After a slow start to 2013 the dark economic clouds have gradually cleared and the industry has developed real momentum to take into next year, says Secretary-General James Clark.
As we approach the end of the year, my abiding feeling is one of positivity about the industry. The economic picture is without question much better than it was back at the turn of the year and improving all the time.
We can also look back at a positive year from a BITA perspective. My personal highlight of the year was the record-breaking success of the International Materials Handling Exhibition (IMHX) in March. Not only did it attract the highest footfall of any IMHX yet held, with 19,500 visitors, but it also had a record 412 exhibitors spread out across four halls at the NEC in Birmingham. It is worth remembering that this was achieved against a far more uncertain economic backdrop than we are now experiencing.
While we can’t take credit for the economic upswing, I genuinely believe that IMHX, by bringing together so many of those involved in the materials handling industry for business objectives, plays a powerful role as a catalyst for generating new business leads. Walking around this year’s show, it was certainly noticeable that there seemed to be a buzz of activity at every stand and hopefully people will have left with a renewed sense of purpose. We are already looking forward to IMHX 2016 and sales of floor space have been hugely encouraging.
It has also been very pleasing through the year to see that BITA members’ positivity has increased. We are able to chart this through our qualitative surveys, carried out by Oxford Economics, which clearly show positivity returning with 40% of BITA members in the autumn survey more optimistic about general prospects than they were in the spring. The percentage of respondents expecting a “significant increase” in sales also doubled from around 10% to nearly 20%.
It has been a long road back from the dark days triggered by the banking crisis and like many other industries we have struggled to recover to pre-recession sales levels. The overall market grew very slightly this year, but the fact that it grew at all is positive given that the difficult start to the year. The next step will be when a greater proportion of the widely-reported increased enquiries are translated into firm orders that push us back to sustained growth. On this point, the predictions from Oxford Economics are good for 2014 and beyond.
The British Industrial Truck Association, BITA, is a substantial and dynamic trade association representing a membership of 73 forklift truck manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and media operating in the UK.
BITA is the voice of the industry in matters technical and legislative at the highest levels in Europe and internationally. It enjoys a close working relationship with bodies such as the UK Health and Safety Executive, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the International Standards Organisation (ISO).
As a member of the British Materials Handling Foundation (BMHF) BITA is allied with the Fédération Européenne de la Manutention (FEM), the European manufacturers’ association of materials handling, lifting and storage equipment.
BITA produces a wide range of specialist publications, encompassing best practice and health and safety assurance, as well as technical guidance notes and unique market insight. Its specialist committees include the Truck Suppliers Group (TSG), Technical Policy Committee (TPC), and the Component & Services Group (CSG) among many others.
BITA members, including many international brands, manufacture and distribute over 90% of all new forklifts procured each year in the UK. They employ 7,000 people directly, and enjoy a combined annual turnover of £1.3bn. BITA members play an increasingly important role in the UK’s overall economic health, supply chain effectiveness and environmental performance.
BITA
James Clark, Secretary General
Tel: 01344 623800
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