Rob Johnson presents at IMechE’s Lifecycle of Pressure Systems conference

On 31st October-1st November, AXIOM took centre stage at a major IMechE conference, exhibiting and sharing expertise with the delegates.

Director, Rob Johnson said, “Last week I was delighted to speak at the IMechE’s Lifecyle of Pressure Systems Seminar, on the topic of fitness for service, held at their HQ building in Westminster, London.

It was back in 1995 that I first travelled down to the building on Birdcage Walk as a young Engineering Graduate.  I sat and listened to presentations on the niche topic of local loadings on pressure vessels.  I accept this may not rock everyone’s world – but it helped me gain an understanding of a topic that has helped me earn a living for the following 28 years of my career.  I never guessed back then that I’d have the opportunity to stand up at the front of the same lecture theatre and make a presentation of my own.

For the Institute to be located so close to Whitehall and the Houses of Parliament, it showcased just how influential the Institute was in the formative years of the Industrial Revolution.  In fact, the imposing looking gentleman looking down from the painting behind me is George Stevenson – the first President of the Institute.

What is clear from the topics and themes of the seminar, is that the IMechE and mechanical engineering are just as important now – especially in tackling climate change and helping achieve Net-zero – as it was 200 years ago.  How to keep pressure systems safe (think hydrogen for example), recruitment and retention, managing ageing assets, dealing with the fall out of Brexit, CE marking and the opportunities and threats of AI were all discussed.

Either way, whatever the challenges, it is clear from speakers and delegate alike, is that there is still an abundance of talent and passion in the UK to get stuck in and offer pragmatic solutions.  My thanks to the IMechE and volunteers on the pressure systems group for giving me the opportunity to present.”