Hydraulicspneumatics 2104 Hannover Crowd Shot
Hydraulicspneumatics 2104 Hannover Crowd Shot
Hydraulicspneumatics 2104 Hannover Crowd Shot
Hydraulicspneumatics 2104 Hannover Crowd Shot
Hydraulicspneumatics 2104 Hannover Crowd Shot

Everyone wants in on the action

April 18, 2011
Ever since Hydraulics & Pneumatics debuted in 1948 as Applied Hydraulics, we have not lost sight of our focus: to cover fluid power technology.
The Great Recession has claimed countless jobs and shrunk businesses. We are now supposed to be in a recovery phase, although growth is expected to be rather slow. Strong businesses survive and are look for areas to expand during periods of growth, either through acquisitions or through “organic” growth — where new business sprouts and grows from an existing profit center.
Other companies seem to be looking to expand by grasping at straws. Recently I came across a publication containing a fluid power section — essentially about eight product descriptions. Problem is, only about half were products that would normally be used in hydraulics or pneumatics technologies. If it was a pump or a valve, I guess the editors assumed it fit into fluid power technology. The very strong businesses are in position for the most growth because they have gained market share during the hard times. This may have stemmed from advertising or other marketing strategies or by introducing innovative new products that resulted from maintaining research and development — or both. Ever since Hydraulics & Pneumatics debuted in 1948 as Applied Hydraulics, we have not lost sight of our focus: to cover fluid power technology. But we’re like any other business; to survive, we must evolve with the times — and I think we have. We’ve been increasingly covering electronic control since before I joined the H&P staff in 1987. We’ve also increased the frequency of our coverage how fluid power interacts with the environment. And as the world has embraced digital technology, we launched our website way back in 1997. Since then, we’ve responded with frequent additions to our website: videos, countless links, forums where you can communicate with colleagues, social networking at multiple levels, and useful information on fluid power technology and the industry. We plan on keeping our focus on fluid power as long as it remains a relevant technology. So don’t look for us to start a new section on Silly Bands in hopes of attracting some new ad dollars. But, seriously, we do our best to bring you the most relevant information about fluid power technology, so you’re not likely to see us waste any space describing chemical process valves or sewage pumps.
About the Author

Alan Hitchcox Blog | Editor in Chief

Alan joined Hydraulics & Pneumatics in 1987 with experience as a technical magazine editor and in industrial sales. He graduated with a BS in engineering technology from Franklin University and has also worked as a mechanic and service coordinator. He has taken technical courses in fluid power and electronic and digital control at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin and has served on numerous industry committees.

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