www.bfpa.co.uk 47 components that perform even better in terms of improvements. Electromechanical roadmap Our products are purely mechanical with no electrical interface at this stage. However, once the graduate has his feet firmly under the table and has looked at some of the current projects we are working on, we do want to explore the possibility of going down the electromechanical route. The industry is becoming increasingly electromechanical control, and I believe that is the future of hydraulics, with more feedback on positions and more digital interaction with the products. So, our natural next steps are to develop products such as solenoid control directional valves. It might be a couple of years before we are able to bring them to market, but they are in the pipeline. BFPA connection Nigel Johnson of the University of Bath – who we liaised with closely during the KTP Partnership process – sits on the Standards board at the BFPA. We also work directly with the BFPA in providing the Association with monthly statistics and other information. We, in turn, rely on the Association’s statistics on a month-tomonth and year-to-year basis to plan our sales strategies and gain more insight into the hydraulics industry and current and potential future trends. Quality control HSP hold ISO 9001:2015 certification and have been successful in practicing and upholding the accreditation for nearly thirty years. Cleanliness Cleanliness is also a key part of our quality control processes. Customers naturally require a rigid cleanliness standard. In this regard, we have made a substantial investment in a mechanical wash plant and intend to rigorously meet these cleanliness standards. Environmental What’s particularly important is ensuring all parts are cleaned inhouse to the highest standards. If we don't use the most appropriate and effective capping, then all that cleaning work is a waste of time and money. At lineside, when clients take the equipment out-of-thebox they need to see the product has been properly capped so that it avoids any dirt ingress at point of installation. Many of our customers are moving towards the removal of single use plastics, a policy that we have been adhering to for several years now. All our plastic plugs and caps are made from recyclable material. We use recyclable polyurethane bags and want to take this strategy further by moving away from plastics wherever we can. For example, we want to use recyclable packaging using cardboard dividers rather than plastic bags. Ultimately, we would like to use plugs made from recyclable materials and are monitoring the new eco-friendly plastics that are being brought to market. These do come at a cost, so we need to appraise this carefully. We are also looking at other capping methods. It is our goal to completely remove plastics from the packaging of our products. What’s particularly important is spending whatever is necessary to ensure all parts are cleaned in-house to the highest standards. If we don’t use the most appropriate and effective capping, then all that cleaning work is a waste of time & money. At lineside, when clients take the equipment out-of-the-box they need to see the product has been properly capped and so that it avoids any dirt ingress at point of installation. HSP’s CNC equipment on the shopfloor at the company’s premises in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. LEFT: As a post graduate design engineer with a master’s degree in advanced mechanical engineering, the graduate already understands application specific calculations and is proficient in the use of CAD drawing software.
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