COMMENT
Editor: Adam Offord
Contributors: Brian Wall, David
Appleyard, Ian Vallely, Toby Clark,
Peter Shakespeare, Jody Muelaner,
Steed Webzell
Consultant Editor: Will Dalrymple
will.dalrymple@markallengroup.com
Art Editor: Neil Young
Production Manager: Chloe Jeakins
chloe.jeakins@markallengroup.com
Sales Manager: Beverly Jepson
beverly.jepson@markallengroup.com
Mob: +44 (0)7860 715085
Publisher: Jon Benson
Operations Engineer is the official
journal of the Society of Operations
Engineers, produced by MA Business,
Hawley Mill, Hawley Road, Dartford,
Kent, DA2 7TJ , UK
Tel: 01322 221144
www.markallengroup.com
Operations Engineer is distributed
free of charge to SOE members,
depending on membership sector.
For non-members, the annual
subscription rate (4 issues) is £57 UK
and EU, or £63 airmail outside.
Some of the articles and guidance
included in Operations Engineer
magazine may make a contribution
to your personal CPD requirements.
ISSN 2632-3451
Printed in The UK by Pensord Press
Mission statement
Whether testing a pump,
lubricating wire rope or monitoring
environmental emissions,
operations engineers inspect,
maintain and repair equipment
across a range of industries.
The mission of Operations Engineer
magazine is to:
Improve readers’ understanding,
knowledge, skills and competencies
in operations engineering
Promote the advancement of
science, technology and practices
in this field; and
In so doing, promote safety,
efficiency and environmental
sustainability in operations
engineering to benefit the wider
community.
Bruce McGill, CEO, Society of Operations Engineers
Getting on(line)
I n the 20th century, the way that membership bodies’ regional chapters and
groups met up in person to share best practice and network worked well,
and was in keeping with wider society. But in the past 25 years, the digital
revolution has transformed work, the way we access information and the way
we socialise. To remain relevant, membership bodies need to keep pace.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for change in that regard. It
has pushed previously-reluctant people to engage with digital, because social
distancing requirements have ruled out a physical alternative.
Over the past few months, the Society has produced a number of online
sessions, and the uptake and participation have been fantastic. We’ve had
people dialling in from all over the UK, and from as far as Hong Kong. In fact, they
have proven so popular that we’ve had to upgrade the system’s capacity.
For the first time, this year’s AGM, now scheduled for 6 October, will be a
hybrid affair. There will be a London meeting with limited numbers because
of social distancing restrictions, and the event will also be broadcast online.
Remote attendees can ask questions, and are entitled to vote on agenda items.
Hopefully this will enfranchise members that would not normally have the time
or the money to travel to London for the event. For those reasons, we expect to
carry on with this arrangement in future.
In this way, digital is augmenting Society activities, rather than replacing
them. So when the pandemic is finally over, hopefully our regional groups can
resume their local activities but with the option of also using digital channels
to present and share useful content with the wider Society membership. The
Society can support our regional teams with access to the tools required to
deliver and promote these online sessions and ensure that they are then made
available in the ever-expanding collection of content on our new website.
In this way the Society will expand its reach and capacity, to deliver on its
charitable objectives, to improve the technical understanding, knowledge, skill
and competence of individuals engaged in operations engineering.
URLs in Operations Engineer magazine
Some articles in Operations Engineer may contain shortened URLs –
www.is.gd/XXXXX – to additional content. To reach it, do not type the link
into an internet search engine. Instead, type the whole link into your web
browser address window.
Autumn 2020 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 3
/www.markallengroup.com
/XXXXX
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk
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