BFPA minimum educational recommendations
Developed with the expertise and resources of the BFPA Education and Training Committee, the Association offers three minimum education recommendation guides covering hydraulics, pneumatics and electrical/electronics. The guides, which took two years to compile, represent the consolidated view of leading representatives and experts within the fluid power industry.
The BFPA joins CAFA – Climate action for trade associations
Whether it be the ‘Race to Net-Zero’ CSR, COP 26, Environmental Social Governance (ESG), Net Zero Carbon, Health & Social Impact, Circularity and Resilience, Whole Life Environmental Performance or any of the other plethora of different acronyms and schemes to help us on our journey towards a greener future, the challenges currently facing BFPA members and SMEs in general are enormous. As if Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic were not enough of a challenge, we are now faced with increasing pressure to look at our respective environmental footprints and take-action to reduce them in line with what seem to be a wide and complex range of different targets being touted by various Governments, including our own. The UK Government is, of-course, especially incentivised to be seen to be acting on account of the fact that we shall be hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October to the 12 November 2021.
Standards Update: Contamination control takes big step forward
Dr Barry Verdegan, Ph.D. looks at the revised standard ISO 11171 Hydraulic fluid power – Calibration of automatic particle counters for liquids.
New BFPA Health, Safety and Compliance Short Online Training Courses
July 2021 saw the expansion of the BFPA training programmes with the introduction of an exciting range of health, safety and compliance online training courses. The BFPA is confident that this additional training will provide both companies and individuals the opportunity to work towards legislation compliance through our easy to use, interactive and engaging video-based courses that can take as little as 20 minutes to complete.
Upcoming technical committee meetings
Friday 5 November – ISO/TC 28/SC 4/WG 3 Petroleum products and lubricants – Classifications and specifications – Hydraulic Fluids
BFPA Hose Assembly Skills Refresher Training Course
The BFPA recommends that our Hose Assembly Skills training course be refreshed every three years to ensure employees are kept up to date with their knowledge and understanding of hose assembly and can continue to demonstrate correct, safe working procedures in their practical skills. In order to offer a range of options the BFPA Hose Assembly Skills Refresher training course can now be undertaken by all those who need to renew their certificate, either online or at their company’s facility.
BFPA News
Dates for BFPA’s Open Face to Face Training Courses in September (Chesterfield) will be as follows:
NEW BFPA Yearbook 2021-22 Published
Each year BFPA publishes a Yearbook & Members’ Directory and the 2021-22 Edition has now been published. This edition includes many interesting articles and facts including interviews with our new BFPA President John Farmer, and incoming BFPDA Chairman Rob Woodley, as well as the latest developments in the industry.
New Officers at BFPA and BFPDA
BFPA’s virtual AGM was held on 26 May 2021, at which John Farmer, Commercial Director of Flowtech Fluidpower plc, was elected as the new BFPA President, while Rebecca Galley, Managing Director of Hydroscand Limited became BFPA Vice President.
BFPA News
BFPA Training Courses
BFPA Minimum Educational Recommendations (MERs)
BFPA believes that anyone who operates and maintains fluid power components and systems should have a basic minimum understanding of either hydraulics, pneumatics or electronic control systems to ensure that they are working safely. To this end, the BFPA Education and Training Committee has developed a set of Minimum Educational Recommendations (MERs) for use in the fluid power industry, which should be regarded as the industry standard. These recommendations cover hydraulics, pneumatics and electronic control of fluid power systems.
NEW BFPA Online Questionnaire
To reinforce the drive towards a basic minimum understanding of hydraulics across the industry, the BFPA now offers an online self-assessment questionnaire which is open to anyone who wants to test their hydraulics knowledge by answering a series of straight forward multiple-choice questions.
BFPA News
BFPA Training Courses
Lobbying – BFPA joins new Technical Barriers to Trade Thematic Working Group
Following discussions with the Department for International Trade (DIT), BFPA has been invited to sit on the DIT Technical Barriers to Trade Thematic Working Group (TBT Working Group). The DIT have acknowledged that in negotiating the new trade deals around the world the officials and Ministers actually sitting at the negotiating table need to take account of the views of the industries that they represent. i.e. in our case – BFPA members. The TBT WG is therefore a vehicle for negotiators to bounce their ideas off industry and to provide industry with an opportunity to input their views – direct to the negotiating teams. The Terms of Reference actually say; “To make sure that Trade Policy is set on the basis of the views expressed by industry.”
BFPA Business Support Service
All BFPA members benefit from free access to a unique Business Support Service, operated in association with specialist provider Quest. The four services covered are:
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2022 Pump Industry Awards
24 March, 2022
Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth -
Air-Tech 2022 Exhibition
05 - 07 April, 2022
NEC Birmingham -
Fluid Power & Systems Exhibition 2022
05 - 07 April, 2022
NEC Birmingham -
LAMMA 2022
04 - 05 May, 2022
NEC, Birmingham
