BCAS 2018

BCAS Executive Director’s Report 12 www.bcas.org.uk A year of reflection Vanda Jones gives her annual BCAS Executive Director’s report. I t is always useful to reflect – at this point last year I was very new to the organisation and the report written was completed in a very different climate – So in a time of change it is useful to look back at last year’s report and update on the achievementsand provide a window into our strategic direction. 2016:The Society actively represents the interests of its members and the compressed air industry to the United Kingdom Government and European and overseas institutions. As such its path has been very clear and it is vital that organisations have a clear voice in the face of ever changing standards and legislation; BCAS has been that voice since its inception in 1930. 2017: It is clear that in an ever-changing environment it is key that we take our voice to Government. Our standards work continues - we may be leaving the EU but this does not mean that the march towards harmonised global standards will cease. In fact we must work harder to ensure the UK’s voice continues to be heard in this area, under the EU we perhaps punched above our weight having 18% of the influence when we did not carry 18% of the trade. Greater end user engagement 2016: Clearly this has to be the Society’s focus and without doubt the impact and success of BCAS can be attributed to the passion and drive of our extensive list of UK Compressed air market: Growth in adversity members, who continue to provide and sustain such an extremely high standard and invaluable service to you, the end user. 2017 was the year of greater external activity and our engagement with exhibitions such as EMEX and maintenance Scotland for the first time as well as involvement in providing BCAS expertise to the energy efficiency forum at the ASDA summit. 2018 This publication is therefore dedicated to the end-user and you will see much more from BCAS in this area over the coming months. That was the promise so what have we achieved: This year’s White Paper in energy management is a very focussed end-user document, and demonstrates that small behavioural changes can have large cost impacts. Buying a new efficient compressor without fixing your leaking pipework system ensures that you more efficiently waste air. The pressure and leak test guide – written with the specifier and end-user in mind to provide a full guide but to focus on two primary issues: 1. Pipework is often poorly specified in tenders leading to challenges after installation. Now there is a document that M&E contractors, architects and specifiers can work to when drafting the original specifications. 2. The process for testing was not clearly defined especially when adding an additional drop to a pipe work system. The guide works to deliver a better understanding not only of what should be installed but also to the test the installed product. We also attended external events providing expert speakers and advice in the end user arena. Visit the BCAS web site for a full list of events. Statistical bulletins from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) present the monthly estimates of the Index of Production (IoP) for the United Kingdom production industries. The IoP measures output in the manufacturing (the largest component of production), mining & quarrying, energy supply and water supply & waste management industries – all of whom are significant end-users of compressed air systems and again it declined in the last quarter of 2015. For end-users there have been several occasions in the past when legislation has had a major impact and it is our belief that we are once again approaching a similar scenario. Legislators and non-government organisations have been voicing concerns about energy saving for many years now, hardly surprising when 10% of the electricity generated globally is used to produce compressed air. Newly introduced legislation is now having a major impact on the industry, as last year larger organisations were faced with having to carry out total energy audits in