The British Coatings Federation (BCF) is the only trade association representing the industrial coatings, powder coatings, decorative paints, wallpaper and printing inks manufacturing sectors in the UK.  In April, it appointed a new CEO, Tony Mash.  Here, Tony shares his thoughts on how the Federation is changing to meet the needs of the sector today.

“Coming into an organization as the new CEO is always an exciting but daunting prospect. The challenge with the BCF is heightened somewhat by the wind of change that has impacted every aspect of manufacturing in the UK and will continue to do so in the future. I have spent the majority of my career to date in plastics, refrigeration chemicals and agrochemicals in both Europe and the Americas – a background which affords me a good vantage point from which to recognise the challenges and opportunities that exist in the UK Coatings industry.“

“For me, my first 100 days in the job have been characterised by a very sharp learning curve. I have visited many member companies and organised a web-based survey to understand members’ current and future needs of their Federation.  It is clear that the Coatings sector is not immune to the pressures on manufacturing in the UK.  Unsurprisingly, the survey showed that respondents feel they are operating in extremely difficult business conditions; a situation exacerbated by the polarization of the industry into large multinationals and domestic niche SMEs, and the exodus of manufacturing from the UK - despite the current support for manufacturing, and particularly for SMEs, by the British Government. 

I am keen that the BCF continues to listen and respond to the views of both members and non-members across the industry and therefore the survey, which can be completed anonymously, remains open on our website, and I very much look forward to hearing the comments of Finishing magazine readers.

“In my opinion, it is absolutely critical that the BCF must adapt to the changing nature of the Coatings market and the broadening requirements of the Federation’s members. The BCF has the choice either to trim its sails and focus on its traditional strengths, or ‘seize the day’ and develop a new range of services to help its members prosper and grow. I am delighted to report that the BCF Board has supported the latter strategy and I see it as my role to develop a package of services and workshops that catalyse prosperity and growth in the industry.

“Our members are looking not only for the traditional technical regulatory support for which the BCF has such a high reputation both in the UK and abroad, but also other services to help each member weather the current economic recession. We are now setting in motion a number of initiatives designed specifically to improve members’ competitiveness, strengthen our lobbying services and promote the image of the industry.

“One of our first tasks is to establish a “CEO Council” which will enable businesses to agree operational priorities and share best practice. These new sources of help and support will come from both inside and outside the industry and will be oriented to fully exploit opportunities for profit improvement across a wide range of areas including operations, procurement, training and exporting.  In addition to accessing the wealth of expertise within the Federation, we will also be inviting representatives from beyond the membership and beyond the industry to share their knowledge and thus help us all to ‘shift up a gear’.
“Our lobbying activities remain one of our most valued services to members and we are determined to sustain and strengthen our unique role in this area, pursuing broad technical issues, such as REACH, VOC and GHS.  Many of these issues are driven from the European Union and I am committed to making sure that the BCF and its EU counterpart, CEPE, work ever closer together in the future.

“There is a general feeling that more can be done to make both government and consumers more aware of the benefits provided by the Coatings industry and the work it has already done to meet the challenges of environmental legislation. I share the BCF’s pride in its Coatings Care programme, which has led the way in tracking manufacturing performance, particularly in the areas of efficiency improvement and waste management.

Measurement focuses the mind, and the improvements across the UK Coatings industry have been dramatic, for example, the industry has progressively reduced the amount of waste per tonne of production sent to landfill, with the latest figures being 88% lower than 1996.  I expect to see further developments in the future as we address the broader concept of Sustainability of our products and services.   

“We are confident that our industry can have a bright future – a different future, certainly, but a bright future none the less.  Times of change are times of opportunity – and our motto going forward is ‘Prosper and Grow’.  We look forward to seeing all members and our industry as a whole gain material benefit from this new role for the BCF.”