John Meale, managing director of Thorworld Industries, a
major manufacturer of loading bay and materials handling equipment, made his plea during the 2005 Orgalime 50th
Anniversary Conference, ‘Engineering The Future,’ in Brussels.
Orgalime is the European federation of national associations
representing the largest manufacturing industries in the EU and embracing the
mechanical, electrical, electronic and metal working sectors in 23 European
countries. It includes over 130,000
companies, employing some seven million people, which in 2003 accounted for
1,175 billion Euros turnover (more than 25% of the EU’s manufacturing output
and a third of its manufacturing exports).
Mr Meale, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics
& Transport (FCILT), is a former President of the British Materials
Handling Federation (BMHF), past Chairman of the Association of Loading &
Elevating Equipment Manufacturers (ALEM), and now a board member of the
Federation Europeenne de la Manutention (FEM), the European Federation of
Materials Handling, and also President of its Elevating and Loading Equipment
Product Group.
He was speaking during a round table debate on “Integrating
Europe”, alongside MEPs from
“When the original
Common Market was established there were limited numbers of members, with no
massive differences between them,” he said. “Now there are 25 members with
significant differences in size, output, inflation, wage rates and
infrastructure development.
“There are
opportunities for us in the
He said that not all new member states were adhering to
legislation and directives aimed at levelling out the situation across the EU,
such as wage rates, quality & safety standards and hours of work.
“It is vital that the European institutions and governments
create a level playing field and ensure by efficient policing that all imported
goods are produced to the same high standards as those produced in
“I have personally seen products from the emerging states
which do not carry the CE-mark and that in my view are totally unacceptable in
terms of both quality and safety, and support is therefore needed from
governments to help ensure that these do not reach the market place.
“At the moment nobody’s really checking to see if the new
member states are conforming to EU standards, which is why we are already
seeing inferior and unsafe materials handling equipment coming into the
Mr Meale said that as self-policing was evidently not
working, stringent EU checks and enforcement were required.
“At present, checks and investigations are generally only
made after there has been a problem or accident, by the Health & Safety
Executive and the Department of Trade & Industry.
“Enforcement is required, ensuring full implementation of
directives and quality standards right across the EU, before any further expansion
with low cost economies takes place.”
He said that as a result of manufacturers in new EU member
states becoming involved with organisations like Orgalime and FEM, as
“EU enlargement could
certainly be seen as a threat to the overall manufacturing base in
“But the world is now a very small place and we must look to
the opportunities that the new Central and Eastern European member states bring
to us, along with the formidable challenges arising from
“If we do not utilise the benefits of the low cost economies
in order to move forward in our own businesses, then some will not survive.
This can mean buying goods, parts and services from them or even becoming
involved in joint ventures. But it’s
essential that any products or services should always be at least in line with
the appropriate EU standards”.
“At Thorworld we already source some components for our
equipment from outside the
Thorworld Industries is the leading one-stop, single source
supplier of loading and unloading equipment for the loading bay, materials
handling, distribution and logistics sectors.
For more information about their market leading equipment
and to obtain a copy of their latest product range catalogue contact: Thorworld
Industries Ltd, Station Lane Industrial Estate, Old Whittington,
A high-resolution photo image to accompany this release is
available here
Photo Caption:
John Meale, founder and Managing Director of leading loading
& unloading equipment specialist Thorworld Industries Ltd.
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF:
Thorworld Industries Ltd,
Station Lane Industrial Estate,
Old Whittington,
Tel: 01246 260981.
Fax: 01246 260493.
Email: info@thorworld.co.uk
Contact: John Meale,
Managing Director
ISSUED BY:
Bird & Moore Ltd, Advertising,
Marketing and Public Relations,
The Old Vicarage,
Uttoxeter,
Staffs,
ST14 8AA.
Tel: 01889 565111.
Fax: 01889 565700.
Email: birdandmoore@btinternet.com
Contact: Neil Moore, Managing Director