Less hot air

Steady progression rather than shattering innovation has always been the key to the success of the fluid power and hydraulics industry. However, like all companies in the UK, energy saving is becoming more important to those operating in this area.

'The hydraulics and pneumatics industry in the UK is growing,' said Ian Morris, director of the

. 'However, there isn't really ever any radical technological change, more a trend towards steady progress rather than having any eureka moments.'

This view is echoed by Paul Taylor, managing director of fluid power solutions providers Hyquip. 'The technology used by operators is certainly being refined but it doesn't really evolve rapidly,' he said.

Yet as fuel prices yo-yo, leaving companies periodically facing increased costs, the problem of energy saving is fast becoming the most talked-about issue around. Fluid power alone is a £16bn industry worldwide. According to statistics from Purdue University in the US, each 10 per cent improvement in the energy efficiency of current uses of fluid power would save about £3.5bn a year in energy outlay.