What do companies expect from BCAS?
July 27th 2007

Companies ultimately join BCAS because in the long term it is in their financial interest to do so. Every business needs access to the right advice when it counts.

BCAS members benefit from:

•Economies of scale – for example when a new law is proposed, rather than all the companies in membership having independently to contact lawyers and lobbyists, BCAS can do it once on behalf of all members.

• Sectoral Point of View – BCAS is able to speak on behalf of a sector without favouring the view of any one member.

• Credibility – Because of our governance arrangements and ‘not-for-profit’ status, BCAS is trusted and better placed than commercial providers to facilitate collective action on behalf of the sector.

The need for good trade associations to assist member companies could not be stronger. The business world is being transformed and the demands on a company’s resources to deal with “Europeanisation” have been extended by the addition of “globalisation” in the marketplace.

BCAS has forged close working relationships with key organisations such as the DTI, the H&SE, the Carbon Trust, Envirowise, Business Link, BSI and ISO. Through its website at www.bcas.org.uk BCAS provides links to information and advice to all the relevant business sectors that it represents. It also provides end-users, looking for a company to source product or services, fast access to the individual member website.

BCAS member code of conduct

During 2007 BCAS has been developing a new BCAS Member Code of Conduct (CoC) as a result of feedback gained from visits to members and as part of an initiative to demonstrate customer satisfaction and Code compliance to enhance your reputation and the brand value of BCAS

It is a condition of BCAS membership that all members are required to comply with the CoC. The CoC promotes a minimum requirement in Ethical Trading, Best Practice in design, selection, supply, installation, service and maintenance of both compressed air and vacuum related products and services. BCAS members will be committed to Quality Management Systems and the continual training of staff in all their business areas.

Credibility is the most important issue

A recent report by Trading Standards concluded that the single most important issue when choosing a firm is their credibility. They went on to recommend that customers should use traders recommended by independent third parties with no financial interest in the companies concerned. The same Trading Standards report concluded:

• 53% of all choices were for businesses that customers already knew or had been recommended by someone they trust.

• 33% of choices were for firms that had been found through classified advertising.

• 14% were found though other methods, such as insurance companies.

Just as Amazon and eBay promote sellers on the basis of their reputation – empowering consumers to make more informed choice – Trade Associations are ideally placed to do the same and BCAS have taken the initiative to work with an independent third party that manages a Trusted Trader Scheme to develop (what will be the first) one for the UK compressed air and vacuum market.

The BCAS Trusted Trader Scheme will work alongside our existing Distributor Charter Holder Scheme to promote the credibility and professionalism of BCAS members as identified by their customers. The advantages to all compressed air and vacuum users of using BCAS members will be knowing that they have been endorsed by others who have already used them.

The support of our growing number of members and partners (please visit our website www.bcas.org.uk for the latest list) makes us stronger and ever more successful so that we may meet the demands of a changing environment and lead the way to maintain the safe and reliable form of energy that compressed air is for all industry sectors.

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