This year the STLE annual meeting and exhibition was held in Nashville – Music city. The event offered more than 500 technical papers, education courses, market forums and a trade show, all related to the world of tribology and lubrication. In other words an excellent opportunity to get insight into technological advances, requirements and trends, meet peers within the industry and get information and ideas for future tasks. In spite of the lyrics from the household name Dolly Parton, the AXEL delegation, with members from the technical department and product management teams, spent considerable time to improve in addition to the stipulated 9 to 5 work hours.