After a year of turmoil and transition in 2020, the fluid power industry faces new challenges—and opportunities—in the new calendar year. A new federal administration is touting both a rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine and a bipartisan effort to pass a large infrastructure bill.
How those events and other might affect the fluid power industry were part of a Hydraulics & Pneumatics discussion with Eric Lanke, president and CEO of the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA). NFPA’s annual conference, a virtual event this year, will be Feb. 23-26, and details of the conference can be found at the NFPA website.
H&P: Coming off a year no one really wants to look back on, what are your members looking forward to in 2021?
Lanke: The pandemic and its effects on business and the economy in 2020 affected different member companies differently, with some being hit hard and fast by the economic downturn while others were able to weather the storm largely intact with few changes. That said, NFPA members, along with most companies, are largely looking forward to business and sales practices and volumes returning to normal, as well as returning to regular in-person operations and attending NFPA events in person.
H&P: Among the first things the new Congress and administration will take up is a long-discussed infrastructure bill. Talk about the impact this bill will have on your industry. What are the benefits and potential challenges in such an effort?
Lanke: The infrastructure bill as described at this point has the potential to be great for fluid power technologies that serve construction, transportation, utilities and clean energy industries. It would prompt equipment purchases, which in turn would be good for business. The challenge is to not be too optimistic in planning until we see the complete and final details when the bill passes.
How much of the final version of the bill will actually be for infrastructure, like roads and bridges and the utility grid, as most of us define it? “Infrastructure” as a term can take on a broad meaning in certain contexts.
H&P: At a time when unemployment is still impacted by the pandemic, there still is a need for skilled workers in the fluid power industry. What steps has the industry already taken to address the worker shortage? How do we effectively recruit more people to the industry?
Lanke: In the short term, partnerships with relevant organizations and schools are the most effective ways to get access to qualified applicants and make the industry visible to potential workers. NFPA has worked to facilitate such connections for members through activities available to donors to our Pascal Society to interact with students and instructors across the country.
We also have a partnership with The Manufacturing Institute’s (MI) program called Heroes MAKE America (HMA). HMA offers industry training designed to help our nation’s service members transition into manufacturing careers, and NFPA members have access to these candidates because of NFPA’s financial support of the HMA program.
Longer-term, it’s important to ensure students are made aware of fluid power and the careers available within the industry from a young age to ensure to drive interest and participation in relevant courses starting as soon as high school or middle school. NFPA works to drive fluid power industry education and awareness at all grade levels, including an interactive Fluid Power Action Challenge in middle school, fluid power trainers in high school through the Fast Track Program, and a full menu of programs and support for fluid power programs at technical colleges and universities. These programs help get students interested in fluid power careers, get the education they need to be successful, and connect them to job opportunities at NFPA member companies.
H&P: Many companies had to adopt new technology and work practices on the fly in 2020. What are some of the lessons from 2020 that you think will carry forward after the pandemic is over?
Lanke: Flexibility and the ability to pivot have been important to success in business for some time but really came to the forefront in so many ways in 2020. They are likely here to stay as a “need-to-have” and not a “nice-to-have.” Use of technology to get the job done remotely is also likely to continue in certain cases, both for efficiency and cost savings.
Along with those lessons in how to use technology to work remotely, companies have had to learn how to get along internally in a remote environment. Effective leadership and a positive organization culture are keys to keeping people engaged, motivated and productive in crisis and when distanced.
H&P: What technology advanced should we look for in 2021? What will the next generation of tools and systems include?
Lanke: Some of the most important technology trends to watch this year include more sophisticated electronic control of hydraulic and pneumatic systems, continued advancements and more varied application in the connection of systems to the Internet of Things, and adaptation of hydraulic systems to increasingly electrified mobile drive systems.
Greater use of sensors, transmission devices [and] data systems that provide clear and meaningful on-site and remote information for diagnostic and other purposes. All these things moving us toward more adaptable, responsive and efficient machines, with greater reliability and uptime, and more.
