Institute of Instrumentation Control and Automation (IICA) president, Mario Dona, muses on the state of the Institute amid hard economic times, and calls all members to support their industry.
“Dear IICA Member
I would like to express my thanks to all long-term IICA members that have renewed their memberships and to all new members that have recently joined. This continual loyalty and support is the foundation of this institution. I trust you will continue to find value in being part of the IICA in future.
The current financial issues in 2008 and 2009 which we all face, together with the changing business and technical environments, have affected various technical institutions — including the IICA. Our relationship with Materials Australia is also changing and this is being driven primarily by a need to reposition ourselves for the future.
A number of initiatives have been considered by the Federal Council which has resulted in a new business plan which is summarised below. As we move forward, the Federal Council will be reviewing progress and re-examining areas which are under-performing.
On 6th February 2009, the IICA Federal Council employed the services of an external facilitator, Merv Neal from Maurant Business Associates, to assist us with our vision for the future. Many decisions were made during this exercise, all based on the results of a recent survey asked of members: What is the key benefit you want from your IICA membership?
The key benefits the majority of members mentioned were: networking, education and technical knowledge. As a result, the new IICA vision was formed:
‘To be the leading Australian organisation which industry seeks to set the benchmark, provide networking and education to the instrumentation control and automation industry.’
A business plan was produced to guide the IICA through the next three years with the key objectives being:
? Achieve better networking opportunities for our members;
? Provide up to date technical knowledge through a variety of activities;
? Have representation on national and international standards committees;
? Increase the youth recruitment into the ICA industry; and
? Clearly communicate to the market who we are and what we do.
Better networking opportunities and technical knowledge will be provided through technical presentations by visiting overseas experts, utilising the expertise of IICA fellows, a variety of ISA training courses and introducing various new technologies (i.e. webinars which will particularly appeal to those regional members that are not able to attend events in major cities).
The IICA is currently represented on a number of standards committees but we will be looking to increase this representation on the applicable national and international committees.
Through an increased association with universities and other training organisations, the IICA will seek to increase the number of young people entering the instrumentation, control and automation industries. Younger committee members will be encouraged to promote the IICA to other young people.
An IICA executive Officer will be employed shortly to ensure that key objectives of the business plan are adhered to and to further increase the visibility of the IICA.
The Federal Council representatives involved in this strategic planning were: Mario Dona, Dirk Kuiper, Kevin Barnes, Phillip Ring, Mark Brereton, Frank Silberberg, Charles Marshall, Danny Ainsworth, Stafford Simpson, Craig Baade, Allen Tighe and Cathie Tynan.
I would encourage you to support your fellow members, local divisions/branches and federal councilors to ensure the IICA can move through these challenging times.
Best Regards,
Mario Dona
IICA President.”