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PERA Convenes Near ‘Motor City’ in September for Annual Convention

Nearly 75 members of the production engine remanufacturing industry met just outside of Detroit for a 3-day conference that highlighted Southern Michigan’s significant contributions to the automotive industry.

The Production Engine Remanufacturers Association (PERA) met September 20-23 in Ypsilanti, Mich. for educational and networking opportunities. “The program committee did a great job of organizing this year’s event,” said PERA President Matt Weinzapfel, Jasper Engines & Transmission Exchange. “We had three great plant tours provided by PERA member companies Melling, Mahle and Dart, which provided a unique opportunity to learn technical information, as well as an opportunity to benchmark best practices in the world of manufacturing.”

The agenda also included two classroom sessions: one featured a brief history of the Information age and how to navigate through the impact of social media in the era of too much information (presented by Internet expert Arthur Talbot); the other included an overview of rebuilding the GM Duramax Engines, presented by industry veteran Roy Berndt. A special guided tour of Roush Performance was presented as well.

In addition, the group toured the Henry Ford Museum and spent an enjoyable evening courtesy of AER Mfg. at the Eagle Tavern in Greenfield Village.

“All in all, this year’s convention was a lot of fun and was filled with valuable content to make us all more competitive in the automotive aftermarket,” said Weinzapfel.

For more information on the PERA Conference or the Association’s other services, visit www.pera.org.