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As usual, I would like to add my good wishes to that of the new President for a happy and prosperous new year to all members.
We start 2019 with degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, and how this will affect our industry. According to the British Coatings Federation (representing all the UK coating manufacturers), the industry could suffer severe disruption, a loss of millions of pounds and a drain on investment. The £4b “just-in-time” industry, has more than half of its suppliers based in the EU, and has been forced to activate “no deal” contingency planning which consists of stockpiling key raw materials and finished goods, hiring more warehouse space and setting up legal entities in the EU. Its members are also preparing to grapple with different sets of chemicals regulations, and face tariffs on both raw materials, half of which are sourced in the EU, and on finished products, costing the industry an estimated £150m.
However the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is offering help for coatings companies to stay in the British market while still fulfilling all necessary regulations, as not only UK companies will have to pay attention to changes after Brexit, it also affects companies in the EU-27 and EEA that are doing business with UK companies. However potentially the most prominent change will probably be that there will no longer be a REACH registration for UK-companies after Britain leaves the European Union, and thus could prevent the introduction of new materials and products to the EU.
Enough of politics and back to this issue, there are two technical articles covering corrosion protection and monitoring of oil and gas production systems, including those operating at elevated temperature. Hassan Malik discusses the use and positioning of corrosion monitoring points to ensure effective protection of assets, and Dik Bestzig explains how coatings are tested for performance at high temperature operation.
Finally, remember this is your magazine, and I welcome comments and suggestions on the content, and submissions of news items, new products and technical articles. I can be contacted at, brianpce@aol.com
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Happy New Year! I trust you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break. As incoming President this is my first bash at this column so please excuse me if I ramble on a bit!
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an electrochemist based at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington, southwest London. Over the years my involvement with the Institute has mainly been through the Corrosion Science Division, although I have picked up a reasonable understanding of the broader range of ICorr activities during my 10+ years on Council.
Our esteemed editor, Brian Goldie, was keen to include a photo of me so that you will be able to recognise me – or more likely cross to the other side of the road when you see me coming! The only thing vaguely suitable that I could find was this promotional shot taken recently by the NPL photographer. I feel I must point out that the item I am holding is a reference electrode…and not a pregnancy test as some wags have suggested.
I would like to thank our outgoing President, Sarah Vasey, for the excellent job she has done over the past two years. Sarah has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Institute to oversee a number of important initiatives, most notably the ongoing improvements to our training courses, the appointment of a new Business Development Manager, the increase in our student membership and (with significant input from Trevor Osborne) the successful purchase of our new home at Saxon Court in Northampton. All this on top of one of the busiest day jobs I have ever seen!
It is an honour to assume the role of President and I am very much looking forward to the challenge of building on the achievements of Sarah and previous Presidents. Completing the overhaul of our training course offering will obviously be a major priority. This is by no means a trivial task but is critical to our financial sustainability. Equally important will be the continued drive to recruit younger members, who after all represent the future of the Institute. As Young ICorr Chair, Chris Bridge has done an outstanding job in growing student members (over 100 at the latest count) and I will be working closely with his successor, Simon Bowcock, to maintain this upward momentum.
Right now the Institute is in pretty good shape, thanks mainly to the unstinting efforts of enthusiastic volunteers and committees. However, there is always room for improvement and we as Trustees and Council members are continually looking for new ways to enhance our offering to members. I am keen to meet as many of you as possible during my two year term to hear your views and am looking forward to attending a wide range of local branch activities and events. If you have any ideas for future initiatives I would love to hear them. The key thing is to get involved!
