There is no doubt that the past year has been hugely challenging, with the COVID-19 pandemic still overshadowing all aspects of life. However, as Vanda Jones, director of the British Compressed Air Society reports in her summary report, the compressed air and vacuum industrial sector has continued to do business, with half-year figures to June reflecting an uplift that goes beyond recouping the impact of 2020’s lower figures.

Of course, the challenges of Brexit were emerging before the arrival of COVID-19, and will no doubt continue as the economy once again opens up. For many businesses, some of the greatest changes brought about by the UK’s departure from the EU centre around the subsequent changes in legislation. The article on page 16 looks at the changed responsibilities brought about by the post-Brexit legislative framework, and the opportunities these might bring to the manufacturing community.

One of the most relevant, and often misunderstood areas of legislation, the Pressure System Safety Regulations, are addressed by Roy Brooks, technical development officer BCAS, who discusses what the regulations contain and what they mean for owners and operators of compressed air systems, in the article on page 20.

Further health and safety issues are covered on page 29, where Claire Bailey from the Health and Safety Executive, HSE Science and Research Centre, looks at the use – or mis-use – of compressed air guns in machine workshops. As well as outlining the hazards associated with relying on compressed air for cleaning work, the article outlines the findings of a study that seeks to understand the reasons behind the practice and also whether increased awareness of the risks would result in different cleaning methods being adopted.

Moving beyond compressed air, it is estimated that, on average, there may be one vacuum pump for every three compressors installed on a production site. It should come as no surprise then, that in addition to representing the interests of the UK compressed air industry BCAS is the only trade association in the UK dedicated to low pressure and vacuum distributors, manufacturers and end users. Historically, vacuum pumps have often been found operate at minimum performance levels, without any real consideration for energy performance. However, the latest vacuum pumps have been designed from the outset to enable operators to become more efficient, increasing sustainable productivity and enhancing final product quality, as outlined in the article on vacuum technology.

AirUser Live

Many regular readers of Industrial Plant & Equipment magazine, will already be aware that the team behind the this annual AirUser guide will hold the inaugural AirUser Live event this year on 1 December, at the Coventry Building Society Arena (formerly the Ricoh Arena), Coventry. Launched to provide exclusive access to the latest industry updates and to help tackle the concerns of the end user air powered systems professional, AirUser Live will be the 2021's only live UK event for the compressed air market, offering visitors a unique opportunity to network and reconnect with the sector's major players and industry bodies. Please visit www.airuser.live to find out more details. If you are interested in presenting as part of the seminar programme, drop me an email at [email protected]

After more an a year of vitrual meetings and webinars, it will be great to meet up with the compressed air sector in person! In the mean time, we hope that you enjoy the guide and as ever we are extremely grateful to all our contributors and supporters, particularly Vanda Jones and rest of the BCAS team.

Charlotte Stonestreet

Managing editor