As 2012 draws to a close, Dave Berridge, Secretary of the Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA), reflects on a busy year and the opportunities that 2013 will bring.
It’s been an intense and interesting year for AMHSA, both corporately as an association and individually for our member companies. Back in May, we held our third Symposium, at which we were pleased to welcome Lord Digby Jones as keynote speaker. Held at Silverstone, the event brought together supply chain directors and senior management to discuss the likely developments over the next five years and the role that automation will play.
A new home and new members
In September, I was delighted to take up the role of Association Secretary, moving AMHSA into high-tech offices in Market Harborough – its first permanent home. With spacious meeting rooms and a central location, our new premises are proving to be an ideal base. We are reviewing and expanding our member services – including the addition of training courses – in order to enhance the value of AMHSA membership. This has already had a positive effect, with no less than five new members signing up in recent weeks. It has also been pleasing this year to see some of our members – notably TGW and Autotech Controls – establishing apprenticeship schemes to help meet the skills gap in our industry. Despite the uncertain state of the economy, many AMHSA members have had an extremely positive year, with a number of major automation projects being delivered in the grocery retail, automotive and parcel-handling sectors.
AMHSA Pavilion at IMHX
Looking ahead to 2013, there are some great opportunities for the automated handling industry. First and foremost has to be IMHX in March, at which a number of our members will be exhibiting in the AMHSA Pavilion. Members will be giving short ‘Meet the expert’ seminars in the pavilion’s central hospitality and presentation area, providing visitors with insightful overviews of key automation topics such as AGVs and voice picking technology.
Collaboration with IMechE
Next year, we are also aiming to raise the profile of AMHSA further through close collaboration with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. As the fastest growing professional engineering institution in the UK, IMechE’s 100,000 members work at the heart of the UK’s most important and dynamic industries. Through developing these links, we aim to encourage key players in ‘Britain plc’ to think more pro-actively about automation, realising its potential for securing competitive advantage and understanding just how short payback periods can be with the latest advances in technology.
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