Member Case Studies Needed for Annual Report on the U.S. Fluid Power Industry

by Eric Lanke
NFPA CEO

Last year, as part of our efforts to speak with a louder voice on behalf of our industry, NFPA produced its first-ever Annual Report on the U.S. Fluid Power Industry. This brief overview of the size, economic impact, and future direction of our industry is a document intended for public audiences, and is useful in our discussions with the public policy sector as we work towards securing government funding for our technology and workforce development initiatives.

In the next few weeks, we’re going to be assembling our second such report, and our goal is to greatly expand the content that is included. Our outline of our envisioned report includes the following sections:

1. Domestic output and exports of the U.S. fluid power industry
2. Number and regional distribution of manufacturing plants and jobs in the fluid power industry
3. Downstream economic impact of fluid power; size of and number of jobs in industries that absolutely depend on it
4. Fluid power is enduring and essential; it supports many of our nation’s key industries and the objectives of many of our core government agencies
5. Fluid power as a contributor to energy productivity – it can be used to reduce energy use and that equates to increased competitiveness and jobs
6. Research and education directions in fluid power; and what’s needed to increase fluid power’s impact even further

We need the help of willing NFPA members so we can gather data and information for all of these sections, with a special emphasis on sections 4 and 5—what makes fluid power enduring and essential and how fluid power is a contributor to energy productivity. Any case studies that members are willing to share publicly that demonstrate the truth of these two statements would be most appreciated.

Please contact me at (414) 778-3351 or elanke@nfpa.com with any questions.