The association "community" is much like the behind-the-scenes pumps i nfrastructure - mostly silently working for the betterment of whatever professions or industries these associations represent.
Robert K. Asdal, Executive Director, Hydraulic Institute (HI)
We are all participants in a worldwide pump industry...why else would you be reading this magazine? One might say that I have a humble role to play on the periphery of the industry...and others might say it's the hub. Whatever it is, it provides me with a unique perspective on this exciting arena.
This is an industry that supports our daily life and our future in so many vital ways. Seldom do we pause to reflect on the importance of the infrastructure that ubiquitous pumps represent. Just think about how important these systems are to the pump user, or to the ultimate end-user of the product being pumped. How would anything get done without pumps? Working in the industry, I wonder how many outside of our "community" think about how critical pumps are to our ability to survive and thrive on this small planet.
The pump industry, however, continues to face considerable challenges. These include global overcapacity, application of new technology to monitor and control pumps, the emergence of B2B commerce, supply chain integration, continuous product improvement, innovation and creating a strong value proposition for products in a very competitive marketplace.
So, what are manufacturers, contractors and users doing to strengthen our industry? What can individual companies do to better position themselves to be competitive in the global marketplace? What value-added services can manufacturers offer pump users? Where are our younger engineers being educated and trained to take the place of our well-respected, world-class, senior engineers as they near retirement? Where is the commitment to pursue knowledge exchange and professional volunteer leadership in our pump community? Who is involved in international standards development on behalf of the U.S. pump industry? Where do individual executives gain information and insights that would be useful to better managing their businesses in these challenging times?
The answers, in large part, lie in collective involvement--by becoming active in the leading associations of specific industries. For individual end-users, there are any number of professional societies that offer this type of involvement, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and others. On a corporate level, leading manufacturers in the pump industry as well as suppliers, users and contractors in North America, turn to the Hydraulic Institute [HI] as a "forum for the exchange of information for management decision-making." And they have been doing so since 1917, the year that the Institute was established.
How many people really think about the role and importance of associations? Do you? Most people don't realize how associations and their members contribute in improving the quality of life in America today. The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), highlights just some of the significant roles we collectively play:
The Hydraulic Institute, as just one of those 140,000 associations, has been serving the pump industry for the past 84 years with the mission of "serving member companies and pump users by providing product standards and a forum for the exchange of industry information." The technical and managerial leadership that the Institute enjoys is world-class. Currently, companies that manufacture pumps in North America, or suppliers to the industry in six product areas, are eligible to join. Today, more than 200 individuals employed by member companies are actively involved on HI committees that are developing new standards, statistics and meetings for the industry. Nearly 200 pump users, contractors and other interested parties are actively involved in reviewing and approving HI standards.
In addition, the Institute is actively representing the interests of the North American pump industry by taking a leadership role in the International Organization of Standardization (ISO TC 115: Pumps and Mixers) and through a five year old "Mutual Cooperation Agreement" with Europump, HI's European counterpart. Earlier this year HI and Europump jointly published a landmark publication "Pump Life Cycle Cost: A Guide to LCC Analysis for Pumps and Pumping Systems," literally transforming approaches to how pumps will be bought and sold in the future.
The Institute's Statistics Committee directs the collection of invaluable data for the exclusive use of HI members, gauging market trends, wage, salary and benefits data and financial and operating ratio data for the industry. And, over the last several years, the committee has helped transform the manner in which this data is collected by the U.S. government and is working on statistics harmonization on a worldwide basis.
Other HI members, including leading suppliers (motors, seals, couplings, instrumentation, gauges, controls, bearings, component parts, etc.) to the industry that now qualify as "Associate Members," are active in organizing educational programs, and contributing their leadership on new standards, for the benefits of other members...and pump users as well. For instance, this year a number of HI members contributed funds to support the development of the first in a series of e-Learning programs and activities that will be launched next year. The first will address "Fundamentals of Centrifugal and Vertical Pumps." Based on a recently completed survey, it is clear that the need for education is strong and cuts across every sector of the industry, including manufacturers, distributors, users and engineering contractors. Associations such as HI are one way to fill the educational void that hard-pressed employers are struggling to fulfill--and do so at considerably less cost.
New HI standards are being issued regularly, with significant benefits for the industry in the U.S. and abroad. The landmark "Intake Design" standard has been widely heralded for its new contributions to this important subject. A new "Nozzle Load" standard was just published that primarily addresses chemical process service (ANSI B.73) pumps, as well as axial split-case single and two-stage pumps, end-suction slurry pumps, and vertical turbine short set pumps.
Other new standards that will come out this year include the "Submersible Pump Test" standard being jointly developed with SWPA, the Submersible Wastewater Pump Association, and two new standards for "Air Operated Pumps" and "Air Operated Pump Tests." In 2000, the Institute completely updated all of its standards, which now number 22 documents and cover over 1,200 pages. For the first time, about a year ago, HI issued its standards in electronic format with full-text search capabilities--which are also downloadable from the HI web site.
The HI web site, launched in April 2000, was also a significant milestone in the history of the association. In addition to the free, downloadable executive summaries of the LCC Guide, the Master Index to HI standards available on this site, visitors will find over 100 pump diagrams and software useful for evaluating pumping systems and selecting motors, and a Supplier Finder with seven ways to identify suppliers, including by product, market served and trade name. The site also has a new Energy Section offering useful information and supporting HI's role as an Allied Partner of the US Department of Energy.
Institute members currently are engaged in the process of updating the strategic plan of the association. Over the last several years the Institute has achieved its goals as being "an influential participant in the setting of international standards," and is widely acknowledged as "the spokesperson for the North American pump industry." We look forward to ways that HI can continue to involve and serve more sectors of the pump community in the years ahead.
One way we have been able to do this recently has been by helping our smaller member companies (under 350 employees) with formation of a "Small Business Network" to facilitate business opportunities. This is just another example of the invaluable opportunity for interaction and exchange of ideas that the Institute provides its members. Regardless of where they are located on a worldwide basis, pump users, contractors, distributors and manufacturers, are invited to keep informed of future HI activities. We continue to seek new participation of experienced and knowledgeable pump users in our standards writing activities. Visit Hydraulic Institute at www.pumps.org.
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