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Gambica quits a restructured Beama

01 October, 1999

Gambica quits a restructured Beama

 

Gambica, the trade body representing the instrumentation, control and automation sectors, has ended its long-standing affiliation with Beama, the umbrella body for the UK`s electrical industry.

Geoff Young, Gambica`s chief executive, says that one reason for the move was Beama`s focus on the electrical sector. "We`re a lot broader than that," he points out.

Gambica is also changing its image and playing down its Britishness to reflect the increasingly global nature of the sector. It has dropped "in the UK" from its strapline, and ditched its traditional blue-and-red GB logo.

"A number of companies thought that the GB logo was outdated," Young explains. "When used overseas, GB was taken as Great Britain, which was not very helpful."

In future, Gambica will concentrate its efforts in areas such as collecting market data and providing technical support. It will sub-contract some of its functions, such as organising overseas activities. "This will allow our staff to focus their energies on membership issues," Young explains.

Gambica`s departure from Beama coincides with Beama`s decision to abandon its structure as a federation of trade bodies representing different sectors of the UK electrical industry. Beama has slimmed down its operation and updated its Articles of Association, some of which dated back to 1905. Beama director Dave Dossett concedes that the association had been seen by some as "an organisation rooted in the past".

Beama`s Council of around 30 members has been replaced by a much smaller directorate and Beama staff numbers have been cut from more than 80 in the early 1990s to around 30. Beama has also renegotiated the lease on its Westminster Tower premises which had plunged it into the red in recent years. Dossett is confident that this will put the organisation back in the black.