Winners revealed at IAPA access awards in Amsterdam

Paul Adorian and Pierre Saubot were joint winners of the lifetime achievement award at the 2011 International Awards for Powered Access (IAPA) ceremony held in Amsterdam on 14 April before an audience of more than 450 people.

Other winners included Facelift Access Hire (Access Rental Company of the Year) and Harsco Infrastructure (Access Project of the Year for the Heron Tower job).

The four Product of the Year categories were won by MEC Aerial Platforms (for the Titan Boom), Custom Equipment (HB-830 scissor), CTE (B-Lift 20.13 MP truck mount), and Alimak Hek for the Scando 650 hoist. The judges also presented a 'Highly Commended' citation to Oil&Steel/HCNL for the Snake 2714 compact in the vehicle mounted category.

The IPAF Safety Champion was Kevin O'Shea of Mastclimbers in the US, while the Contribution to Safe Working at Height award was given to ZT Safety Systems in the UK for its innovative safety harness. The award for After Sales Service was won by Independent Parts & Service (IPS).

The IAPAs are jointly organised by Access International and IPAF. Headline sponsor for the awards was online auction company Iron Planet; Gold sponsors were Alo Rentals, Haulotte Group and Terex AWP/Genie Industries; and the Silver sponsor was JLG Industries.

The judges describes Pierre Saubot as one of the pioneers of the access industry in Europe with an enduring commitment to safety, and said that Paul Adorian had been crucial in creating IPAF and instrumental in developing what is now a worldwide operator training scheme.

The judges said that Facelift - the access rental company of the year - had "performed exceptionally in a challenging year".

The IAPA awards also include three awards targeted at IPAF members only.

In these categories, the winners were BS Technology from Singapore (Best Marketing Campaign for IPAF training), Gurpartap Singh of Rapid/Lavendon Group (IPAF Training Instructor of the Year), and Italian company Piattaforme Aeree Formazione (PAF) (Best New IPAF Training Centre).

The ceremony took place at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, attending by more than 450 industry delegates. Earlier in the day many had attended IPAF's annual Summit conference, also taking place at the Krasnapolsky.

The full list of the winners, and the citations from the judges, were as follows:

Facelift Access Hire, UK (Access Rental Company of the Year)
Of the winner the judges said: "This company showed an exceptional performance in a challenging year, and has produced an acclaimed safety guide and has been consistently innovative with creative and unique marketing reflecting the company's character."

Paul Adorian & Pierre Saubot (Joint Winners - Lifetime Achievement Awards)
The judges said Mr Adorian had helped establish the UK as one of the world's
best developed access markets. He was the first person to establish a successful access rental company in the UK, was crucial in the creation of IPAF and led the organisation as MD for many years. He was also pivotal in creating the training programme which is now such an important part of the organisation's activities. "He continues to plan active role in the industry, running one of the best known notified bodies in the UK, PAC."

Mr Saubot, said the judges, is one of the pioneers of the European access sector, and a past-president of IPAF. "He has built one of the major manufacturers in the world - Haulotte - and has worked hard throughout his long career to promote the use of powered access worldwide. He is still very active in the industry and at Haulotte, and remains one of the true leaders of this industry."

Kevin O'Shea, Mastclimbers (IPAF Safety Champion)
The judges said that Mr O'Shea "has maintained a consistent and exceptional performance in promoting safety, has influenced government and safety regulators, and continues to promote mast climbers internationally"

ZT Safety Systems, UK (Contribution to Safe Working at Height)
The judges said that ZT "has developed a unique product that has the potential to save lives, whose ease of use will encourage people to adopt it, and which improves and reduces the risks associated with conventional models".

Harsco Infrastructure Services - Heron Tower Project, London (Access Project of the Year)
"In a very tightly contested category, we chose the winner for overcoming obstacles and defining standards in taking mast climbing technology to new extremes".

MEC Aerial Work Platforms: Titan Boom (Product of the Year - Self Propelled (booms, scissors, atrium lifts)
The judges thought that this company could have established a new market category in a platform that offers the deck characteristics of a large double-deck scissor with the carrying capacity of a telehandler and the characteristics of a telescopic boom."

CTE: B-Lift 20.13 MP (Product of the Year - Vehicle/Trailer Mounted)
As a winner in a strong field, they were described by the judges as creating a genuinely unique product. "It stands out in a highly competitive market, by combining the characteristics of a simple telescopic boom platform with that of an up and over machine."

Alimak Hek: Alimak Scando 650 (Product of the Year - Mast Climbing Work Platform/Hoists)
The judges said that the winner was "an engineering triumph - and definitely one of the largest masted passenger/goods hoists ever produced. The company used all its expertise to engineer a unique solution to transporting goods and personnel on an inclined building 200 m high."

Custom Equipment: HB-830 (Product of the Year - Low-Level Access)
The judges said, "In a fast growing sector of the access market we were impressed by this company's approach to developing low weight scissor lifts. The winner was recognised for its performance in combining capacity, compactness and mobility."

Independent Parts & Service (IPS), UK (Award for Outstanding After Sales Service)
"IPS had an excellent track record already, but still managed to achieve impressive improvements in their 2010 performance with several initiatives that proved beneficial to their customers." The judges liked the way the company worked with its customers to improve efficiency while at the same time reducing costs.

IPAF AWARD CATEGORIES

BS Technology, Singapore (Best Marketing Campaign for IPAF Training)
The judges said; "It is difficult to overestimate the impact on IPAF training that this company has made. It has gained government recognition for IPAF training, helped establish standards in a country where none previously existed, and is serving as a model for the promotion of training."

Gurpartap Singh, Rapid/Lavendon Group (IPAF Training Instructor of the Year)
The judges described the winner as a passionate advocate of IPAF training. "His is a great story of personal achievement, who was described by his employer as not just a great trainer, but one of the company's best salesmen."

Piattaforme Aeree Formazione (PAF), Italy (Best New IPAF Training Centre)

The winner was described by the judges as delivering "a remarkable record in what was a very difficult year."

The judges were: Roger Bowden, owner/founder, Niftylift, UK: Gerhard Hillebrand, IPAF Italy representative; Murray Pollok, managing editor, Access International; Steve Shaughnessy, IPAF past-president; and Mike Watts, chairman/founder, Sunstate Equipment, US.

The full shortlists were as follows:

Access Rental Company of the Year
Alo Rentals, Chile
Easi Uplifts, Republic of Ireland
Facelift Access Hire, UK (WINNER)
Industrial Access, Romania
Lavendon Access services, UK

IPAF Safety Champion
Carl Evans, HSS Hire, UK
Srini Kadaba, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo, Saudi Arabia
Teresa Kee, NES Rentals, USA
Douglas McLuckie, A-Plant, UK
Kevin O'Shea, Mastclimbers, USA (WINNER)

Contribution to Safe Working at Height
AFI-Uplift, UK
Bronto Skylift, Finland
BS Technology, Singapore
Lavendon Access Services, UK
ZT Safety Systems, UK (WINNER)

Access Project of the Year
Harsco Infrastructure Services - Heron Tower Project, UK (WINNER)
Mastclimbers & Goedecke Equipment - Robert A Young Refurbishment Project, USA

Award for Outstanding After Sales Service
Access Plus Scotland, UK
Independent Parts & Service (IPS), UK (WINNER)
Terex Aerial Work Platforms, USA

Product of the Year - Vehicle/Trailer Mounted
CTE: B-Lift 20.13 MP (WINNER)
France Elevateur: 111F eco Elevator
Oil&Steel Northern Europe/HCNL: Snake 2714 compact (HIGHLY COMMENDED)
TIME International: Versalift ET-36-LF Electric

Product of the Year - Self Propelled (booms, scissors, atrium lifts)
Haulotte Group: HA12CJ+
MEC Aerial Work Platforms: Titan Boom (WINNER)
MULTITEL Pagliero: SMX225
Teupen Maschinenbau: LEO 25 T Plus
Merlo: MPR
Holland Lift: Megastar G320EL30

Product of the Year - Mast Climbing Work Platform/Hoists
GEDA-Dechentreiter: Geda 300 Z/ZP Transport Platform
Alimak Hek: Alimak Scando 650 (WINNER)

Product of the Year - Low-Level Access
Custom Equipment: HB-830 (WINNER)
Bravi UK: Caddy
Skyjack: SJ12
Power Towers: Nano SP

IPAF AWARD CATEGORIES

Best Marketing Campaign for IPAF Training
Access Plus Scotland, UK
BS Technology, Singapore (WINNER)
HERT Arbeitsbuhnen, Germany
Mastclimbers, USA

IPAF Training Instructor of the Year
Claudio Figueroa Garcia, Alo Training
Jur Kamsteeg, Riwal
Steve Murdoch, HSS Hire
Felice Maurizio Vivalda, Mollo
Gurpartap Singh, Rapid Access/Lavendon Group (WINNER)

Best New IPAF Training Centre
Heyrod Construction, UK
NES Rentals, USA
Piattaforme Aeree Formazione (PAF), Italy (WINNER)
SETIF di Roberto Catana, Italy