Specialist at Point Lepreau Nuclear Power in Saint John, NB. Matt is a Category III Vibration Specialist holding certification In Ultrasound (Level 2), Thermography (Level 1) and MLT1. He is currently the President of the Atlantic Chapter of the CMVA.

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Charles Gagné

Charles Gagné is an experienced professional in the field of predictive maintenance, with nearly 15 years of dedicated expertise. He’s been contributing to the industry as a products specialist within the STCD team since 2014. Charles holds certifications as a Category 3 Vibration Analyst from both the CMVA (Canadian Machinery Vibration Association) and the Mobius Institute. Charles unwavering commitment to customer support and his passion for predictive maintenance have made him a respected professional in the field. With his knowledge and proficiency, he continues to drive advancements in the industry and contribute to the success of organizations in achieving their maintenance goals.

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Alexandre Gauthier

Alexandre Gauthier has been working in the oil and gas industry since 2005. Along his journey, he gets specialized and developed a strong expertise in rotating equipment,s condition monitoring, vibration analysis, troubleshooting and asset repair. He is working at Suncor Energy in a central assets condition monitoring group as a Senior Rotating Equipment’s engineer. He graduated from Sherbrooke University in 2005 with a mechanical engineering degree. He is a CMVA member since 2009 and hold a CAT 3 certification from them. He also has Vibration Analysis CAT 4 certification from Mobius Institute, since January 2021.

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Matthew Holmes

Mr. Matthew Holmes is a Category 3 vibration specialist (CMVA and VI) and professional engineer (NS) with 25 years of experience in asset management and diagnostics for multiple industry segments (including power generation, manufacturing, marine vessels, aerospace, military weapons systems). Matthew is currently a Senior Reliability Engineer with Acuren supporting Acuren’s customers onsite and remotely throughout North America. Mr. Holmes has served on the CMVA national board of directors since 2015, held the position of Vice President from 2017 to 2019 and has been the President since 2019.

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Ron Kittle

Ron Kittle has over 20 years of experience in the maintenance and reliability fields, primarily focusing on condition monitoring products related to vibration analysis across many industries. Ron has extensive experience in wireless and on-line condition monitoring systems, most recent notable work in the wind energy and mining industries. Ron’s career started in the US Army where he spent time as a Combat Vehicle Mechanic. Other early career experiences include oil analysis on high voltage transformers and work in the power generation plants where he began focusing on predictive maintenance techniques. Ron has studied electronics at the National Institute of Electronics, holding many certifications in predictive maintenance technologies such as thermography and vibration analysis. Ron is Managing Director for SPM Instrument Inc. USA, a global leader in condition monitoring that exclusively develops and markets all the advanced technologies to measure, analyze and present condition data from complex machinery.

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Gilles Lanthier

Gilles Lanthier is a rotating equipment specialist with 27 years of experience in the marketing, sale, design, maintenance and repair of complex machinery. He worked at IRD Mechanalysis, ENTEK IRD, Rockwell Automation, Bently Nevada/ Commtest and SDT North America. DEC in Energy Technology, CMVA CAT III certified vibration analyst, Ultrasound ASNT Level 2 certified. He has taught vibration and ultrasound technology for 25 years in Canada and USA.

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Jesse LaPaire

Jesse LaPaire is the current Vice President of CMVA National and holds the Mentor position on the executive of the CMVA Atlantic Chapter. Jesse is a certified CMVA CAT III analyst, and a registered Professional Engineer in the province of New Brunswick. He works currently with NB Power (Corporate) to improve predictive maintenance programs and overall plant reliability in the generation division, while additionally supporting machinery diagnostics acquisition and analysis.

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Dora Orchard

Dora Orchard is the senior staff engineer at Acuren Group Inc. in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Since joining the company in 2001, Dora has been involved in numerous vibration monitoring and analysis projects for clients in the pulp & paper, oil & gas, and power generation industries. She performs and directs equipment vibration diagnostics and troubleshooting, as well as various corrective action techniques, including structural modifications (vibration control) and dynamic balancing. Dora has participated in the implementation and management of condition monitoring programs at various industrial and commercial facilities. Her main area of engineering expertise is in reliability, specifically predictive analysis of industrial equipment including vibration analysis. Working closely with the Acuren Team, she has participated in the development and delivery of various specialized techniques, including IN-SITU™ Roll Balancing and SCORE™ Maintenance Assessment. Dora is also involved in diagnostics and analysis of equipment vibration problems and development and implementation of solutions for vibration control.

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Francky Ramaroson

With a background in mechanical engineering, Francky developed a strong interest in rotating machines. His first experience at SKF France exposed him to significant interactions with OEMs. Currently with the North American organization, he supports end users almost everywhere, even in exotic and relatively remote locations. The common denominators of these experiences are machine reliability, condition monitoring and technology deliveries.

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Chris Roberts

Mr. Roberts is a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of New Brunswick. He is a member of Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia as a Professional Engineer, and also of the Canadian Machinery Vibration Association (CMVA). He holds a Level III CMVA Vibration Analyst certificate, and a Level I Infrared Thermography Certificate.

Since joining Acuren in 2010, he has been involved in the areas of condition monitoring and vibration diagnostics; advanced/real-time diagnostics on industrial machinery, foundations, supporting structures, and processes using accelerometers, digital probes, data collectors and signal processors; work conducted in operating environments at client facilities; data processing, analysis, and reporting and preparation (drafts) of remedial measures for resolution of excessive vibration conditions.

About management and client relations, Mr. Roberts oversights field engineers and technicians across 3 provinces, establishes testing and project execution plans based on customer needs and machinery and communicates project deliverables and results to leadership and client representatives; maintaining scope, budget, and schedule for field work.

Prior to joining Acuren, he worked as a Municipal Project Engineer where he supervised construction projects valued up to $4M, performed on-site quality inspection, and ensured all contracted work met design criteria and specifications.

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Luis Sabido

Mr. Luis Sabido is the Manager of Technical Support, Testing and Sales for ERBESSD INSTRUMENTS. Luis leads the team of specialists focused on delivering an exceptional customer support experience, while also providing training services to EI customers in the Latin American market. Luis is a seasoned professional helping EI customers around the world Master their Machines Health. Luis has studied Physics Engineering, Astrophysics, and is currently pursuing a degree in Engineering Technology – Network Systems

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Gary (Guangxing) Zhang

Mr. Zhang is a CAT IV Vibration analyst and registered professional engineer in APEGA, Alberta, with more than 25 years of engineering experience in Oil & Gas, Power & Chemical industries, and working on large rotating and reciprocating equipment, from steam and gas turbine to generator, from motor to gearbox to compressors, pumps and fans.

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Ayberk Zorlu

Ayberk Zorlu was born in Istanbul, Turkiye in 1997. After completing his undergrad in Middle East Technical University in Turkiye, he is currently pursuing his MASc at UVic under the supervision of Dr. Keivan Ahmadi. His research interests are mechanical vibrations, operational modal analysis and system identification.

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