These are exciting times for the Canadian Fluid Power Association. There aren’t necessarily any extraordinary economic conditions to report, although association members describe the current climate as either stable or growing, for the most part. The excitement surrounds the general atmosphere of the association itself, as it currently rides a spirited wave of prosperity and growth.
This 2019 Annual General Meeting was held in the mountain resort town of Banff, Alberta at the breathtaking Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. I’m happy to tell you we registered record attendance for this year’s meeting. In fact, so popular was this event, we sold out the resort and were forced to book delegates at nearby hotels, enabling their attendance to the nearly three full days of keynotes, presentations and networking.
Don’t for a minute think the location itself is the sole reason for the outstanding turnout. Rather, it’s been the concerted effort of the CFPA leadership team of managers, directors and committee members who have galvanized the Canadian fluid power industry over the past few years. Under the leadership of Frank Pirri, Sales and Product Manager at Flodraulic Group, association membership has grown nearly 50% in the past few years.
Through efforts in all pillars of the association — Education & Careers, Market Insight, Industry Relations, Membership and Communications, as well as Regional Events – we’ve brought forth new initiatives in addition to the expansion of traditional CFPA events. Our Canadian Fluid Power Challenge now consists of both the local Toronto Challenge and the National Challenge, each experiencing record student turnout of hundreds of middle school students.
Part of the growth of the association can be credited to increased awareness through traditional and social media channels. Both our social media growth and our presence at conferences position the association as a force in the industry, providing real value to our members beyond just our legendary golf tournaments. This past May at the Milwaukee Fluid Power Technology Conference, we officially released the first ever Canada-specific fluid power magazine, Your World in Motion, providing a unique perspective to all Canadian fluid power professionals inside and outside of the Association.
We continue to work with industry partners such as the NFPA and IFPS. Our first ever CFPA hosted training and testing event for the IFPS Certified Fluid Power Hydraulic Specialist certification was a success, and we’re holding the event again for 2019. At the Fluid Power Technology Conference in May, the CFPA was happy to join the NFPA for the dedication ceremony for MSOE’s new Motion Control Lab in downtown Milwaukee.
The buzz around the association last week at the AGM was partially dedicated to the voting in of Caryes Allan, Vice President of Higginson Equipment, as the chairperson of the Canadian Fluid Power Association. Accepting the torch from Frank Pirri, Caryes is the first ever woman chair for the CFPA, and her passion for the Association is palpable. Her contribution to every pillar of the association is inspiring, and during her inauguration, she listed goals for further growth with the development of a new website including company product directory, the separation of the careers and education pillars, securing government funding for our Fluid Power Challenges, and growth of our Industrial Relations pillar.
One last exceptional point of interest to you regular readers; this year marked the first ever technical keynote, as favourite presenter Carl Dyke presented his excellent “Electro-Hydraulics Maintenance Skills: Secret Knowledge!” I’ve always said I can listen to Carl talk for hours, and his clear language and first-rate visuals make learning fun for even non-technical fluid power professionals.
If you have market reach in Canada, and are interested in joining the Canadian Fluid Power Association, stop by our booth at the Cleveland Fluid Power Technology Conference this November at the Cleveland State University, where we’ll be happy to discuss the unique world of Canadian fluid power with you.
Filed Under: News
