Post-Brexit Standards and Directives for Pumps

Wayne Rose, CEO of the British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) shares some thoughts on the shifting legislative landscape impacting the pump sector in the aftermath of Brexit, highlighting some of the efforts undertaken by his organisation (and others) in ensuring a fair and equitable approach is adopted across the board.

For decades, the UK and its manufacturing industry, aligned the vast majority of its product safety and certification protocols with that of Europe, ensuring that both elevated levels of compliance and fair competition were maintained across this vast trading block. In fact, drawing on the vast experience and technical expertise available through our extensive complement of trade bodies, institutions and world-renowned academia, the UK has been instrumental in devising much of the regulatory framework that exists today. Its influence has been profound and far reaching, and contrary to some views, despite the complications brought about by Brexit, many of the UK’s trade bodies, including the BPMA, still maintain a considerable voice on the international stage.

In the case of my own organisation, which represents the commercial interests of UK and Irish manufacturers and suppliers of liquid pumps and other pump related equipment, it is itself a member of Europump, the European Pump Association which represents 15 National Associations across the continent of Europe. Furthermore, as a founding member, the BPMA has representation on the main Europump Council, and holds the Secretariate of the Europump Marketing Commission, and enjoys strong representation on both the Standards and Technical Commissions.

As such, and directly through this engagement, the BPMA is not only able to keep abreast of all applicable directives, standards and compliance matters relating to the manufacture and supply of pumps throughout Europe and the rest of the World, it is also able to help steer, guide and question these important legislative activities.

Navigating Uncertainty: The BPMA will maintain ongoing discussions regarding the potential divergence of the UK from existing European standards and directives related to product certification. Insights will be provided on how the pump sector can effectively steer its way through the uncertainty brought about by these potential changes.

Critical Role of Certification: Emphasising the significance of product certification, the BPMA will continue to highlight the potential implications for manufacturers, suppliers, and end-users. Key to this is advocating high-quality standards to ensure the continued reliability and safety of all pump products and their related systems.

Industry Advocacy and Collaboration: The BPMA is committed to maintaining a proactive role, along with other ‘partner’ trade organisations, in providing the UK Government with substantial background information and market feedback to help ensure the long-awaited updates fully align with industry needs.

As we navigate the evolving landscape post-Brexit, it is crucial for the pump industry to adapt to changing standards. At BPMA, we are actively engaged in providing insights to policymakers, both at home in the UK and within the EU, advocating for updates that will benefit the entire sector. Our collaborative efforts with fellow trade organisations underscore our commitment to ensuring a robust and progressive regulatory framework. And for the benefit of our pump manufacturing members, we will continue to lobby all applicable persons and entities to ensure essential safety compliance, improved energy efficiencies along with fair and equitable trading opportunities.

For further information on the BPMA, and the extensive work it undertakes on behalf of the pump manufacturing industry, please contact Kiran Kaur by phone on +44 (0)121 601 6691 or by email at k.kaur@bpma.org.uk.