Im Gespräch mit Richard Dick, Präsident Orgalime

"My fundamental aim is to put manufacturing back at the centre of the policy agenda."

Richard Dick, Orgalime President

WSM: Thank you that you have given WSM the opportunity to ask some questions. Mr. Dick, in October 2009 you were elected as President of Orgalime and now you are one of the most important and influential representatives of the metalworking industry. Which particular objectives do you have?

Dick: I set out my programme at the Presidents’ Board during Orgalime General Assembly in November. I hope that it is available to you. I have been working with Orgalime for a number of years now and have come to realise just how important our support as company owners and managers is alongside the good work that Orgalime and its national associations do. My fundamental aim is to put manufacturing back at the centre of the policy agenda. It is somewhat sad that we have to see a sharp downturn in the economy and rise in unemployment before politicians fully appreciate the role that we, as a core industry in Europe, play. Therefore we must seize the opportunity to communicate clearly that Orgalime and its members represent some 11 million employees in manufacturing companies and that these companies - most of them family owned - employ people, often highly skilled, in many towns and in every country in Europe; and to this you must add the services which support our activity. My focus will therefore be on ensuring that this message and our wishes for better regulation, which helps us compete in Europe and in world markets, is clearly driven home. As the owner of a medium sized company, I believe that I can really contribute effectively to this objective.
 
WSM: The Treaty of Lisbon gives the European Parliament more power to shape Europe than ever before by increasing its legislative power. Please, tell us something about the effects for Orgalime.

Dick: This Treaty does provide for a further transfer of competence from national governments to Brussels. It gives more power to the European Parliament to shape legislation in new areas such as trade policy and energy policy. The Lisbon treaty does, however, give some new powers and rights to national Parliaments: draft legislative acts issued by the European Commission must now be sent to national parliaments which will have eight weeks to comment on whether they believe the proposal infringes the principle of subsidiarity. If enough parliaments do object, this could lead to delaying or even blocking a draft legislative act, such as a directive or regulation.
Therefore as Orgalime we will concentrate more on the European parliament and this is why for the first time this year we organised part of our General Assembly, where Mr. Lüling spoke for the metalworking industry, in the European Parliament at a breakfast session chaired by MEP Malcolm Harbour who is the Chairman of the Internal Market Committee, one of the most important ones for our industry. German MEPs also chair two of the most important committees for our industry – the ITRE (industry, research and energy) Committee, chaired by Mr. Reul and the ENVI (environment and consumer safety) chaired by Mr. Leinen. So we count on the support of our German members in this area. At the same time we need the support of WSM at a national level to influence proposals in national ministries, but also now in your national parliament.
 
WSM: Please, can you specify your proactive aims especially concerning the mostly family-managed small and medium-sized businesses of the metalworking industry? Do you have any particular relationship to the mentioned industrial sector?

Dick: As you will read from my biography, the roots of Lucy Group lie in the metalworking industry. Our company still manufactures metal castings nearly two  hundred years after starting in this business. So I am sure that I am close to your concerns and that I will be able to bring these to the Brussels institutions. I am also sure that you are aware that Orgalime has for the first time really succeeded – with your strong support – in putting the metalworking industry on the map of policymakers. Metalworking was a silent industry, an industry largely unknown to policymakers who therefore listened to its suppliers, the steel industry, and to its many larger customers. Now after the study we have done with the European Commission and after our reaction to the proposals for anti dumping actions on stainless steel and hot rolled galvanised coil in 2008, the views of metalworking will be taken into account in Brussels.

WSM: You are a director of part of the British electroctechnical manufacturing association, BEAMA. In the UK the economic situation has been and is particularly complex. Banks, insurance companies and financial service providers have all obtained special government aid whereas manufacturing industry has been mainly left to fend for itself. Do you think changes are necessary for the UK and furthermore, what do you imagine must be changed in Europe? Do you have any recommendations for solutions?
 
Dick: The need for banks to support industry is very important and this will be especially so once the recovery gets under way and the need for more working capital increases. We also require money to be available at a competitive cost and for the medium term so businesses have the confidence to invest for the future. New investment is essential if we are to compete successfully in Europe and in the fast growing markets of the World which is where we have the chance to expand over the coming years. Politicians must speak up for manufacturing industry in their dealings with financial institutions.

WSM: Thank you for this instructive interview.

Mr. Richard Dick is a British Citizen and has lived in the UK near Oxford for many years. He took an engineering degree at Cambridge University and after working for Plessey Radar and Siemens, he joined the family company W. Lucy and Co. Ltd of Oxford, where he has been Chairman and Managing Director, since 1990. Lucy’s origins date back to about 1812. On the industrial front, Lucy Group's main activities are the design and manufacture of electrical switchgear, primarily for utilities, and the manufacture of iron castings for a wide  variety of end users. The Group employs some 550 people and has 4 sites in the UK and 3 overseas. Mr. Dick is a director of BEAMA, one of Orgalime’s UK member associations.

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