After decades of refinery turnarounds, Christer Olsson has reached a simple conclusion: successful shutdowns are won long before the plant comes to a halt. Technology has transformed the tools, but detailed planning, competent people and genuine commitment remain at the heart of turnaround performance.

Hungary has built a modern manufacturing base deeply integrated into European industry. As production becomes more automated and complex, the challenge is shifting from building capacity to keeping it productive, reliable and competitive.

As the Spanish Maintenance Association (Asociación Española de Mantenimiento, AEM) approaches its 50th anniversary next year, its focus is firmly on the future. Rather than looking back, the organisation is using the milestone to strengthen recognition of maintenance as a strategic business function that supports industrial competitiveness, resilience and sustainability.

Utilities across water, district heating, and waste management are under increasing pressure to deliver reliable services while managing aging infrastructure and limited budgets. In this context, asset data has emerged as a critical enabler of better decision-making and operational performance. According to Krešimir Brckan, Director of Ekonerg Konzalting, a Croatian firm focused on helping utilities and infrastructure operators digitalize and improve asset management, the role of data in utilities has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decade.

The HDO – Croatian Maintenance Society – has spent nearly five decades strengthening the role of maintenance and asset management in Croatian industry while building bridges across the Mediterranean maintenance community.