Institution of Mechanical Engineers reaches 100,000 members

The Institution has this month reached the historic milestone of 100,000 members. Here, we find out more about what this landmark achievement means and how it enables a fresh look at what mechanical engineering is, plus, we meet the 100,000th member, Nicola McClatchey.

Founded in 1847 at the Curzon Street railway station – soon to be the site of the Birmingham high speed rail terminus – the Institution’s first President was George Stephenson, ‘Father of the Railways’. It has represented some of the world’s greatest engineers, from Joseph Whitworth, who standardised screws, to Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, and over the last 150 years has helped keep the UK at the forefront of engineering excellence.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has just passed 100,000 members for the first time in its 164 year history. Indeed, membership has grown from 75,000 members in 2007 – an increase of 33% in five years.

Significantly, there has also been a surge in applications for engineering degrees since the 2008 financial crisis, with more students now choosing engineering than law, languages or teaching.

Stephen Tetlow, Chief Executive said: “The country of Brunel, Stephenson and Whittle is witnessing a much-needed resurgence in engineering. It is more popular among British students than ever and the growth of engineering-based industries, such as UK car manufacturing, is proving to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy economic backdrop.”

“Yet we cannot be complacent. Engineers play an increasingly vital role in almost every major industry, from medicine to energy, yet the UK still needs 19,000 extra engineering graduates every year over the next five years to meet future demand.

“The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ membership reaching 100,000 is an historic milestone and an important signal that the engineering profession is growing in size and stature.”

Introducing Nicola McClatchey: the Institution’s 100,000th member

County Antrim engineer Nicola McClatchey originally discovered her passion for engineering at college, finishing top of her year and winning an award of merit from The Honourable The Irish Society for her engineering course. She went on to receive a scholarship from the Institution of Engineering and Technology to study for an Engineering Management BEng at the University of Ulster.

Since leaving university in 2005, Nicola has worked as a manufacturing engineer at FG Wilson (Engineering) Ltd, the largest manufacturer of power generators in Europe, in Larne, County Antrim. Responsible for improving the safety, efficiency and working practices at one of the most successful manufacturers in Northern Ireland, she is responsible for a design to order area that makes bespoke generating solutions for customers.

For Nicola, the best thing about being an engineer is the problem solving. “I enjoy the challenge of figuring out a puzzle and finding the solution to problem,” she said: “I find that this is one of the main roles we play as manufacturing engineers, designing the manufacture process and developing a production line that is cost effective and gives the customer what they need.”

The Institution has been working with government and the media to push the value of the oft-maligned British manufacturing industry to the economy, and Nicola is under no illusions as to its importance: “Manufacturers like FG Wilson are very important to the country’s economy and the lives of its employees.”

“FG Wilson is one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland across its four sites and I have found that the Larne site is the heart of the town. They provide business to other smaller local companies and they also provide support to the local community though charity support.”

She now hopes to stay within the manufacturing industry, moving on to a project management or team leader role, a goal which professional registration should help her move towards. “I had previously been an associate member of another institution but found that the IMechE were willing to provide more support to further my career”, she explained. “My team leader encouraged us to apply for professional registration and the Institution provided a lot of help and guidance to accomplish this. They made the process easy to follow and allowed me to gain registration alongside my busy working life.”

A new vision of mechanical engineering

To mark the election of Nicola as its 100,000th member, the Institution is launching a year-long campaign to consider what mechanical engineering means in today’s world, and on into the future.

Improving the World Through Engineering: Our Vision sets out to show how our members are helping to redefine what mechanical engineering is, and, just as importantly, through their work in some of the world’s most innovative and dynamic industries, are genuinely changing and benefiting global society.

Institution Chief Executive Stephen Tetlow observed: “The task of defining mechanical engineering is not an easy one because of the sheer range of technologies, products and services which thousands of mechanical engineering professionals design and produce, as well as the erosion of the boundaries between engineering and diverse disciplines, with the result that mechanical engineers play a role in almost every industry.”

The campaign’s central hypothesis is that mechanical engineering is not what you think. It illustrates this theme with a series of case studies, many of which feature Fellows of the Institution working in what some may regard as surprising sectors for engineers. Indeed, the opening pages of the accompanying book consider the Institution members who ensure you can enjoy your favourite Mars Bar, or work with surgeons to design long-lasting artificial hip and knee replacements, and the British visionaries who are leading a new industrial revolution in additive manufacturing: creating products as if ‘grown’ by nature, and re-writing engineering principles in the process.

Among the features in the campaign are case studies of Paul Sadler FIMechE, the engineer for theatre and opera who has brought to life sets for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne; satellite engineer Chris Brockley-Blatt FIMechE; the respective contributions to the London 2012 Olympic Games by Loughborough University’s Sports Technology Institute and Atkins Global; as well as the novel engineering approaches, in a world increasingly dominated by information and computation, which are enabling efficient human and machine collaborative relationships for such vital activities as co-ordinated large scale disaster responses.

Read more and download the book

To request a copy of the book please email: agenda@imeche.org

What do you think mechanical engineering is? Let us know in the comments.