The Association has come a long way since its formative days as the Association for Hydraulic Equipment Manufacturers (AHEM) in the late 1950s. With its HQ originally situated in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, the BFPA re-located to Chipping Norton in the early 1990s to establish a more equidistant or central location for member companies and committee members to travel to from all over the country. Long-standing Technical committee chair and advisor, Jerry Hughes, worked for Lucas at that time and remembers arranging for the delivery of some furniture to the new BFPA HQ from Lucas’s operations in Coventry after being acquired by Berendsen. Jerry adds that he is glad to see that the furniture in situ today is far more modern and fit for purpose! Industry consolidation Chris Butcher, who has been Managing Director for the best part of a year and a half, reflects that over the past few decades the industry has seen a great deal of consolidation, which has, of course, been evidenced within the membership of the BFPA. “It has been interesting to see many UK manufacturing companies becoming part of a larger corporate structure over the past few decades,” he says. “Just a few examples include Fawcett Christie Hydraulics’ acquisition by Parker, Vickers and Eaton Hydraulics by Danfoss, Hagglunds by Bosch Rexroth and the list goes on. No doubt, the trend for mergers and acquisitions will continue.” Education and training ramps up In terms of developments within the Association itself, the growth of the Association’s education and training courses over 26 years is notable. “Over 16,000 trainees attended these courses, over 2000 in 2023 alone and the number is growing rapidly,” says Martin Kingsbury, Director, Membership & Training. “A recent further enhancement to the service we provide to members has been the introduction of online versions of some of the courses. Going forward, we will be focusing on offering online courses in other languages, and therefore expanding our reach globally.” Martin adds that the growth of the BFPA Learning and Development programme reflects the help and support from the education and training committee and invaluable input from Karen Gorden-Brander. Convenient access to standards online Nicky Quinn, Standards & Project Administrator, points out that a key development from the BFPA’s Industry and Standards Pillar has been the introduction of the library of fluid power standards, which is now available to members and nonmembers via the Association’s website. “There are so many standards that sometimes it can be challenge to know which one you need to refer to for a particular product.” says Nicky. “This new library, however, helps to address this issue.” Statistics Statistics continue to be mentioned by member companies as one of the most valuable benefits to them. Sarah Gardner, Market/Statistics Manager, explains feedback from members indicates that the BFPA industry intelligence service is highly beneficial and is identified as a key ‘Strategic Pillar’ of the Association’s Strategic Plan. Younger influence Looking ahead, Chris makes the point that, as the industry becomes increasingly reliant on technologies and concepts such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence (AI), it will increasingly need a younger generation of experts to drive the uptake of these technologies. He also believes more young people should have a seat at the table of the BFPA’s standards committees. “With this in mind, one of the things I encourage is for member companies to bring young engineers to our technical meetings,” he says. Visiting member companies Chris is also highly proactive in visiting members at their own premises. During these meetings, he, together with other members of the BFPA team, discusses a range of topics to gauge the individual thoughts of member companies with a view to further improving the service the Association provides. Championing the cause of sustainability Martin reflects that although the Association regularly champions the cause of greater sustainability among its member companies, he feels the future must also involve reaching out to members’ end customers. “I believe that, to a large extent, it is the end customer who needs to recognise the value of more energy-efficient products and systems, even if the up-front cost is a little higher,” he says. “This then would pave the way for our members to develop more sustainable products and solutions in the knowledge that their customer base is already on board and in the full realisation that energy-efficient products are here now and will be driving greater improvements in the future.” Chris concludes: “The Association would not be where it is today without the huge support from our members, board and various committees, which is managed by a great team. I would like to personally thank Martin, Karen, Nicky and Sarah for all their hard work, without them the Association would not function. Here’s to another successful 65 years!” Time to raise a glass, reflect and look to the future 20 www.bfpa.co.uk Members of the BFPA team celebrate the Association’s major 65th milestone Anniversary. BFPA 65th Anniversary celebration
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