November/ December 2021

www.hpmag.co.uk HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2021 49 “The growth in electric vehicles will also becoming critically important and we will keep a close eye on this segment.” Contraction and consolidation Bartlett reflects that the future is always tricky to predict. “However, a clear development in the BFPA and the BVAA where I am now, is massive change in membership make-up. Both associations had ‘Manufacturer’ in their title once. Yet, contraction and consolidation in the industry makes UK manufacturing an ever-diminishing pool – we’re not birthing very many new manufacturers, in either industry. The incorporation of a considerable number of supply-chain companies means that the Association offer must change to meet their needs too, so what was a highly specific service mutates towards a generalist one. Add to this that many companies no longer see themselves as restricted to a single industry, and the pressure from the green lobby eroding certain markets and creating others, means a time of yet more considerable change. Associations will have to change with it, co-operate more, or simply fade away.” While electronically operated systems become more prevalent in the industry, Farmer believes there will always be an important place for fluid power, “as no other technology provides the same power and precision required to control today’s manufacturing”. As regards current developments and how these will change the future landscape of industry in the UK and wider afield, Crowther believes over the next couple of decades or sooner developments in battery power will result in major changes in terms of how aircraft are powered. “We are certainly seeing a move away from fossil fuels, mainly for environmental reasons, and this will continue,” he says. “I think digital transformation – everything from the industrial internet of things (IIoT) to machine learning and artificial intelligence – will see greater uptake within UK manufacturing and engineering over the next few years. This will certainly be a good thing from the perspective of greater connectivity, monitoring and control of machinery and factory environments in general.” Increasing move to online purchasing Cole believes one of our industry’s biggest challenges over the next 25 years will be the increasing move to online purchasing. “Our industry has been slow to move online in this regard but catapulted by the pandemic it is now moving forwards at a super-fast rate,” he says. “Tom Parker Ltd is making many enhancements to our website as we speak, but this will be more of a continued process now rather than a big website project every couple of years, as the company will endeavour to keep abreast of and utilise all useful new technologies. As scary as change is, Tom Parker Ltd will continue to be flexible and put its customers’ needs first. We at Tom Parker Ltd will continue to invest heavily in our people, our growth (e.g. expanding our stocked warehouses even more), our technology and our resources. Parsonage points out that, like this journal, the company celebrated 25 years in the industry this year. “And, of course, the industry has changed remarkedly over this period,” he says. “Back in 1996, distribution changed direction for ever. We were one of the first companies in the hydraulics industry that decided to enter the evolution of online selling. I remember many companies raising their eyebrows at this new phenomenon. It didn’t go down well in some quarters – who was this new company on the block?” Parsonage says Flowfit recognised the online trend very early on. “I remember well walking through some international exhibition abroad and some guys recognising our Flowfit shirts and sniggering online sales would never catch on – well, it certainly has,” he remarks. “Today, stock holding is also absolutely key. You cannot survive in this market without a large stock inventory. The hydraulic industry is very impatient and expects stock to be delivered and available today, not in 12/16 weeks’ time, and worldwide sourcing allows for 24/48- hour delivery from multiple worldwide sources to meet customers’ demands. Some 25 years ago, this was just not the normal every day-to-day occurrence. In summary, Flowfit embraced the advent of the Internet back in 1996 and this has been integral to our huge success 25 years later. As we said at our recent anniversary celebrations: Here’s to the next 25 years.” In the fluid power distribution marketplace, Farmer maintains there is certainly a need for more companies to embrace e-commerce – providing a flexible and feature-rich online experience for customers. “This is now the norm in the consumer marketplace and while a few distributors in our sector now offer an effective and popular e- commerce option in addition to the traditional trade counter, there are many who would do well to look to follow suit in order to keep up with the times,” he says. Performance standards Ranger believes our industry is increasingly going to be driven by legislative performance standards. “I don’t see compressors displaying the same rating stickers as white goods, such as washing machines, but what BCAS is endeavouring to see put in place is a data sheet system that enables users to make more informed judgements and direct comparisons regarding the efficiency of their compressor of choice. This in turn should drive compressor manufacturers to make their equipment more efficient through, for example, better drive technology – whether this is through a speed regulating device, a frequency inverter or other methods of controlling the speed of the compressor. By reducing energy usage, even by small percentage points, this will make a substantial difference throughout the life of a compressor or the life of a rotating piece of equipment that provides compressed air.” The digital native Galley comments that while there have been continuous improvements, the basic process of manufacturing hydraulic hoses hasn’t changed to any major degree for many years. “The core principles of hydraulics go back to the 17th Century,” she explains. “However, I do think that over the next few years we will see major growth in the relationship between digitally transformative technology and fluid power equipment. The average age of directors in the hydraulics industry in the UK is 56, and many of these will be coming up for retirement over the next decade or so. The people who take over are in many cases going to be considerably younger, with all things IT being second nature to them. I think this will help to spur the industry into adopting more digital technology to help companies make their manufacturing, distribution and maintenance procedures more automated. Even only over the next five years, 75% of the workforce will comprise millennials and in 25 years’ time the majority of workers will be generation Z – people who are digital natives.” Time certainly marches on. Simon Parsonage, chief executive, Flowfit.