Letter from the Managing Director Welcome to the 2025 BFPA Yearbook and Member’s Directory. I’m delighted to report that last year, our 65th anniversary, was a particularly strong one for the Association. Highlights included encouraging membership growth and an increase in training provision, the launch of a number of new initiatives and new additions to the BFPA team. But more of that later. It was, however, a challenging year for industry, and the fluid power sector was no exception. Supply chain disruption caused by the conflict in Ukraine and the lingering effects of COVID continued to affect global logistics. Persistent inflation pushed up operating costs and dampened demand in many areas, while, in efforts to control inflation, interest rates remained high with knock-on effects on margins and investment capacity. Workforce and skills shortages remained fuelled by postBrexit immigration rules and the persistence of outdated perceptions of what engineering careers can offer. Ongoing trade friction with the EU, which brought customs checks, regulatory divergence, and bureaucracy, continued to burden manufacturers, especially those reliant on cross-border supply chains. While emerging legislative requirements added increased administrative demand, costs and complexity, and, in some cases uncertainty. These areas remain firmly in our focus at the BFPA as we constantly explore how we can expand and evolve our offer to help our members overcome these challenges and, where possible, benefit from any opportunities that emerge. Thankfully, my experience of talking to many of our members over the last 12 months is that while it has been far from an easy period to navigate, they are rising to the challenge and, in many cases, not just surviving but also thriving. And seeing this makes me proud to be a part of the fluid power sector. PFAS One legislative challenge that has brought uncertainty to our sector is the emerging PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) regulations. PFAS covers a large group of synthetic chemicals that are extremely durable, water- and greaseresistant, and heat-resistant. You may see them referred to as forever chemicals as they don’t easily break down in the environment or the human body. They have also been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, immune system effects, and developmental issues, and they are extremely hard to remove from ecosystems, having been found in water, soil, food and even human blood. PFAS regulations are evolving rapidly across the EU, US, and UK, with growing pressure to restrict or ban their use in manufacturing, consumer products, and emissions due to these health and environmental concerns. In some areas where PFAS are being used, such as clothing, food packaging and cosmetics, it is for cost or convenience reasons, and viable alternatives exist, and it is, I believe, entirely reasonable to expect them to be removed from the products at the earliest possible opportunity. However, some applications where PFAS are being used are highly critical, such as in sealing technology used in nuclear applications or where volatile fuels and chemicals are being handled, and they are being used because there are no safe alternatives. And so, while we understand the environmental and ecological drivers behind the push to ban their use, we have to look at a realistic timeframe by which we can develop new materials for these critical applications that don’t incorporate PFAS. We are not alone in this view, and so we came together with a number of our members and other associations whose membership is affected in a similar way, to gain a deep understanding of what the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) is trying to achieve. The outcome of this was a white paper which we submitted to an ECHA consultation on the developing PFAS regulations in the second half of 2023. In the white paper, we painted a picture of the scale of the damage that could be done if enough time isn’t given to develop alternative materials for critical applications. And we also made Anniversary year sees membership growth, more training and new initiatives for the BFPA 16 www.bfpa.co.uk Chris Butcher, the BFPA’s Managing Director, reflects on the Association’s achievements during its 65th anniversary year, emerging challenges and an evolving landscape for the fluid power sector. Chris Butcher, BFPA Managing Director
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