BCAS: Celebrating the first 80 years
July 01st 2010 The British Compressed Air Society this year celebrates its 80th anniversary. Here, Chris Dee, its executive director, looks back on how the society has evolved over the years
At a meeting on 8 January 1930 at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London, 22 people unanimously agreed that Mr E. C. Dunkerton of Robey & Co be asked to take the Chair. Following input from the Department of Overseas Trade, as well as the Lord Privy Seal, Mr. Mortimer of Peter Brotherhood proposed that the meeting should go ahead with the formation of the British Compressed Air Society.
Formed at the time of the Great Depression and continuing through World War Two and several recessions (including the current global economic situation), the Society has survived by continually evolving and responding to and meeting the needs of the membership.
Membership for the first 50 years was exclusively for UK registered manufacturers, but has in recent years expanded to include distributors, suppliers, users and individuals from around the world.
There were 20 founder members of the Society, the objectives of which were summarised as follows: To promote and safeguard by all lawful means the interests of British Compressor, Pneumatic Tools and Pneumatic Appliance manufacturers in Great Britain in relation to their trade, and to consider all questions connected therewith, except relationship between employers and employees.
The main topics under discussion during the first year included:
• The Merchandise Marks Act – many compressors and Pneumatic Tools were coming into the country without any name or mark of foreign origin,
• Standards for the Compressed Air Industry
• Definitions and Terms – used in the Industry to be produced in a booklet. It
was proposed not to have offices or paid officials as any business could quite well be run by the members.
The start of the 1940s, as reported in the minutes of the 10th AGM, saw that meetings throughout the year had been well attended in spite of increasing difficulties. Membership had continued to increase (although one of the founder members, Messrs Arnold Goodwin, had tendered resignation as its works had been destroyed by enemy action). The Society was able to give expert opinion on any subject relating to compressed air. Society members were active on various British Standards Institute Committees including; the Testing of Air Compressors, Specifications for Rubber Hose, Air Receiver Fittings, Small Air Receivers and the Welding of Thin Sheet Metal. Members were also busy with production of new BCAS publications such as the Selection of Air Compressor Plant and Compressed Air Terms and Standards.
Regular meetings were held with the Ministry of Works and Buildings, the Admiralty and Air Ministry on ensuring the supply of materials and engines to maintain the manufacture of air compressors and related equipment. Towards the end of the war, members were involved in discussions with other Trade Associations regarding incorporation in the British Compressed Air Society.
These included: The Portable Air Compressor Association, The Pneumatic Tool Association, The Pneumatic Metal Working Tool Association, The Air Pick Association, and The Spray Equipment Manufacturers Association. These activities lead to a review and alteration of the Societies Operating Rules to enable membership from these Associations.
With the growth in membership (50 full members in 1950) and various sizes of companies joining, the BCAS Council spent time reviewing the membership fee structure to ensure a fair system that financed the many activities. A multi-level system was agreed with a fixed fee per level and a levy to finance the Society. The Society also now had a logo (or crest as it was called) that was used on all official BCAS documents and exhibition material.
Activities, in addition to the generation of many Technical Standards (such as the Acceptance Test for Turbo Compressors, Fusion Welded Steel Air Receivers, Hose Couplings and Measurement of Airflow), the Society held many meetings with the Board of Trade and the Engineering Industries Division of the Ministry of Supply to reverse the recent cuts in the allocation of carbon and alloy steel to the compressed air industry as shortages following the war were still causing difficulties.
On a different note, BCAS was also working with the Council of Industrial Design to identify exhibits of products from members for the Festival of Britain. These would be identified as ‘Made by a Member of the British Compressed Air Society’.
The second half of the 1950s saw the Society, having reached a position of being the representative body for the Compressed Air industry (remember that membership was still only available for Manufacturers), start to revise the earlier publications such as its Technical Reference Book and the Compressed Air Terms and Standards.
BCAS Members were participating on more than 30 British Standards Committees such as MEE/39 Compressor Test and Definitions, INE/3 Code for Flow Measurement and CRE/10 Tools for Mining and Quarry Works. Membership continued to grow and in 1955 there were 72 Members (51 Full and 21 Associate). BCAS continued to hold technical reunions and works visits where technical papers would be presented. The Society published a new edition of the BCAS Handbook of Pneumatic Equipment, which incorporated a Buyers Guide. Interestingly, BCAS publications were being purchased in greater numbers by customers overseas and the H.M. Trade Commissioners and Commercial Officers had found these publications to be of great value to UK commercial posts overseas.
BCAS began acting as more than just a technical body and became more involved as a liaison between industry, government departments and organisations such as the National Coal Board and the Portable Electric Tool Manufacturers Institution, to ensure the interests of its Members were safeguarded during negotiations with foreign governments.
A clear example of the role of BCAS in shaping the growing marketplace outside the UK can be seen in the minutes of meetings during 1957 and 1958 when BCAS recognised the concept of a European Common Market. Minutes of the BCAS Council record the advantages, which might accrue to members if BCAS were to establish closer contact with Western European organisations of manufacturers of compressed air equipment. Representatives from the UK, France and Germany held exploratory meetings, resulting in the formation of the European Trade Association PNEUROP. This era marked the change of BCAS from a body involved in National activities to one playing a key role in European activities. This change of role would continue and finally reach the current stage where the Society is an active participant in international work, ensuring that members still enjoy the advantages of driving legislation forward.
As the 1950s drew to a close, work on cooperation with Western Europe continued with a meeting at the BCAS offices in London of the Steering Committee of Western European Manufacturers. Representatives from the UK, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland attended. BCAS member Mr G. F. Davis from Hick, Hargreaves & Co was chairman and later became chairman of Pneurop. In 1958, the first European Fluid Power Conference was held in London with 200+ delegates paying 4 guineas each to attend. Other events involving BCAS included the First International Compressed Air & Hydraulics Exhibition and events at Olympia.
Membership remained steady with 74 companies in membership and fees set according to the number of employees in the company. BCAS Members were active on more than 30 BSI Committees ensuring that the industry developed relevant standards from the combined expertise of the membership.
By the start of the 1960s, BCAS still had no full time staff and paid the British Engineer’s Association for Secretariat Services. The BCAS Committee Structure included a Technical Committee, Export Committee, Pneumatic Control Committee, Pneumatic Control Equipment Committee, Compressors Committee, Pneumatic Tools Committee, Spray Guns Committee and Electric Motor Driven Compressor Units Committee. Members started to work with the newly formed Noise Abatement Society to seek methods of silencing such equipment as portable compressors and concrete breakers.
In addition to the various exhibitions, conferences and events with other associations BCAS produced a number of publications including: BCAS Directory of Compressors and Compressed Air Equipment, BCAS Technical Reference Book of Compressed Air Terms and Standards, BCAS Buyers Guide, BCAS Compressed Air Engineering Handbook, BCAS Handbook of Pneumatic Equipment, and BCAS Compressed Air News.
During the mid 1960s members of the Society were still manufacturers of compressed air equipment and associate members were marketers or manufacturers of equipment ancillary to the compressed air Industry. Following a suggestion for BCAS to join the Federation of British Industries, the Council agreed that the Society must on all accounts retain its autonomy and individuality.
Some of the 75 members expressed concern that BCAS was not serving the membership as well as it should and suggested (no radical change in general activities) that all member firms appoint a nominated representative to whom all correspondence be sent. There was also an interest to make technical meetings more elaborate functions, lasting a whole evening and hold many of them outside London (eg Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow) once a year. Each Council member takes an interest in a group of member firms to extend contacts.
These measures would result in more individuals within member firms becoming more aware of, and interested in, the Society. Finally a new symbol for the Society should be devised and correspondence could be on coloured paper (although the minutes show that the Council thought black on white to be both clearer and more dignified).
On Pneurop, the Council felt that it was disappointing that it had concerned itself mainly with technical matters and that BCAS would provide ideas on more commercial matters.
The main discussion topics of the meetings addressing the re-organisation of the Society held during 1966 resulted in most members being in favour of: A stronger Society, a higher membership fee, twin objectives of commercial and technical co-operation, a full time executive being appointed, formation of a BCAS Publicity Committee and a levy of £70 per member to finance the campaign, and re-structuring of the Society on the basis of product groups. The Society welcomed its first full time member of staff, Eric Whyte, who became administration executive on 1 January 1968. The appointment of Peter Spiro as technical advisor on 3 September 1968.
If you would like to follow the developments and activities of BCAS from 1970 to the present day, please visit the BCAS website and register to receive our monthly e-Newsletter – www.bcas.org.uk More articles from British Compressed Air Society (BCAS): | 
