Dear members, As the new CEO of the BFPA I would like to warmly welcome you to the January/February 2014 instalment of the association's regular page within Hydraulics & Pneumatics magazine. In business terms I have been delighted to note that the close of 2013 saw more than a hint of business optimism. Indeed, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sharply increased its growth forecast for the UK economy. It now expects our economy to grow 2.4 per cent this year – faster than any other major European economy – against its previous forecast of 1.9 per cent. Against this background, I, with the support of the association team, will be spending much of the next few weeks developing a good understanding of members' requirements and reviewing the BFPA service offering to ensure that it is in line with your evolving needs and expectations. We also plan to introduce a number of new service offerings and other ventures designed to improve the businesses of you, our member companies. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a slightly belated but heart-felt Happy and Prosperous New Year and I trust you find the information below of interest and value to your business. Chris Buxton, CEO, the BFPA (incorporating the BFPDA) Goodbye from Ian Morris As many members will already be aware my last day at the BFPA was 31 January 2014. I therefore would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support of the BFPA in its efforts to represent the industry in the many ways that it does. As the saying goes "the cock crows, the dogs bark and the caravan moves on" and so will the BFPA under new leadership and ever greater successes. Having been in and around the industry for more years than I care to think about I have decided to go freelance for a few years before entirely hanging up my boots. Once again thanks for all the support. Ian Morris Setting the standard for your industry Are you aware that the BFPA administers fluid power standards panels on behalf of the British Standards Institution (BSI)? A tracking database is maintained by the Standards project manager, Yvonne Pearman, currently listing around 600 hydraulic and pneumatic standards. At any time the current status of standards published or work in progress can be ascertained. Ten reasons to keep working with standards: 1. Create better products and services. 2. Attract new customers. 3. Boost your competitiveness. 4. Inspire trust. 5. Reduce mistakes. 6. Cut costs. 7. Keep compatible. 8. Comply with regulations. 9. Make exporting your goods easier. 10. Improve your chances of success. International Sealing Conference – 8 to 9 October 2014 The 18th ISC conference will be held in Stuttgart, Germany. If you are interested in presenting, you are kindly requested to submit an abstract in English or German by template by 28 February 2014 – http://www.sealing-conference.com/en/links-download-en or by email to christian.geis@vdma.org Change of name for Hach-Lange With effect from 1 January 2014, Hach-Lange changed its name to Beckman Coulter UK Ltd. Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is combining its Particle Characterisation business with the Particle Counting business from Hach Company. This move brings together Beckman Coulter's expertise in cell viability, particle sizing and particle analysis with Hach's prominence in air and liquid particle counting, and will enable deeper particle characterization solutions, world-class customer support and superior service. In some countries the transition is subject to completing consultation and/or information with certain employee representative bodies. "This is an exciting time in the histories of these two storied enterprises," said Jennifer Honeycutt, president of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. "The Coulter, MET ONE and HIAC™ brands helped found the particle counting and characterisation industry. Bringing them together allows us to continue to build on the success of these businesses and bring tremendous value to our customers." New managing director at IMH (Industrial and Marine Hydraulics) Industrial and Marine Hydraulics Ltd. (IMH) has got off to a great start to 2014 with the announcement that Nathanael Allison has been appointed as the company's new managing director. Allison brings with him many years of experience in multi-nationals, and is already making an impact in the Middlesbrough-based company while maintaining the core family values that are the cornerstone of the IMH business. Established 30 years ago, IMH is fully committed to investing in the future, and is looking forward to another successful year helped by a recent internal reorganisation and its continued commitment to apprenticeships. Newly appointed marketing assistant Sam Colman will assist the company with its ambitious plans to broaden internationally in 2014. [insert logo] BFPA's list of recommended Tariff and Trade and PRODCOM codes The 2014 list of BFPA recommended Tariff and Trade and PRODCOM Codes has been sent to all BFPA and BFPDA companies. It includes a selection of trade codes which cover many of the hydraulic and pneumatic related products sold by our member companies, which may be required when importing or exporting goods from the United Kingdom. Goods traded among EU countries are reported via 'Intrastat' declarations, and an 8 digit code is required. Goods traded with non-EU countries are recorded via customs declarations on a SAD form (Single Administrative Document) and the statistics collected that way come under the definition of 'Extrastat' – on the SAD form there is a requirement to quote the product classification code with the 10 digit code being mandatory for non-EU imports. The PRODCOM codes (required for the collection of UK production sales information under the Office for National Statistics' PRODCOM enquiry) relating to fluid power products are also listed in the document. If you would like a copy of the list or have any queries about these codes, please contact Sarah Gardner at the BFPA sarah@bfpa.co.uk Latest trends The BFPA monthly hydraulic survey suggested that orders improved in November but sales fell slightly in mobile and rather more in the industrial sector. The monthly pneumatic survey indicated that both sales and orders probably fell slightly in November, though still maintaining a reasonable level. The distribution results for November also indicated some weakening for both hydraulics and pneumatics, but sales generally remained solid. Early indications from the fourth quarter 2013 BFPA/BFPDA trend surveys suggest that the three months to December were flat at best for hydraulic and pneumatic equipment sales in the UK, but there was a marked increase in business confidence for the first three months of 2014 among hydraulic and distributor respondents, which is very encouraging. Please contact Sarah Gardner at sarah@bfpa.co.uk if you have any queries about the BFPA/BFPDA statistics service.