18 www.bfpa.co.uk in 2024. This excellent resource was developed with Angela Lawler from Marvelous Manufacturing and is packed with information to help members engage with their local schools and technical colleges to promote what they can offer to young people to support their recruitment activity. If you would like to see a copy of the pack, you can download it from the BFPA website at bit.ly/BFPASERP. Sector evolution The landscape in which the BFPA membership is operating is changing. The pace of automation adoption is accelerating, particularly in areas such as control and monitoring. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role as well. This was a theme widely referenced in our strategic plan review last year, which saw an excellent level of responses from members and gave us encouraging feedback that our work is valued. So, we are focusing on the role AI is, and will be, playing in the fluid power sector. We take a look at exactly that in another article in this yearbook. While at our AGM this year, Siemens will be talking about how AI affects manufacturing, and we are also exploring opportunities to develop further content to support our members’ understanding and use of AI. We are also in the early stages of setting up a team to look specifically at this topic. At the BFPA, we constantly monitor developments that impact the fluid power sector to ensure our offer remains relevant and that we are best placed to give our members the support they need. And where necessary, we need to adapt. I do, of course, welcome any feedback from members about how their needs are evolving and how we can adapt to support them. Membership growth and engagement An association is nothing without its members, and I am pleased to report that during our 65th anniversary year, our membership has grown once again. Colleagues at the Association and I have been making a conscious effort to increase our engagement with the members following feedback we have received. Last year, both Martin and I spent a significant amount of time out visiting and meeting our members, learning more about their businesses and understanding the challenges and opportunities they face. We have also developed and reintroduced some regional events, with plans to do more this year. At the same time, our social media presence has grown significantly, particularly on LinkedIn, where we have ramped up our posting activity and interaction with members and partners. This increased engagement has very much informed our forward focus and plans. I am sure it helped us to drive our membership growth, and it is here to stay. Forward plans 2025 is set to be another busy year for the Association. We are actively working to further expand our training offer and, as mentioned, the introduction of our Leadership and Management Academy. We will also be continuing to drive and increase membership engagement and, of course, working on activities designed to support our continued membership growth. And we will be working with our members to understand the impact of digitalisation and technologies such as AI and how the Association can help members adopt and benefit from the opportunities they present. In summary In 2024 we had a highly successful 65th year, despite the challenges we and our members faced. We strengthened our training offer, our lobbying efforts and our membership engagement. And that would not have been possible without the collective efforts of the fantastic team at the BFPA – to whom I offer my sincere thanks. And, of course, our success would also not have been possible without the support of the members who give up their time and devote their knowledge and expertise to supporting a wide range of the Association’s initiatives, many of which would be impossible without their help. I am grateful to you all for your support and the work you do. Level 3 TEAM LEADER Giving you the power to lead confidently. TRAINING PROVIDED BY Level 5 DEPARTMENT MANAGER Giving you the power to reach new heights. TRAINING PROVIDED BY THE BFPA LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT ACADEMY Giving you the power you need, to reach new heights. TRAINING PROVIDED BY
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