NFPA Provides Opportunities to Promote Fluid Power Technology

By Eric Lanke
NFPA President/CEO

One of NFPA’s core strategic objectives is to provide our members with opportunities and resources to promote the unique strengths and inherent advantages offered by modern fluid power technology. There are a lot of ways for members to get engaged in our programs dedicated to advancing this objective.

As we’ve previously reported, IFPE, the premiere trade show and technical conference for the fluid power, motion control, and power transmission industries, was successfully held in March 2020 – without its traditional record-breaking attendance, but with its traditional high quality connections between suppliers and customers. Fewer attendees were in Las Vegas, but those who did come were there to buy, and most of our exhibitors reported high levels of satisfaction with the quality of the leads they generated. The planning cycle for IFPE 2023 has now begun, with a new IFPE Management Committee formed and now meeting to begin setting the exhibitor, attendee, and marketing objectives of the show. As we have done for several cycles now, NFPA’s focus will be on continuing to expand the technological scope of the show, further increasing the representation of industrial and pneumatic suppliers and customers. For the latest information about the show, visit ifpe.com.

We’re also looking at other technology-forward trade shows that NFPA members are or could get more involved in. One existing partnership we have is with MPT EXPO, the new motion and power technology trade show that is trying to build an audience among the customers that fluid power, electrical, and gear manufacturers share. Another existing trade show partnership is with THE UTILITY EXPO, the new name for ICUEE, a show focused on public utility technology, construction, and contracting. Both of these events will be held in September 2021, and you can learn more at motionpowerexpo.com and theutilityexpo.com, respectively.

Our Fluid Power Forum podcast is a great way to stay engaged with technology advances in the fluid power industry – and to share those advances with your customer or other external audiences that should know more about modern fluid power technology. Since its launch in August 2019, Fluid Power Forum has posted bi-weekly episodes, recently showcasing many of the advances that were presented on the IFPE show floor or in the IFPE technical conference – including a deep focus on electrification and autonomous operation trends. Total downloads now stand above 9,700 with more people connecting in every day. To subscribe or just listen, go to https://fluidpowerforward.libsyn.com/.

Another great resource worth sharing is our latest Annual Report on the U.S. Fluid Power Industry. Updated with new data through the end of 2019, this report serves as a tool that members can use to promote the fluid power industry to external stakeholders—customers, users, government officials, the public at-large—anyone who doesn’t know as much as they should about fluid power and the industry that represents it. It showcases our industry as a workhorse of the U.S. economy—a cross-cutting technology of choice for dozens of industries and hundreds of applications. It reviews both the size and economic impact of the industry, as well as the current R&D directions of fluid power technology. Download and share your copy here: https://www.nfpa.com/home/industry-stats/Annual-Report-on-US-Fluid-Power-Industry.htm

And finally, NFPA continues to share great promotional content – especially from Fluid Power Forum and the Annual Report – over our various social media channels. It’s one of the primary ways that positive messages about fluid power and our industry can reach key stakeholders, both among customers and young people looking for career opportunities. NFPA members play a vital role in extending the reach of this content by sharing our posts in their own social media networks. Last year, likes and impressions increased by an average of 75% across our various platforms, and we’d like to see a similar increase again this year. Connect with us and help make our content go viral on:

Twitter – @TheNFPA

LinkedIn – National Fluid Power Association

Facebook – NFPA Fluid Power Challenge

Instagram – @The_NFPA

All of these activities mean that NFPA is making good on its objectives of providing opportunities and resources that help promote modern fluid power technology. If you would like your company to become more engaged with NFPA, please reach out to me at elanke@nfpa.com or (414) 778-3351.