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Sell the benefits
V
IEWPOINT
Sell the benefits n announcement that the UK D e p a r t m e n t of T r a d e a n d I n d u s t r y (DTI) is to a l l o cate s o m e £4 million, d u r i n g t h e n e x t t h r e e to f our years, for r e s e a r c h into c o m p o s i t e s , would, one would think, have been g r e e t e d with e x p r e s s i o n s of joy. But s o u n d s of c o n c e r n and d i s c o n t e n t have been e m a n a t i n g from both th e Com pos i t es Processing Association (CPA) and the British Plastics F e d e r a t i o n (BPF) Composites Group bot h of w hom a p p a r e n t l y believe t h a t t he DTI policy m a k e r s are o u t of t o u c h with wh at h a p p e n s at t he s h a r p end. Processors are said to believe t h a t the £4 million is likely to be s p e n t on projects which are too a c a d e m i c to be of practical use. In addition, p roces s or s t hi nk the time-scale for thes e projects is too long. A c o m p a n y with cash-flow p r o b l e m s now and an o r d e r book which is ominously thin up to t he first q u a r t e r of 1994 needs help in t h e foreseeable fut ur e not in five to seven years time. A meeting h o s t ed by the DTI on 4 October was i n t e n d e d to provide an o p p o r t u n i t y for clarifying Gove r n m e n t thinking and also to give the c o m p o s i t e s i n d u s t r y a chance to e x p r e s s its views. The CPA did, but t h o s e a t t e n d i n g ha d t he impression t h a t th e event was a ritual exercise b e c a u s e DTI policy was a l r e a d y i m m u t a b l y cast and t h a t little change is likely. The DTI claims t h a t its policies are now m a r k e t - l e d r a t h e r t h a n t e c h n o l o g y - p u s h e d b u t in m o s t areas th e change is not perceptible. P e r h a p s t h i s is c a u s e d by b u r e a u c r a t i c m o m e n t u m : the analogy of a t a n k e r changing course seems relevant. At least t h a t would give cause for h o pe in t h a t it would indicate t h a t s o m e o n e in t her e can actually h e a r w h a t we out he r e are saying. But is t h a t really true...! There is a belief t h a t to the DTI, c o m p o s i t e s m e a n s aerospace, armam e n t s , n u c l e a r energy, p o s s i b l y
A
high-speed trains. This is the hightech, low volume, high cost albatross which has been a r o u n d t he industry's neck for m a n y years and a b o u t w hi ch m a n y d e l e g a t e s at n u m e r o u s conferences have complained, but w i t h o u t a p p a r e n t effect. These a p p l i c a t i o n s are r e m o t e from the world of small electrical, m e c h a n i c a l and building component s in which the average processor operates. So are we back to t he com posi t e industry's image p r o b l e m again? Is
"The accumulation of resin/reinforcement types with p r o c e s s i n g techniques must inevitably confuse the m e s s a g e for the end user." t he DTI's a p p a r e n t misdirection of r e s earch funding a n o t h e r s y m p t o m of t he lack of a p p r e c i a t i o n of where com po si t es are headi ng and the kind of applications which should be developed to provide t rue tonnage growth? C o n s u m e r s use technical t erm s indiscriminately: if it is synthetic, it is 'plastic', a noun which inevitably has pejorative overtones. The m ore worrying aspect is t he fact t h a t m a n y p r o d u c t designers also seem to suffer a fair m e a s u r e of confusion. Talking a b o u t polyester/glass, phe no l i c sheet moulding c o m p o u n d (SMC) or p u l t r u s i o n s to a designer who has only j ust a b o u t come to t e r m s with the relative merits of p o l y p r o p y l e n e a n d p o l y a c e t a l is likely to p r o d u c e a glazed look. Every i n d u s t r y has it j a r g o n , b u z z - w o r d s a n d a c r o n y m s . T he plastic/composites variety are p r o b a b l y no m ore confusing t h a n others. Nevertheless, t he accumulation of r e s i n / r e i n f o r c e m e n t types with processing t e c h n i q u e s m u s t inevitably confuse the message for
REINFORCED PLASTICS NOVEMBER 1993
t he end user. This is the result of most of the p r o m o t i o n being left to materials p r o d u c e r s and e q u i p m e n t manufacturers. Rarely does a quick flip through the pages of a trade journal, reveal ei t her editorial or advertising p r o m o t i n g the virtues of r e i n f o r c e d c o m p o s i t e s v e r s u s metals or ceramics. Because t hose virtues are wellknown and self-evident? They may be t o t h o s e in t h e c o m p o s i t e industry but I would question w h e t h e r they are to designers and specifiers. Generic materials p r o m o t i o n is notoriously difficult to agree and to fund, but it has been done very successfully in t he p a st by both c o p p e r and al um i ni u m producers. Economic recession is not a good c l i m a t e in w h i c h to p e r s u a d e materials suppliers to c o n t r i b u t e to a campaign which will equally benefit competitors. The same arg u m e n t will u n d o u b t e d l y be raised by processors who, even in b o o m times, argue v e h e m e n t l y t h a t they are t h a t m uch smaller and less well financed t h a n the materials suppliers. But if composites processors are to p e r s u a d e bodies like the DTI to fund t he kind of grassroots technical d e v e l o p m e n t t he y need, th e re has to be a m u c h clearer e x p re ssio n of t he benefits to be provided by composites and of the key areas and applications t h r o u g h which th e i ndust ry could c o n t r i b u t e to m a n u facturing growth. Woolly t h i n k i n g by t h e civil s e r v a n t s m u s t be c o u n t e r e d by clear thinking -- and some resolute cooperative campaigning -- by t hose in t he composites in d u stry who could benefit from a m o re com m erci al a p p r o a c h by government. Assuming, of course, t h a t it really is becoming m a r k e t led. John Hayes John Hayes is a consultant and freelance journalist specializing in the plastic industry.
IEWPOINT
Sell the benefits n announcement that the UK D e p a r t m e n t of T r a d e a n d I n d u s t r y (DTI) is to a l l o cate s o m e £4 million, d u r i n g t h e n e x t t h r e e to f our years, for r e s e a r c h into c o m p o s i t e s , would, one would think, have been g r e e t e d with e x p r e s s i o n s of joy. But s o u n d s of c o n c e r n and d i s c o n t e n t have been e m a n a t i n g from both th e Com pos i t es Processing Association (CPA) and the British Plastics F e d e r a t i o n (BPF) Composites Group bot h of w hom a p p a r e n t l y believe t h a t t he DTI policy m a k e r s are o u t of t o u c h with wh at h a p p e n s at t he s h a r p end. Processors are said to believe t h a t the £4 million is likely to be s p e n t on projects which are too a c a d e m i c to be of practical use. In addition, p roces s or s t hi nk the time-scale for thes e projects is too long. A c o m p a n y with cash-flow p r o b l e m s now and an o r d e r book which is ominously thin up to t he first q u a r t e r of 1994 needs help in t h e foreseeable fut ur e not in five to seven years time. A meeting h o s t ed by the DTI on 4 October was i n t e n d e d to provide an o p p o r t u n i t y for clarifying Gove r n m e n t thinking and also to give the c o m p o s i t e s i n d u s t r y a chance to e x p r e s s its views. The CPA did, but t h o s e a t t e n d i n g ha d t he impression t h a t th e event was a ritual exercise b e c a u s e DTI policy was a l r e a d y i m m u t a b l y cast and t h a t little change is likely. The DTI claims t h a t its policies are now m a r k e t - l e d r a t h e r t h a n t e c h n o l o g y - p u s h e d b u t in m o s t areas th e change is not perceptible. P e r h a p s t h i s is c a u s e d by b u r e a u c r a t i c m o m e n t u m : the analogy of a t a n k e r changing course seems relevant. At least t h a t would give cause for h o pe in t h a t it would indicate t h a t s o m e o n e in t her e can actually h e a r w h a t we out he r e are saying. But is t h a t really true...! There is a belief t h a t to the DTI, c o m p o s i t e s m e a n s aerospace, armam e n t s , n u c l e a r energy, p o s s i b l y
A
high-speed trains. This is the hightech, low volume, high cost albatross which has been a r o u n d t he industry's neck for m a n y years and a b o u t w hi ch m a n y d e l e g a t e s at n u m e r o u s conferences have complained, but w i t h o u t a p p a r e n t effect. These a p p l i c a t i o n s are r e m o t e from the world of small electrical, m e c h a n i c a l and building component s in which the average processor operates. So are we back to t he com posi t e industry's image p r o b l e m again? Is
"The accumulation of resin/reinforcement types with p r o c e s s i n g techniques must inevitably confuse the m e s s a g e for the end user." t he DTI's a p p a r e n t misdirection of r e s earch funding a n o t h e r s y m p t o m of t he lack of a p p r e c i a t i o n of where com po si t es are headi ng and the kind of applications which should be developed to provide t rue tonnage growth? C o n s u m e r s use technical t erm s indiscriminately: if it is synthetic, it is 'plastic', a noun which inevitably has pejorative overtones. The m ore worrying aspect is t he fact t h a t m a n y p r o d u c t designers also seem to suffer a fair m e a s u r e of confusion. Talking a b o u t polyester/glass, phe no l i c sheet moulding c o m p o u n d (SMC) or p u l t r u s i o n s to a designer who has only j ust a b o u t come to t e r m s with the relative merits of p o l y p r o p y l e n e a n d p o l y a c e t a l is likely to p r o d u c e a glazed look. Every i n d u s t r y has it j a r g o n , b u z z - w o r d s a n d a c r o n y m s . T he plastic/composites variety are p r o b a b l y no m ore confusing t h a n others. Nevertheless, t he accumulation of r e s i n / r e i n f o r c e m e n t types with processing t e c h n i q u e s m u s t inevitably confuse the message for
REINFORCED PLASTICS NOVEMBER 1993
t he end user. This is the result of most of the p r o m o t i o n being left to materials p r o d u c e r s and e q u i p m e n t manufacturers. Rarely does a quick flip through the pages of a trade journal, reveal ei t her editorial or advertising p r o m o t i n g the virtues of r e i n f o r c e d c o m p o s i t e s v e r s u s metals or ceramics. Because t hose virtues are wellknown and self-evident? They may be t o t h o s e in t h e c o m p o s i t e industry but I would question w h e t h e r they are to designers and specifiers. Generic materials p r o m o t i o n is notoriously difficult to agree and to fund, but it has been done very successfully in t he p a st by both c o p p e r and al um i ni u m producers. Economic recession is not a good c l i m a t e in w h i c h to p e r s u a d e materials suppliers to c o n t r i b u t e to a campaign which will equally benefit competitors. The same arg u m e n t will u n d o u b t e d l y be raised by processors who, even in b o o m times, argue v e h e m e n t l y t h a t they are t h a t m uch smaller and less well financed t h a n the materials suppliers. But if composites processors are to p e r s u a d e bodies like the DTI to fund t he kind of grassroots technical d e v e l o p m e n t t he y need, th e re has to be a m u c h clearer e x p re ssio n of t he benefits to be provided by composites and of the key areas and applications t h r o u g h which th e i ndust ry could c o n t r i b u t e to m a n u facturing growth. Woolly t h i n k i n g by t h e civil s e r v a n t s m u s t be c o u n t e r e d by clear thinking -- and some resolute cooperative campaigning -- by t hose in t he composites in d u stry who could benefit from a m o re com m erci al a p p r o a c h by government. Assuming, of course, t h a t it really is becoming m a r k e t led. John Hayes John Hayes is a consultant and freelance journalist specializing in the plastic industry.