Hire News HAE’s virtual reality training programmes wins prestigious


innovation award The Hire Association Europe (HAE) has won a prestigious award in the Commitment to Skills category of the PLANTWORX Innovation Awards for its use of virtual reality and oculus-rift technology for Health & Safety training. The award was presented at a lunch held at Carlton Terrace House in London on Thursday 6th April. Attendees included judges, sponsors and members of the PLANTWORX team, along with representatives of the press. PLANTWORX is a show shaped by the industry and its innovation awards recognise those forward-thinking exhibitors who are


helping to improve the efficiency and safety of construction sites. The HAE entry clearly demonstrates the association’s commitment to ensuring that access to training and safety guidance is readily available to a wider audience, which impressed the judges. Particularly impressive, given that the organisers stated that it was a tough category with a record number of entries.


Included within the now award-winning training programme are working-at-height and cut-off saw modules. HAE, in partnership with the University of the West of


England (UWE), has adopted the latest in gaming and VR technology to produce a risk assessment approach to fault finding. Users must first select the correct PPE for the job in hand, identify areas of risk, and undertake a series of multiple-choice questions to complete the module. New training modules are already in the pipeline, including dust, noise and HAVS, and other product groups like breakers, angle grinders and diamond drilling. The


HAE is committed to growing the number of modules over the next two-to-three years. PLANTWORK 2017 takes place FROM 6th-8th June 2017 at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire, HAE will be demonstrating its virtual reality training software at the show in Pavilion A, stand T2.


Morris Leslie Plant Hire’s expansion plans continue with the addition of


78 new Volvo excavators Morris Leslie Plant Hire Ltd continues its ambitious expansion programme with the purchase of a further 66 new Volvo compact excavators as well as 5 reduced-swing ECR145Es and 7 fourteen-tonne EC140E for its nationwide hire fleet. “Since purchasing a significant quantity last year, our Volvo compact excavators have proved themselves in terms of reliability, operator acceptance, ease of


maintenance and of course their performance. Opting for equipment that has a good pedigree with these attributes in mind is critical to us and these machines have done just that,” comments Morris Leslie Plant Hire’s Managing Director, Graham Ogilvie. “Based on these facts it wasn’t a difficult decision to choose more Volvos as part of our continued expansion plan for 2017 and most importantly our continued positive relationship with one of our core partners.” The purchase of these new Volvo excavators is just part of the first phase of Morris Leslie Plant Hire’s investment programme for 2017. “Keeping the hire fleet as


fresh and up-to-date as possible is key for Morris Leslie Plant Hire and we are proud to have one of the youngest fleets in the country. All our customers benefit from our reliable, modern, fuel-efficient, low-emission fleet, fitted with the very latest technology.” The new machines have been distributed evenly across Morris Leslie Plant


Hire’s thirteen branches. Their arrival coincides with the Group’s recent acquisition of four key depots following the demise of Hewden, these being Inverness, Whitehaven, Birmingham and Bedford, with the Bedford depot becoming Morris Leslie’s flagship facility concentrating on the very active northern Home Counties and north London markets. With more machines in prospect, the company will work closely with Volvo


Construction Equipment on regular training programmes for its sales and service personnel. “Understanding the machines’ specifications, features and benefits is equally as important as having the proper training for our service engineers,” comments Graham “And with Volvo’s network of customer support centres and utility dealers strategically placed around the country we know we can rely on their after sales support nationwide.” For further information visit www.volvoce.co.uk


BeA bids farewell to longstanding


team member BeA, the specialist manufacturer of fastening tools and consumables for the fencing and garden buildings industry, has said farewell to a longstanding member of its team. Chris Ibbotson retired from the business at the end of March after 15 years’ loyal service. During his time with BeA, Chris worked as a member of the company’s nationwide, field-


based sales force as a technical sales representative. Responsible for a territory which covered West Yorkshire and neighbouring areas of North


Yorkshire and Lancashire, Chris played a vital role in helping customers to benefit from BeA’s extensive range of high performance, highly reliable products. These products include pneumatic, electric and gas powered hand tools, machine mounted


modular tools, and a market-leading array of nails, staples, screws and other fasteners. Over the course of his career with BeA, Chris became a well-known figure across a


diverse customer base that includes both large and small fencing and garden building manufacturers. Speaking of his retirement, Chris said: “BeA has been a good company to work for,


especially given its global and highly respected nature. He continues: “I’ll miss the people the most. I’ve had some great customers and


colleagues.” John Mercer, managing director at BeA, adds: “Chris has been a valued member of the


BeA team for a decade and a half. During that time, he’s made a genuine contribution to our on-going success and growth. He’ll be sorely missed and we wish him all the best for the future.”


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