Valve Magazine - Summer 2009

A CONVERSATION WITH…

Rob Bartlett THE BVAA DIRECTOR DISCUSSES THE EUROPEAN MARKET, MANUFACTURING AND EDUCATION BY PETER CLEAVELAND

Bill Sandler, president of the Valve Manufacturers Association (VMA) and Rob Bartlett, managing director of the British Valve & Actuator Association (BVAA) recently met up at the ACHEMA trade show in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. While there, they compared notes on the markets in the U.S. and in Europe, and what each region of the world is doing in regard to education and training. With VMA’s education initiative just underway, the U.S. can look to the United Kingdom for support on the importance of creating new learning avenues and examples of how those avenues can be built.

Business Abroad

Bartlett says the European valve industry looks positive. “In recent months BVAA members report high activity levels with a generally buoyant market, bucking the trend experienced in many other industries,” Bartlett says. He adds that the immediate and long-term outlooks look even better.

“Certainly for the UK the future looks very bright,” he says, explaining that: “A great deal of contraction and consolidation took place in the industry during the last recession. Our members—particularly the manufacturers—have already initiated ‘lean’ techniques, invested heavily in state-of-the-art plant and equipment and are also investing in the continued professional development of their staff,” he says.

Yet the overall economic outlook in Europe is still not rosy, he cautions, just as the global market itself remains grim. Bartlett says he feels that, to a large extent “through some irresponsible reporting in the press, we [the world’s countries] have ‘talked ourselves into’ this global recession.” He also thinks getting out of this situation will not be a simple matter.

VMA’S EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE

Sandler also shared information with his UK counterpart about what is happening with VMA’s new educational initiative, which formally kicks off in Houston on Oct. 29 with the Valve Basics Seminar & Exhibition. The event features the new Valves and Actuators 101 educational programs. In addition, Sandler reports, the Chem Show, which will be in New York in November, has asked VMA to present a condensed version of the same program, and a number of end-users and related associations have expressed interest in having VMA develop customized programs.

VMA has also published the first of several compilations of articles from Valve Magazine, beginning with its Back to Basics series, and Sandler says these have proven quite popular. Late this year, he added, VMA will bring out stand-alone training CDs containing PowerPoint presentations, then print manuals and online courses.

For more information on VMA’s training activities, go to VMA.org > Valve Education, and to Events > Valve Basics Seminar. To learn about BVAA’s educational offerings, visit BVAA.org.uk.

One step that needs to happen is: “We must get Western economies working towards a larger manufacturing fraction within their GDPs,” Bartlett says. While “tourism and finance are fine, they must come as an add-on to wealth [that creates] manufacturing,” not as a replacement, he says. The UK government has finally realized this, “but it will take many years to restore manufacturing to its former glory,” he adds.

Training Activities

One of the most important steps in restoring manufacturing as a priority will be to create new ways to train skilled workers and planners. Currently, school counselors and educators are reluctant to suggest careers in industry, and few schools provide specialized training in that area. For example, some colleges and universities are unwilling to make the continuing investment in staff and facilities needed for high-quality engineering education, Bartlett says, which leaves many local regions short of suitably trained and qualified young engineers. As a result, he said, engineering companies have left those areas or closed down operations, and students have become less aware of engineering as a career option.

While some companies provide in-house training, what’s needed is a source of training for all, which both VMA and BVAA are addressing. VMA has launched “Valve Ed,” an educational program stressing valve and actuator fundamentals (see sidebar). In the UK, BVAA has created a wide selection of courses. About half of attendees come from within member companies and the other half from their customers.

“We focus on introductory courses,” Bartlett explains. Attendees vary from administrative staff, who need just an appreciation, to highly qualified engineers who are entering the valve industry for the first time.

Interest in training also seems to be increasing. “We have just held one of our bi-annual training weeks at our headquarters, and had a record attendance,” Barlett says.

One area that needs attention, Bartlett added, is the lack of formal qualification criteria in the valve industry. “I am surprised that in an industry as long-lived and quality-conscious as ours, we do not yet have formal qualifications in ‘Valve Engineering’ (and by that I include both design and repair). I personally feel this is something worthy of international co-operation,” he says.

Going forward, Bartlett and Sandler agree a good step will be cooperative agreements between the U.S., Europe and other countries. Plans are in motion for VMA to share space with BVAA at the 2010 Valve World show in Germany. VM