Survey reveals dangers of using non-BCAS members

16 June, 2017

Says Vanda Jones, executive director of BCAS: “Compressed air is referred to as the fourth utility for a reason, many processes need a reliable supply and it typically uses 10% of an industrial company’s electricity.

“Having confidence in the correct specification, installation and subsequent maintenance and service is vital to avoid downtime, save energy and ensure safe operation.

“This survey asked respondents to rate their suppliers across a number of different factors and also whether or not they used a BCAS member for equipment and maintenance. The results are truly illuminating.

“We were expecting the results to show that compressed air users were happier with BCAS members for equipment supply, service and maintenance, but what surprised us was the number who were dissatisfied with the quality of installation and service received from non-members.”

In one of the questions, end users were asked to rate their suppliers from 0 to 10 across a number of factors.

When asked about legal compliance or more specifically whether “They help us meet environmental and health and safety standards” a staggering 19% of those using Non BCAS members rated them as either 0 or 1 out of 10 and a further 19% only rated them between 2 and 5.

In contract of those using BCAS members, 49% scored their supplier either 9 or 10 out of 10 and a further 34% scored them between 6 to 8. Of the rest, no one scored a BCAS member lower than 4.

The same story is repeated across other factors such as maintaining equipment and fixing problems quickly, for expert advice and responsive personnel (see pie charts).

Jones continues: “It is also a mistake to think that using a non BCAS member may offer better value for money, with 15% expressing extreme dissatisfaction and further 27% not being happy.

“This survey provides empirical evidence from users of compressed air that you are better off using a BCAS member for supply and maintenance. Most importantly do not gamble with legal compliance on environmental and health and safety standards, the evidence is clear – use a BCAS member.”

[subhead] Industry 4.0 attitudes

In addition to satisfaction levels, the survey also covered a number of other current developments in industry to gauge attitudes.

One surprising result is the apparent lack of urgency surrounding the whole area of Industry 4.0 – see graph below.

With just 23% of respondents rating it as very important, there is either still some work to do as far as communicating the role that digital industrial technology can play now, or respondents feel that there are other more immediate priorities to focus on. Most seem to agree, however, that it’s importance will rise over the next 5 and 10 years.

Concludes Jones about the survey: “BCAS members conform to a strict code of conduct and also have the latest technical and legislative information to hand via the society. We also offer ongoing training plus technical help and advice to our members. Clearly, if you want a professional service that also represents value for money, then it pays to check that your supplier is a member of BCAS.”

For a report summary of the findings visit www.bcas.org.uk