The Federation of Engine Remanufacturers (FER) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday 7th October at IAAF offices in Birmingham, with the proposed petrol and diesel ban firmly placed at the top of the agenda.
The Federation, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2017, added a number of new members over the past twelve months, and held regional meetings that proved successful in giving both old and new attendees an insight into FER activity, as well as discussing key policies for the months ahead.
With technology continuing to evolve, FER is widening its remit having attracted attention from companies involved in wider remanufacturing such as remanufacturing turbos and major units, as well as remanufacturing engines from commercial, agricultural and marine sectors.
With news that the UK government plans to ban sole petrol and diesel engine cars from 2040, the Federation looked at how its members were gearing up for the future. The high attendance was viewed as a reflection of members’ keenness to discuss the challenges ahead and the meeting was noted for adopting a forward-thinking approach in tackling the key issue.
John Gray, FER president, said: “The meeting served as an opportunity to further express FER’s intentions to strive to ensure a prosperous future for our members, particularly in light of how legislation is re-shaping the nature of our industry. We have an industry to protect and it’s crucial that its voice is heard.”
Diesel engines have come under a lot of criticism over the last year, with the UK government announcing that it was to ban their sale, as well as those of petrol engines, by 2040. From that time on, only new hybrid, electric of hydrogen powered vehicles will be allowed on dealer forecourts. Sales of diesel-fuelled cars have been falling in the UK during 2017, with a market share down by 16.1% in the first 11 months of 2017.
