capital on the water, together with the ongoing challenges from the impact of COVID, more companies are now bringing manufacturing and investment closer to home. Clearly, this must be seen as a positive move in terms of job security and investment. It must be remembered that we are a world-leading manufacturing nation, with an annual output of £183 billion in 2022. Indeed, the UK is the ninth largest manufacturing nation in the world, supporting over 2.5 million jobs. Promotion in the digital era One of the common threads between all four pillars of the strategic plan is the desire for the BFPA and its members to promote our industry in a more effective and modern way. The days of just having a catalogue have gone. Catalogues, brochures, booklets and pamphlets still have a part to play, but we must recognise that greater digitalisation and the dominance of social media are powerful means through which to get the BFPA’s messaging out there in the marketplace. Training, education and the online shift Another extremely important topic is training. Interestingly, the biggest growth trend in the BFPA’s own courses has been the shift from mainly classroom-based training to more online activity. So, part of our development programme now involves collaborating with our members to have a greater offering of training that is available virtually, while also continuing to grow our in-person classroom programmes. Of course, certain aspects will need to remain purely in the physical classroom because, at least for the moment, we cannot build a fluid power Education and training will continue to be a growth area for the BFPA. In 2022, 1300 people from 70 companies across the UK, Europe, Australia, West Africa, Southern Africa and South-East Asia attended a BFPA training programme. By supporting this with more theorybased online training that individuals can do in their own time, we have an effective hybrid training model that will be more convenient for all concerned. Hopefully, this will also prove to be a model that becomes even more in demand because of people not having to commit to so much time away from their place of work, with the subsequent savings in fuel costs and the greater accessibility and convenience of online learning. Moving forward Having joined the BFPA in the middle of November 2022, the learning curve has been steep. However, with the support of BFPA staff, John Farmer President and Rebecca Galley Vice President, not forgetting the much appreciated ‘handover’ from Paul Cooke, I believe with the team, Board and many of the Association members, we are in good shape to begin the detailed process of rolling out our new strategy roadmap to serve our members and the wider industry in an even more constructive and valuable way. www.bfpa.co.uk 19 “We’re not just hydraulics and pneumatics – more and more we are encompassing electronics, mechatronics and robotics. We are the hidden force in manufacturing.” system digitally. At present, we have a UK footprint of 25 training centres, with 8 delivering BFPA-approved training courses to the Minimum Educational Requirements (MERs) or higher, going forward. With the support of our members, the BFPA will be increasing this footprint offering training across the manufacturing industry on a more localised basis.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=