6 minute read
Up, up and away
from Scaffmag Issue 15
by ScaffMag
As the new Mechanical Access Director at Lyndon SGB, the versatility of Paul Price has gone to a whole new level. Throw in the fact that this popular people-manager has an ongoing role as MD at Taylor’s Hoists, and you’ll realise great responsibility comes naturally to this likeable industry leader, as Grahame Anderson discovered
“It was a pleasure to accept the role as Mechanical Access Director leading Lyndon SGB MASTCLIMBERS ™ , as well as Taylor’s Hoists, as one,” he told me.
“After taking on the job, I met with the mechanical access teams in Glasgow and Manchester and witnessed first-hand the skill, dedication and effort each branch can offer their customers. We have decades of experience in both hoist and MASTCLIMBERS ™ , superb customer service and the very best machines – giving our clients the best possible mechanical-access solutions nationally.
“Our mechanical access teams always strive to treat each customer like they are number one – no matter if they only have small, single MASTCLIMBERS ™ or 10 large, twin MASTCLIMBERS ™ and multiple hoists on their project. And this level of service quality goes back to the drawing board and in-house design teams, not just the on-site delivery and completion from our many skilled operatives.”
Given these mechanical-access services run parallel to scaffolding divisions, what is a ‘total access’ or ‘hybrid access’ mission? It seems Paul is grasping the future with both hands.
“Having been part of Taylor’s Hoists’ growth in UK construction for more than 15 years and the BrandSafway era, my expectations are very high, but I already know the Lyndon SGB MASTCLIMBERS ™ team is able to meet and deliver these high standards from what I have witnessed over the last month. We are all very excited about the future and the exciting projects we are currently, and will be, working on, in the whole of the UK.”
BrandSafway is a leading global provider of access and specialised services. With locations in Aberdeen, Barry, Birmingham, Bristol, Broxburn, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ipswich, Leeds, London and Manchester along with Taylor’s Hoists in Duxford, England,
Lyndon SGB provides comprehensive total vertical and scaffolding access solutions for the commercial construction, industrial and infrastructure markets in the UK
With vast experience across the industry, ScaffMag wondered about the biggest change Paul had witnessed? “There’s been a few,” he explained. “I would say standards of health, safety and quality within the mechanical access industry have definitely seen a vast improvement over the years. The requirement for machines that are bigger, faster and offer greater payloads is definitely another.
“What’s more, I feel over the last 10 years, technology within the industry is facilitating the launch of safer products. This includes better-designed landing gate systems ,easier both to install and operate.
“Also, those manufacturers designing modular hoists have made life easier for the clients as well as the hoist hire companies. Enabling one main hoist chassis to offer different lengths to suit different situations and scenarios; where the client may have a small footprint requiring a small hoist, or the client has long loads, which may need a longer hoist. Just by adding extensions onto the main chassis, the hoist cage can be lengthened by over a metre on some cages.
“Newer machines now have a greater consideration, when designed, to be more eco-friendly and operate with a greater energy efficiency, using less power to move greater loads, more frequently.”
He cites the fleet Lyndon SGB/ Taylor’s Hoists run: the A3 unit – a device allowing remote access to monitor how the machine has been and is currently running. This also assists with the identification of faults, before anyone is deployed to rectify them, offering great potential to assist both client and supplier.
So how does Paul approach his working role? “I like to think with openness, honesty, and try to put myself in other people’s shoes to understand what and how I may be able to help. I see my role as a support role as well as a leader.
“I myself was once an apprentice and a few people I met along the way helped me within my career. I owe thanks to them for the role I carry out today. To be able to do that for others that really want it and deserve it gives me a great sense of satisfaction.
“In my new role, I’ll be leading and supporting the Mechanical Access division of Lyndon SGB. I’ll take the great stuff each division does to build a division that can support all our clients to the best of our abilities.
“Going forward I see the construction industry building taller structures, quicker. To match this the hoist industry will need machinery able to lift bigger loads, quicker over larger elevations.
“Sustainability is a bigger consideration now than ever, so I also see the industry making sustainability a priority level with health and safety. We will all need to start thinking smarter about what we do and how we do it to reduce our impact on the environment.” There’s little doubt Paul has been a visionary within the industry he loves so much, so how does he see the long-term future, given the struggles of the past two years due to the pandemic? He told me: “My vision is that we continue to perfect the great service we already offer, continue to invest in the newest, greenest fleets and ancillaries – assisting our clients with their mechanical-access needs, however complex. I look forward to growing and aligning the mechanical access business with the great, large-scale team we already have to support our goal – to be the best access provider in the country.”
It’s obvious to anyone that Paul Price is a talented man of vision who fully believes in the force of this incredible industry. Does he have a message for the industry?
“It’s been really humbling to have received such support from my team in my new role, from old colleagues to new, along with my peers within the industry. My family have been my rock as I now travel around the UK much more than I used to before. I’m very proud of the team and the support I also receive which adds to the drive and passion I have for the business and the industry, 24/7/365. Thank you to all those that have helped me from an apprentice through to being a director of the UK’s largest scaffolding and access firm today. It’s been emotional.”
