INTRODUCTION

I do not claim an expertise in manufacture, but I want to make three points briefly in this chapter and then to enlarge on the last of them.

Market information is usually inaccessible, and there may be a case for research centers to work together to provide a better source of data for industry. It is clear that there is not always an entirely satisfactory information flow, even within companies, between the marketing department and the technical and manufacturing operations.

My first point is, therefore, to suggest the need for better market information both within and outside companies.

My second point is to indicate the need for the flow metering industry, on the one hand, and the science base as it relates to instrumentation, on the other hand, to create an effective means for technology transfer, which in the process will raise the profile of the sector and ensure that government is aware of its importance. Past experience of encouraging collaboration suggests that industry and the science base do not always appreciate the value of working together. Collaboration between industry and the science base should be mutually beneficial in providing an antenna for new information on developing technologies.

The third point is that the production of instrumentation is a special case in which the effect of the production process on the final accuracy of the instrument may, in some cases, be predicted and used to specify the production requirements.