Achieving the best outcomes for members and customers

27 September, 2023

The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) has long been recognised as the leading, independent source of trusted advice for the compressed air industry and it’s fair to say, I’m joining the team at a great time.

Vanda Jones, who has provided excellent leadership and governance to the Society will be continuing as company secretary and working on several key projects. This means I can draw on her wealth of expertise as we work together to lobby for the best outcomes for compressed air users and our members – on important topics ranging from energy legislation to safety standards.

It is this industry representation and working on behalf of our members and the wider compressed air end user base where I will be concentrating my efforts to begin with.

A renewed member focus

Just like any trade body, our members really are the lifeblood of the organisation. It is through their input and valued expertise, as compressed air specialists, that we can continue to deliver timely, practical and relevant advice to the industry.

In fact, despite the rollercoaster ride of the last few years with the Covid pandemic, energy crisis and the changing EU landscape post Brexit, the compressed air industry has proved its resilience and our membership numbers have increased.

Our members continue to demonstrate their willingness to invest in their businesses; remaining abreast of legislation, staying well informed and ensuring they have the resources needed to stay at the forefront of information.

Understanding the needs of our members is therefore a steppingstone to help us better serve the demands of a changing compressed air industry. From our manufacturer members, who are developing new technologies that help lower cost of ownership, to distributors who are often the key interface between the Society and its end users, to our associate members and the vital advisory role they can play.

I will therefore be starting my tenure by visiting members across the country to learn more about the challenges they – and their customers – face.

For example, our smaller distributor members often rely on us for more practical business support, such as our HR or health and safety assistance programmes, so I will be exploring if there are other value-added services the Society could be offering in this area of advice.

In recent months, we have also lobbied on behalf of our members to help overcome some of the challenges posed by the post Brexit landscape - and worked with our European Trade partners, supported by both Pneurop and Orgalim to help influence the legislative process.

This has helped legislators to understand the effect on industry and has included tracking any changes in standards and legislation and advising business of the impact.

This is especially useful for our manufacturer members, who, on one hand are tasked with developing products that can meet the latest regulatory requirements, while on the other, ensuring they deliver best-in-class efficiency levels 

Part of BCAS – part of the solution

Throughout its 90 year-plus history, BCAS has played a crucial role in upholding standards and advising its members about changing legislation and standards, to ensure compliance and safety within the industry.

Alongside offering an independent source of technical advice to ensure that compressor equipment is energy efficient, compliant and safe, the Society acts as a reliable and reassuring voice in the wake of changing market requirements.

One of the areas of I am keen to promote to end-users is the importance of choosing a BCAS member to service and support their compressed air installation. By engaging with a BCAS member, customers are making an intelligent and a strategic choice – a conscious decision to make their compressed air system as efficient, safe and compliant as it can possibly be.

One such example of this in practice is our work in helping to plug the engineering skill shortage through our dedicated apprenticeship programme.

The UK has a missing generation of skilled engineers and, an ageing and decreasing pool of skilled personnel is driving up business costs. A major proportion of the current resource will retire before 2035. BCAS members report difficulties in filling all job vacancies and as many as 46% of employers are reported to be struggling to fill management positions according to the Institute of Leadership Management.

The re-introduction of engineering training products is now a major requirement for education establishments across the UK, especially as more engineering apprenticeship standards are approved for delivery. Our schools, colleges and universities must now look urgently at how they intend to provide the training facilities and personnel that will help deliver the skilled engineers the UK requires.

Our apprenticeship programme was first launched in 2021 in response to demand from BCAS members for a dedicated, industry-approved course to help develop the skills required for the compressed air and vacuum service sector. Compressed air is used extensively across multiple sectors, and while there were many general engineering and technical opportunities available, there was no dedicated course designed for the specific needs of the industry.

Working with its members and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Education (IfATE), the BCAS Training and Development Committee was instrumental in the development of the new apprenticeship. It recognises the vital importance of developing the specific engineering skills required in the compressed air and vacuum industry, helping to release funding to develop the engineers of the future.

Always an opportunity to save energy

At BCAS, we believe there is always an opportunity to save energy. With energy costs having risen by 50% (and higher in some instances) in recent months the more customers can do to improve the efficiency of their compressed air system, the more opportunities there are for cost savings.

Our BCAS members have a key role to play in helping our customers to mitigate for these rising costs by advising on the numerous ways that they can improve the energy performance of their equipment.

A compressed air system is just that; a system, and every element of it impacts on its energy consumption. Therefore, when exploring the potential savings that could be realised, it is important to take a full, system approach, – from generation to air treatment to distribution and finally, the point of use.

The BCAS 10% Taskforce campaign sets out to achieve precisely this. Working with our members, this valuable resource at taskforce10.bcas.org.uk sets out some of the straightforward ways to save energy consumption from compressed air systems and minimise avoidable waste.

In doing so, industry can make considerable overhead, and carbon footprint savings alongside a significant contribution to bottom line profitability and environmental performance.

Looking to the future

As I mentioned at the start of this article, I’m joining BCAS at an exciting time, where the actions our team, and our wider membership take can have a positive and lasting impact on compressed air system efficiency. Whether it’s helping save end-users cost, improving safety or ensuring compliance, BCAS has a vital role to play in our industry and I’m excited for what the future holds

For further information please visit: www.bcas.org.uk

Tel: 020 7935 2464 e-mail: info@bcas.org.uk 

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