The Alliance has been introduced to provide greater strength and significant benefits for members of both organisations, including cross fertilisation of training initiatives, more influence over inappropriate regulation, broader technical support and enhanced business networking opportunities to name but a few. It is hoped the Alliance will provide members with a stronger, more consolidated voice in their respective industries.
The term 'motion control' is representative of both the current member activities and those of related parties, such as organisations with a focus on drives and controls, mechatronics, sensors, automation and robotics.
Commenting on the Alliance, Chris Buxton, director and CEO of the BFPA, said:
"Both the BFPA and BCAS are successful organisations in their own right, with a collective membership well in excess of 400 companies. Together we can offer our members and the wider industry more added-value services and a stronger, more coherent voice amongst the regulatory community.
"The name UK Motion Control Alliance recognises both the core synergies between our respective organisations and the major commercial and technological trends in the market, particularly towards general motion control," Buxton added.
In a letter to his members, BCAS' executive director, Chris Dee, said that for some years, it had been the view of the executive that serious consideration should be given to working more closely with other associations and societies in similar technology sectors. The benefits of doing so are both widely recognised and potentially very significant.
"This view is also very much in tune with Government efforts to encourage greater co-operation between representative bodies – epitomised by the publication of the Heseltine report, Leave no stone unturned' – in trying to improve efficiencies in the British industrial sector," Dee commented. "For some time it has been felt that synergies between BCAS and BFPA have been sufficient to merit exploration of a closer working relationship in delivering what are highly synchronous services to our respective members.
"Inevitably, aligning two successful, high profile organisations is not without its challenges. Concerns regarding individual brand integrity and governance have to be accommodated but the Memorandum of Understanding upon which the Alliance is based accounts for such concerns and ensures that both organisations retain their own individual identity and structure. We are confident that as the relationship develops, more opportunities to act in tandem for the 'common good' will emerge and the benefits for our respective members will continue to evolve and grow," Dee concluded.
