North American Rail Team Participates in Virtual AREMA and ASLRRA Events
- Dec 08, 2020
- Rail
In the fall, key members of the L.B. Foster Rail Team participated in annual industry events including the AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association) Conference and the ASLRRA (American Short Line and Regional Railroads Association) Conference in a very different way.
Due to COVID-19, these conferences shifted this year to virtual rather than traditional in-person events. At both, attendees could view presentations and technical papers, network with each other and visit virtual booths from the safety of their home or office. L.B. Foster has enthusiastically adapted to the new format
To support our position as a leading supplier of products and services for the North American freight railroad industry, L.B. Foster had a virtual booth at each event. Collateral materials such as videos and product information were available at our booth for attendees as well as the opportunity to meet with representatives from L.B. Foster.
In addition to our booth at AREMA, we co-presented two technical papers. The first presentation was by Marco Santoro, Global Friction Management Applications Manager from our Burnaby, B.C., location, and executives from Canadian Pacific Railway that discussed their use of our premium synthetic grease in a heavy haul environment. The second presentation was done by Mark Aston, Chief Technical Officer of our UK-based Rail Technologies team, with a senior official from BNSF that introduced a new technology: Rockfall, a technology that detects disruptions caused by rocks falling onto track. Each technical paper and attendance at each conference generated a lot of interest, dozens of leads, and opportunities for further discussion.
“We appreciate the opportunity to participate in these major, annual industry events and engage with current and prospective customers but in a different and unique way,” commented Patrick Tully, Sr. Director, Rail Sales. “While these two events were unconventional compared to past years, they showed that our industry can effectively adapt to changing conditions. By actively participating, L.B. Foster was given a unique opportunity to continue to educate attendees about our extensive capabilities to supply and service the North American rail industry.”
