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ASSOCIATION STRATEGY
Key
Factors in Rema's Strategy to ensure the representation of the interest
of
companies operating in the UK market. ® First, REMA does not open its doors to all non-British manufacturers. It invites only those companies who are part of, or who represent, European Manufacturers whose parent companies are themselves members of a national Trade Association which, like REMA, is a member of CEMEP, the European Committee of Manufacturers of Electrical Machines and Power Electronics. ® Second, REMA believes in a European dimension. The Single European Market is less protective of national markets and more concerned with Europe's competitiveness with other powerful trading blocs. However, it is too big and diverse for Trade Associations to operate only on a pan-European scale : there is also a need for a local dimension. ® Third, REMA recognises current needs. Manufacturers are increasingly losing national identity as they form bigger groups across international boundaries. They can no longer claim to be exclusively British, German, Scandinavian or whatever. Against this background there is a risk that the local dimension could be lost. Conversely, it is important that smaller producers continue to have access to services and forums that might otherwise disappear under the weight of the multi-nationals. ® Fourth, REMA believes that the national Trade Association should reflect its local market as much as its local manufacturing base. The reduction in the number of British manufacturers over recent years, together with the rise in the number of importers, means that some of the key objectives of REMA are increasingly difficult to meet. To reflect the market, it is necessary to involve all the key European players. Current info: So what
benefits does membership offer? ® Market
Data Technical Standards ® REMA nominates members of committees and working groups with BSI, IEC and CENELEC. It is therefore able to influence the proposals and decisions of these bodies and to react to such proposals as and when they are tabled. REMA is also the official channel of communication in the UK for technical proposals from the European Commission and the British Government. ® REMA recognises that not only different countries, but different companies within those countries, will have widely differing views on some of these matters. The Association does not expect to steamroller a British view and claim that this is the official view of everyone operating in the UK market. REMA does expect that by open discussion at a local level with Continental colleagues, it can gain better understanding of different technical approaches. This in turn makes discussion at the European level, both in the technical bodies and within CEMEP, easier and more productive. ® REMA is also convinced that the technical policies of individual countries will benefit from direct input from individual markets, such as the UK, which may have their own particular needs or characteristics. ® A pooling
of views of this nature will clearly be most effective when all European
Trade Associations adopt a similar approach but REMA does not hesitate
to take a lead. |
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© REMA, 2004 |