(a) Convening a conference. Upon his own motion or the motion of a party, the hearing examiner may direct the parties or their counsel to meet with him for a conference to consider:

(1) Simplification of the issues;

(2) Necessity or desirability of amendments to documents for purposes of clarification, simplification, or limitation;

(3) Stipulations, admissions of fact, and of contents and authenticity of documents;

(4) Limitation of the number of parties and of expert witnesses; and

(5) Such other matters as may tend to expedite the disposition of the proceeding, and to assure a just conclusion thereof.

(b) Record of conference. The hearing examiner shall make an order which recites the action taken at the conference, the amendments allowed to any documents which have been filed, and the agreements made between the parties as to any of the matters considered, and which limits the issues for hearing to those not disposed of by admissions or agreements; and such order when entered controls the subsequent course of the hearing, unless modified at the hearing, to prevent manifest injustice.