UKLA President’s Report


Only a few months have passed since the UK general election but we are already becoming aware of a very different government approach to UK business. You will see in the Executive Director’s report that Rod Parker has given his thoughts on the current economic situation and where UK business is in relation to the recession. The UK Government has its own ideas about how to help improve business performance which in turn will give a boost to the economy and take away some of the uncertainty that is still prevalent in industry.


For at least the last 30 years there have been many government initiatives to provide business support with Regional Development Agencies and Business Link being at the forefront in recent years. The Government has now put in place a consultation process to replace most of


this activity with a series of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and across the country local councils are working with local Chambers of Commerce to form LEPs. The objective is to have a strong equal partnership between the private and public sectors with leaders from industry and commerce being given the opportunity to drive the agenda for business improvement and the infrastructure and support services that are required to achieve this improvement.


Each LEP will be able to bid for a portion of the Government’s £1bn Regional Growth Fund, to be spread over 2011-12 and 2012-13. The bidding process will be competitive and any LEP can make a bid for funds. European Funding will continue to be available on a national and regional basis. Importantly, the public sector cannot bid for funding without a private sector partner.


The LEP programme is up and running with LEP submissions having already been made in September. The Government has promised a quick


UEIL President’s Report


Dear LUBE readers


At the time of writing this report, we’re fully immersed in the preparations of the UEIL Annual Congress, ’The European Lubricant Industry at the Beginning of the New Decade’. As you surely know it will take place in Vienna on 21- 22 October 2010.


This year’s programme looks informative, challenging and interesting. Challenges and opportunities for the European Lubricants Industry in the new decade; automotive lubricants in Central and Eastern Europe; US Market; Trends in Metalworking Fluids; Lubricants and the Automotive Industry; European Regulatory Affairs; REACH and developments in the Re-refining Industry. These are only some of the issues our top level speakers will tackle.


I am happy to confirm that two officials from the European Institutions have accepted our invitation to speak at the Congress.


Mr Peter Megaw from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will join the


panel on REACH and will focus partic- ularly on the Safety Data Sheets. Mr Christian Weinberger, Entrepreneurship and SME Policy Adviser of the European Commission, will present a paper on ‘European entrepreneurship and SME policy’. We look forward to welcoming them in Vienna.


Registrations show an excellent trend, confirming the UEIL Annual Congress as the pre-eminent event of the European Lubricants Industry. If you have not registered yet, you can always do this by visiting the UEIL website, www.ueil.org.


On 22 October, just after the Annual Congress, UEIL members will gather together for their Annual General Assembly. This is the opportunity to express your right to vote and an important occasion to contribute to the Association’s strategy. This year our General Assembly will also have the task to elect the new Board of Directors. I am sure all our members are willing to contribute and share this important moment of the Association’s life.


I am delighted to inform you also that UEIL will make a presentation on ‘Balance of losses after the crisis – oils and lubricants market in the European Union’ at the 1st International Forum on Oils and Lubricants for Industry 2010.


The Forum is taking place in Wieliczka (near Krakow, Poland) on 6-7 October 2010. This sounds like a good opportunity to network and learn more about applications of oils and lubricants for industry, disposal of used oils, standardisation and other interesting topics. During the event participants can also attend workshops on oil outsourcing and service in production and machine industry; sales and distribution; monitoring of oil systems in mining industry as well as cleaning and rinsing of oils systems in metallurgy.


In the framework of the CIP Eco- innovation, a European Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (the EIP) which seeks to support innovation and competitiveness of small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs), UEIL is now a partner of the VOSOLUB project. The VOSOLUB project aims at testing new formulations of sunflower-based bio- lubricants with high oleic acid content, developed within the framework of the European IBIOLAB project.


I wish you a nice reading of this LUBE magazine and look forward to meeting you all in charming Vienna!


Jos Jong UEIL President LUBE MAGAZINE No.99 OCTOBER 2010 3


response to the applications and the process of formalising the LEPs should be completed by the end of the year.


What does this mean to UKLA members? It gives an opportunity for a UKLA member company based in the UK to approach either their local Council or their local Chamber of Commerce and find out first hand what the approach is going to be for business support activities in the geographical area where the UKLA member is based. The member can then keep themselves informed on what is happening or if they want to take it a stage further they can put themselves forward to be directly involved in the LEP.


May I take this opportunity to remind members and readers of the UKLA 2010 Annual Dinner? Full details can be found on the UKLA website.


If any readers want to contact me directly to raise any concerns, issues or pass on any information that may be useful to other UKLA members then please email me at


david.jukes@uk.houghtonglobal.com


David Jukes UKLA President


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