More than 400 access industry professionals attended the International Awards for Powered Access at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin. Major winners included Riwal, access rental company of the year; JLG, product of the year for its LiftPod; Denis Ashworth and John Fuller for the Lifetime Achievement Award and NES Rentals CEO Andy Studdert, who was named IPAF Safety Champion. Lavendon Access Services was honored for contribution to safety by a rental company; SkyJack for manufacturers’ contribution to safety; Mastclimbers for the mast-climbing achievement award; and A-Plant for the access industry training award.
Riwal, profiled in the September 2008 issue of RER, is based in The Netherlands, with branches in many European countries, as well as Brazil and Kazakhstan. In 2008, the company established operations in the Baltic States, Poland, Croatia and Brazil. The judges said, “This is a top quality firm, producing a first-rate performance, playing a leading role in developing rental in new markets.
JLG’s LiftPod, profiled in the December 2008 issue of RER, is a small lift that is a safer, more productive alternative to ladders, easy to transport and carry.
NES’ Studdert was honored for making safety a top priority at NES, creating a safety-first culture through training programs, awards and industry-safety initiatives. The judges said of Studdert: “He has taken the vast safety and technological expertise he gained in the airline industry and used it to exceptionally good effect in the rental business.”
U.K.-based A-Plant made itself one of the U.K. aerial industry’s most successful training programs, training more than 3,700 customer employees and invested in a new National Customer Training Centre.
SkyJack, based in Guelph, Ontario, was recognized for its track record of supporting training and safety initiatives. Lavendon Access Services also was recognized for its aerial safety efforts.
Lifetime achievement awards were given to Ashworth, a production and design engineer for Simon beginning in 1953; and Fuller, who recently retired from Genie Industries after a 27-year career. Fuller was Genie’s first-ever employee in the U.K.
The awards were jointly organized by Access International magazine and the International Powered Access Federation.
