Hydraulics & Pneumatics January/February 2022

NEWS Ultimo has published its 2021 Enterprise Asset Management Trend Report after conducting a major international survey. The report is based on the results of the largest survey of asset management professionals it has undertaken and includes data from the UK, Germany, Holland and Belgium. It is available to download from www.ultimo.com/eam- trend-report The report, labelled ‘insightful and inspiring’ by Wim Vancauwenberghe the Maintenance Evangelist and Director of BEMAS, addresses the major EAM themes of Uptime, Cost Control, Efficiency, Safety, Investment, Education and Technology. Through the correlation of data, it reveals some powerful truths about the current state of the EAM sector but also the enormous financial potential for what Wim refers to as ‘Maintenance 4.0 and Asset Performance 4.0’. Revelations in the report include – the number of facilities experiencing unplanned downtime per year, the average cost per hour of down time and the pressure that asset managers are New report reveals the major potential of Maintenance 4.0 6 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS January/February 2022 www.hpmag.co.uk The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA), which represents the business interests of UK and Irish suppliers of liquid pumps and pump related equipment, has further expanded its numbers with the addition of four new associate members, bringing the total roll call of ‘associates’ to 15. It has long been recognised that there is a strong ‘internal market’ within BPMA membership, given the collaborations and partnerships that exist between the various product groups and technology sub-sets that make up the pump sector. From motors and drives to seals and gaskets, from valves and actuators to remote testing and condition monitoring, there is plethora of mechanical equipment and an increasing array of software tools and digital devices that are employed within pumping systems. Add to this the vast range of business and engineering support services that are now available to, and required by, pump manufacturers and suppliers, that internal market becomes even greater. Throughout its long history, the BPMA has sought to bring people and companies together, in the spirit of cooperation, development and enhancement. In recognition of this and the business opportunities that can be realised, the organisation now actively encourages those businesses that interact with the pump community the opportunity to join its ranks, and benefit from membership. Recognising the benefits of membership Among the most recent to recognise the benefits of BPMA associate membership is Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) specialist, Kiwa Watertec, which assesses and certifies products for compliance against UK Water Regulations, UK Building Regulations, European water labelling and many BS/EN standards. Rustek, which provides specialist Eurasian Conformity mark (EAC) certification services to the oil and gas, energy and industrial sectors has also become an associate member, as has Conexiom Europe, which has developed a document platform for automating its customers’ most critical and complex B2B document transactions. It is another trade association that completes the roster of four newest associate members. The Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT) is now working with the BPMA to develop and deliver pump repair courses for its 350-strong membership, and as part of a wider cooperation agreement between the two organisations, they have each become an ‘associate’ of the other. In welcoming these businesses into membership, Steve Smith, operations manager at the BPMA says: “The pump sector continues to be the bedrock for industry, and although it has not been unaffected by the challenges of the past two years, it is pleasing to see that the business benefits available to our members are still very much valued and appreciated.” He adds: “We are delighted to have these companies join us as ‘associates’ and look forward to supporting their interaction with other members and the wider pump industry.” BPMA associate membership expands under to balance profitability and safety. Thought leadership As well as presenting the survey data in the form of simple graphics, the report also includes several thought-leadership pieces from high profile individuals in the EAM sector. Kim Custeau, APM business lead and Zoe Dodgson, product manager of AVEVA, discuss ‘Empowering the connected worker’ while Ed O’Brien, director of research at the ARC Advisory Group covers ‘Collaboration as key enabler of digitalisation’. Similarly, Dennis Mulder, CTO, Microsoft Netherlands, looks at ‘transformation or disruption’ and Mark Mulder, CTO, MaxGrip addresses the ‘Appetite for improvement’. Ewout Noordermeer, CMO, Ultimo Software Solutions, comments: “If this report highlights anything, it’s the need for a greater degree of understanding and communication within organisations to realise better efficiencies and for thinking to be focused on the long term. Asset managers, operations managers, safety managers, IT professionals and CFO/procurement people need to come together and jointly assess the findings of this survey: think big, and take small, measurable steps. In doing so they could move their organisations forward and help them thrive in an always unpredictable future.”