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GASKET CUTTERS' ASSOCIATION |
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How
to Apply
HOW
TO APPLY When complete
please return to: Please email us at info@gcassociation to receive a Full Membership Pack
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
JOIN TODAY
WITHOUT DELAY
MEMBERSHIP
GRADES Associate - Any company or a section of a company which, while being able to demonstrate a significant turnover derived from the cutting of gaskets from raw materials nevertheless fails to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Executive Committee that it is acting independently and without any significant structural or legal links with another company, companies or sections thereof which are primarily recognised by the Executive Committee for other commercial activities and/or services. Affiliate - Any company, or section of a company which is not able to demonstrate a significant turnover derived from the cutting of gaskets from raw materials but which can, nevertheless, demonstrate to the Executive Committee that it has a commercial or professional interest in gaskets and is in a position to make a positive contribution to the aims and objectives of the Association. Membership shall be corporate rather than personal. All employees of a company in membership will have access to and may benefit from services provided by the Association. The Executive
Committee will exercise full control over application and admission procedures.
Their decision on all matters concerning applications and admissions will be
final and they will not be bound to give any reason for any of their decisions
on such matters.
As a Member of the Gasket Cutters’ Association (GCA), this company guarantees as follows: 1. that goods and services supplied by our business conform fully with current UK legislative and regulatory requirements; 2. that customer satisfaction and safety are of prime importance in all our dealings; 3. that our business maintains adequate levels of insurance cover appropriate to the nature, scale and scope of our business activities; 4. that all people employed or engaged by our company are adequately trained and supervised by competent management appropriate to their job functions and that we operate formal internal quality assurance systems covering all aspects of our business activities; 5. Goods and services are provided to client specifications and provide adequate and appropriate customer support and after sales service. 6. that we will accept full responsibility to the customer for the performance of anyone to whom work is sub-contracted; 7. That the member will uphold
the good name and reputation of the GCA and its members and the industry in
general. 8. that in the event of any dispute between a customer and ourselves, which cannot be satisfactorily resolved through our own internal procedures, we agree to the appointment by GCA, on an equally shared cost basis with the customer, of an independent arbitrator by whose decision we will abide; 9. Client's confidential information shall not be divulged to a third party and should not be used outside the immediate client - supplier relationship. 10. that we will abide by any decision of the Executive Committee of GCA, under the terms of their approved disciplinary procedures, following their consideration of any reported serious breach of this Code including a decision to suspend or terminate membership. As amended/approved at the AGM 3/10/07
MEMBERSHIP
F.A.Q.’s The
cost of £495.00 to Affiliated and Associated membership deduct the 19%
Corporation Tax;
The GCA is a member of the British Standards Association so that you do not have to be! As a
band 2 BSI member Deduct £189.50 Again as an Affiliate / Associate member deduct the fuel costs, wear and tear and vehicle depreciation, representative time and entertaining costs to otherwise visit 10 to 15 purchasers of your products countrywide; say 5000 miles @ £0.40 per mile = £2000.00, 10 days non productive travelling time @ £250.00 per day = £2500.00 and entertainment costs £20.00 maximum (cutters are always very cheap to entertain) = £4520.00 Oh dear I have just realised that it doesn’t cost you anything! Ok for those with accountant training add back the 19% tax, however you are still on to a winner. Now if you are a poor gasket cutter the membership is actually cheaper @ £440.00 so doing the same maths without the need to visit your suppliers the cost to you is £166.90pa less the savings in any standards that you might purchase. (Not a lot of gaskets is it!) “ If I join, GCA members will “nick” my clients!” This just does not happen. In fact we have had members bring their clients as guests to our golf days. Now that’s confidence for you! Sometimes there is talk about clients, but generally this about clients who are a problem in one way or another or about clients of competitors who are not members of the GCA. All potential clients are available to every gasket cutter in the country, and here is a free of charge tip; use Kelly’s, Kompass and Google to find them. Clients are always available, and they will not be lost to a competitor just because you are a member of the GCA. Benefits of being a member of the GCA are numerous; there is an excellent web site where members stand alongside their competitors with direct links to their own web sites. Don’t worry if your client visits another members site, he could very easily do that on Kelly’s where we have all paid a fortune for top spot and the banners. However there is a difference, members of the GCA have a code of conduct and a mission statement. (Please refer to the GCA web site) “I can’t afford the time!” Three days a year to update yourself on news of the industry, personnel changes, takeovers, buyouts dodgy materials and unfortunate illnesses and deaths within the industry. Visits and social days enable the transfer and dissipation of this valuable information. The latest visit was our first international visit to Reinz in Germany, slightly cold @ -14C, but for those hardened people that attended valuable links and friendships were made. We have all seen gaskets being manufactured before and we all have our own expertise in certain areas, however I am sure that there was not one cutter who went away uninspired with the new technology, work ethic, quality control commitment and just the knowledge of what is achievable given investment, time and dedication. It is
unfair to say that just our German friends have everything right, we have had
great visits to Interfloor (Gates Rubber), the automatic spiral wound plant at
Richard Klinger and their centre of excellence, the generous hospitality of
James Walker in Cockermouth, the vast Flexitalic production facility. Jaguar
cars at Halewood with that mile long assembly line, JCB with those welding rods,
Lotus Cars and their bonding jigs, Rolls Royce/Bentley and their slowest in the
world assembly line. All are great companies with processes and work ethics
worthy of adoption. It would be fantastic to see more people from James Walker and Richard Klinger at our meetings, they are still major forces in our industry and very much respected. We need input from them on their new materials and working practices. We see it in the Klinger World news publication, it would be good to see it at a local level. Smaller cutters need not worry about joining, there will always be somebody that you will know and that you can work with. So in summary, don’t worry about the cost of joining I have already demonstrated that it is minimal for the return. Don’t worry about losing any of your accounts you could lose them at any time anyway. Build your relationship with your suppliers and competitors in a relaxed atmosphere, sometimes your competitor becomes a supplier and a friend, but always a competitor. JOIN and ENJOY. If
you would like a details of the events the GCA are planning, and you are not
personally on our mailing list please e-mail Julie Mellish and details will be
forwarded to you .
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Status, esteem and
professional credibility
offering reassurance to your customers and giving you a market "edge".