President's Blog

Congratulations to everyone involved in our hugely successful Parliamentary Reception held on 22 April. We had over 65 MPs and other Parliamentarians at Birdcage Walk where we announced our involvement with and contributions to the Engineering Diploma in schools and we also talked more broadly about our themes: Energy, Environment, Transport and Education.

I also had my last meeting with this year's 5 President's Apprentices.  The Apprentices' year runs from Nov to Nov (6 months out of phase with the President) which allows them to experience two different Presidents.  I really enjoyed the individual and collective meetings with them and have learned a great deal from them - and hopefully they have learnt a little from me!  Being an Apprentice gives one of our members an opportunity to see a little bit more of the workings of the Institution and also to participate in a variety of events which offer new experiences including networking with the much wider engineering community.

One of the IMechE Student Chapters in Malaysia has now opened their own website/blog.  Look into http://imeche-uniten.blogspot.com to see what they are doing.

On another note I must mention the annual update to Trustee Board earlier this month on the IMechE Benevolent Fund.  This Fund provides support to members and their relatives during difficult financial times.  We can all help the Ben Fund by supporting them through the annual contribution on our membership invoice and also by other giving including legacies.  I must thank the tireless work that the Ben Fund Team including those that visit recipients do for the Institution.

The past few weeks have been particularly frenetic with visits to Singapore and Malaysia and then various activities in the UK.  I am pleased to see there is considerable interest in IMechE in SE Asia and I was delighted to open a number of student chapters in Malaysian universities.  Our local branch has recruited over 750 students in recent times and the level of mathematics and science qualifications for entry into engineering courses is extremely high.  You feel a real desire of the young people in Malaysia and Singapore to pursue engineering - something perhaps of a contrast with the UK.  During my year as President I have tried to push the importance of maths and science teaching but we still have some way to go.  At a dinner with the Shadow Education Minister, David Willetts, we discussed this topic and briefed him on the fact that less than 10% of students at A level pursue physics - this is very worrying. 

On a brighter note I also had the pleasure of speaking at the Great Environmental Briefing organised by my old region Thameswey.  They packed the Reading Town Hall with over 450 people plus several hundred more joined us on the Internet.  A team of world class specialists spoke about environmental issues and what professional engineers should be thinking about, and doing, and then we opened up the meeting for discussion.  There was much lively debate in the room and across the Internet.  Who would have thought a meeting on a Wednesday evening in Reading would result in us discussing a question sent from a listener in New Zealand?!

The Trustee Board are meeting at Keele University this week and then joining the Young Engineers Conference.  Following that I look forward to attending the Midlands Engineering Dinner. It is great to see our regions so active in raising the profile of engineering.

Yours Aye

John

Well it appears my challenge to live without a car has been picked up elsewhere and it's resulted in a surprising number of comments. It is great to know that others are changing to bicycles, motorcycles and in event small vehicles like SmartCars. Once we move out to the country I may have to adopt the last of these but with so many people now asking how I'm getting on hopefully you will all collectively embarrass me into not getting another vehicle! The recent turmoil in global markets does make me wonder if our government and others will retain their focus on the need to develop our energy industry towards more carbon free generation. In times of financial uncertainty it is difficult to make long term commitments but we must push our politicians. To that end we are holding our annual Parliamentary Reception in April, on the theme of Inspiring the next Generation and focusing on education and different forms of energy. I am looking forward to hosting a wide spectrum of Parliamentarians from all sides where we will be presenting energy and education issues to them.

Yours Aye

John

Over the past few weeks I have been able to combine a business visit to the US with two George Stephenson lectures - one at Ohio University and one in Houston with IMechE members and colleagues from the oil industry. At Ohio I questioned the students about car ownership and of the 100+ in the audience less than 5% indicated they did own cars. Is it possible, I asked, to reduce the number of cars they owned to 20? Average usage of a family car is around 30 minutes a day - so if we could share vehicles we will both increase the usage, but more importantly reduce the number of vehicles required. The challenge I have set myself is to live without my own car when we move back out to the country later in 2008. Living in London has meant we have now become a one car family (from two) and my wife Margaret owns that one car and controls its usage! This means I use public transport (which is very good in London).In discussion over lunch with some of the Ohio students I was fascinated to hear how they all agreed with my suggestion of reducing the number of cars sitting in the car park for 98% of the time, but individually had very good reasons why they should not give up their own car. I believe unless we are willing to make some compromises in our lifestyles then I suspect that future generations may criticise our generation for not conserving and sustaining the world's resources. Must stop now as I am about to catch a train to a meeting outside London.

Yours aye John

This week was an historic one for the IMechE. On Wednesday night I chaired a special meeting where Associates were granted the right to vote alongside corporate members . The decision was unanimous. With 17,380 Associates, this is an important step for the IMechE and it was great seeing so many young engineers in the audience. They are the future of the IMechE. After the meeting we had an inspiring talk from Sir Tom Farmer, who now owns Kwik-Fit. He retired at 28 having built his first business and subsequently established Kwik-Fit, the largest independent supplier of exhausts to the motor industry world wide. He also chairs the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and is an advisor to the Vatican on their art treasures! It was inspiring.

David Reeves comment confirms my view about the recognition professional engineers get in the UK. To change this, I believe engineers need to communicate in a different way. How many of us spend time talking to the wider public about the great and interesting things that engineers do ? What engineers find interesting and what the non-technical public find interesting are often two different things.

My George Stephenson lecture tries to put the energy density of fuels and the environment effect into context. I also use the Stirling engine to illustrate how we might better utilise waste heat. Interestingly it is the Stirling engine that seems to gather many more comments than the comparisons of different types of fuels. If we are not really imaginative in how we sell our skills and capabilities why should the public believe in us? I am now in the last three months of my Presidency and it feels as if the pace has accelerated! It was a real pleasure to visit my old nuclear site in Dounreay in the north of Scotland to hear about the work they are doing on de-commissioning. Dounreay and the naval reactor test site both have vibrant apprentice training programmes and it was great to hear how many of the apprentices move on to part time degrees in due course. The landscape around Dounreay provides some wonderful views of coast and moor land but in places wind turbines tend to spoil the feeling of remoteness. I think this will be an interesting challenge for us engineers to power our modern society without spoiling the beautiful environment.

17th - 22nd February is Engineers Week in the USA and I was delighted to be asked to give my George Stephenson lecture at Ohio University. I am also taking the opportunity of repeating it again in Houston the following week.

Comments, as ever, are welcome.

Yours Aye John

As an avid supporter of our own Formula Student event, I was delighted to find out it was 'sold-out' within just two days of opening registration - a record. With Switzerland entering for the first time (in the new Low Carbon category) and 85 universities in total from 21 countries, this is sure to prove to be a fantastic event.

Had a fascinating meeting with the key players who manage MX Germany. MX has been running there for three years and there are many similarities and some differences from our process. We took the opportunity to talk through how we can learn from one another and build upon this great product. We visited Knorr-Bremse AG who manufacture braking systems for trains and trucks. Our host was Professor Raimund Klinkner, Chair of the Executive Board who introduced the company by saying "the safety of 1 billion people per day rely on our brakes!" What a brilliant opening line to introduce his company. Knorr-Bremse has been operating for over 100 years and their HQ building is the old BMW HQ. They bought BMW in the 1920s but then sold it on again as it was not core business. Whenever I visit German manufacturing facilities I see many opportunities and lessons that we can learn from in the UK. The high regard in which engineers are held is in stark contrast to the recognition we get in some quarters in the UK. Food for both thought and action.

Recent articles in the media about electricity shortages remind us again of the need to build new power production now. I'm likely to come back to that in future blogs!

22/01/08

Happy New Year everyone - I guess my resolution should be to update my blog more often! Life is busier than I could have ever imagined.

Just returned from a BP/IMechE business trip to Egypt on a joint IMechE/ICE conference on climate change and sustainability and it was great meeting our Members from Middle East and Africa. Interestingly the  Egyptian Government announced plans to build their first ever nuclear power station at the same time as our own Government unveiled plans to go ahead with new nuclear  build .Being interviewed on TV about the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plant proposal took me back to my Dounreay days - except that the interviewers were much less persistent in challenging my strong supportive stance on nuclear. I wonder how many of you blog readers agree with me that the UK urgently needs new nuclear build . I think it ironic that with 500,000 professional engineers in Egypt and  half the Egyptian cabinet being engineers, they clearly won't have the same problem with skill shortages as highlighted by IMechE - and picked up across the national media last week - as we could.

Off to Munich for a Manufacturing Excellence meeting before catching up with ASME in New York.

On a final note, most of you will now know that Ruth Spellman is leaving us as Chief Executive. I will be chairing the selection panel for her replacement but in the mean time, we continue to stay in great form for 2008.

Yours aye

John

15/11/07

The Engineering Technician launch on Tuesday followed by the IMechE presentation at the National Business Awards is raising our profile in very different ways.

The debate about Engineering Technicians has revealed a wide range of views on this topic and a packed audience in the lecture theatre yesterday.  A very eloquent young technician talked about the value of EngTechs and how being accepted into the IMechE would inspire him to go further - potentially to Chartership. We should all feel very proud that the IMechE has taken this step. Those of you that missed a copy of today's Times can view the supplement at timesonline.co..uk/careersinengineering

Back to the my day job with a trip offshore to visit activities West of Shetland.  Please keep your fingers crossed for good weather! In response to your comments on previous blog: Yes I did mean cold fusion not coal fusion; not convinced that Europe will meet the 2020 emissions target on the evidence presented - I welcome others views but I see the UK Government backing off from our original strong stance.  In response to the ETB statement, the ETB needs good marketing as its role is to market the profession.  Obviously engineers need to be involved in that but the new Chairman's experience in companies like IBM indicates he can bring a great deal to ETB.

It appears fusion is creating a big bang with some of you. At Harwell in the 1980s we had the fun of being involved in the "coal fusion" event where a number of you, as researchers, were suggesting that fusion could happen at room temperature using pure heavy water (deuterium oxide).  As a manager of the nuclear reactors at the time we were responsible for providing the heavy water to test the coal fusion period.  Great idea although it didn't work!

On 5 September I visited the North East and if you are from the area you would have seen the blanket media coverage the Skills and Energy Debate got. Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham was inducted as an Honorary Fellow earlier this month at the IMechE and his address on trade and industry in the UK reminded all of us that in a global market you should worry less about who wins the business than the fact that it is done in your country.  We make more cars in the UK than we have ever done in the past is one example.  Interested to hear bloggers views on that point and the skills issue in general.

My visits to Britvic and Ford in our Eastern region and the Wilton site at Teeside really enforced my view that there is still significant inward investment into the UK and a vibrant engineering economy along side our very significant financial services in London.

In Benelux, another recent visit,  we spent some time interacting with the European Commission.  One official remarked it was good to have people in Brussels talking in an authoritative manner on important issues.  Does that imply not much of that happens in Brussels?! I also visited the Netherlands Delta Project where the sea defences have been developed over the past 50 years to cope with climate influence and climate change on that country.  My impression is that the world can learn a great deal from the Dutch approach and although I acknowledge there is much that man can do to counter the anthropogenic affect on the environment we should also consider the alternative of letting it happen and then engineering the measures to protect populations. The intellectual argument on countering climate change is compelling but I do wonder if Government's around the world really do have enough influence to impose taxation and other measures to meet emission reduction targets. 

In my view Europe will not meet the current EU 2020 requirements but I will be interested to be hear otherwise.

If we are to have the same Government for the next two years in the UK then this gives me, in my capacity as President, some stability to talk to ministers who might feel less vulnerable now from being ejected from their posts.  We are working on our four themes - Education, Energy, Environment and Transport and producing the Institution's views in each of these areas.  In some cases we will combine with others to propagate these - for energy I think we should be pushing ourselves. I am of the very strong view that the UK must rapidly move towards a new nuclear bill.  Thoughts on this?

Yours Aye

John

25 September

Hi Everyone

Thanks to the North East Regional committee for hosting my visit there, the two debates on Skills and Energy were insightful. The stark reality is that the region is recruiting workers from Poland when we should be providing them from here. That should be a wake-up call that we need to be encouraging more people into science and engineering.  Demand for technical skills is very strong and there has never been a greater time to be an engineer.

The old ICI Wilton site was impressive and buzzing with new investment and new businesses. A new wood fuelled boiler has been installed with the capability to generate almost 30MW of electricity or a combination of steam and power for the site. Fascinating technology but to survive commercially it needs the Renewable Obligations Certificate subsidy - Rocs. With such a big difference between virgin and recycled woods, does anyone think? we would benefit from subsidising this technology before deeming it mature enough to survive in the competitive marketplace? PB Power's update on electricity generation costs 'powering the nation' suggests that we will need the ROCs for a long time to come. Is it right to spend £bn's on these subsidies when the technology will never be competitive? In the report wave power seems particularly questionable. Bio mass and wind turbines look a little more promising.

The NE process industries and the regional universities have assessed the skills gap and we had a forum in Middlesborough to review the data and identify actions. Support into school is an essential element of this strategy and our younger engineers can really make a difference here. Research in the region suggests there is a shortage of 20,000 engineers, which coupled with the recent ETB report highlighting 70% of 16-19 year-olds don't know what engineering is - means we have a real problem, right now, that needs actioning. What do you think?

On energy supply, I think fusion has significant potential but the path to commercial demonstration is long and challenging. Media say progress to fusion power is just as damaging as some of the renewables messages we have been hearing. In the 1950s the public were led to believe electricity from nuclear fission would be 'too cheap to meter' - not quite the reality! Nevertheless fission power is and should continue to be an important source of the energy mix in our lifetime.

Yours Aye

John