Robert Beebee honoured as AMPS Lifetime Member
The latest AMPS Conference and AGM in London was a day full of inspiring and information-packed presentations, networking and overdue catch-ups – but it also featured one very special moment.
Our current Chairman, and ex-Managing Director, Robert Beebee, was honoured as a Lifetime Member of AMPS.
Robert was awarded a made-to-measure velvet AMPS blazer to commemorate the moment.
We asked Robert how he (and IPU) became associated with AMPS…
When I joined IPU in 1980, I had no experience of the genset industry, or anything really! One day, I was sitting in my sales office wondering how to learn about the industry that IPU were selling American Bosch electronic governors and hydraulic starters into. I was idly flicking through EPN (European Power News), the industry publication at the time. In it, I saw an article about an AMPS trade association meeting every quarter at Benn Hall in Rugby. I thought I had better join and find out if this was a way to learn about the industry. It was!
In those days AMPS was dominated by many more genset manufacturers and far fewer suppliers. Gerald Parkinson and Bob Wheadon ran the association and did a marvellous job of growing it. We had two main exhibitions, InPower and ICE, but to get many OEMs exhibiting was always a challenge. Largely because no one wanted their hard-won customers seeing who the competition was! It was all very secretive. The internet has rather changed this…
Being Chairman 10 years apart saw little change in one fundamental area. As Council we always questioned whether we were delivering value for money for the membership. We surveyed, we asked, we discussed. The reality with any trade association, and IPU have been members of a few as a diverse company, is that you get out what you put in. My view on my legacy will always be that I felt AMPS always needed someone actively visiting the membership and new potential members. Someone spreading the gospel of St AMPS. The appointment of Paul Blything did that back in 2011 or so. Paul got out there and got amongst the members like no one before and he did a remarkable job of understanding what the members wanted, that is continuing to this day.
We are hugely proud of Robert’s contribution to AMPS over the years and wish him a huge congratulations on the achievement.