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Prop Pal in action - clamped to an existing floor and supporting the upper wall, as above, while the job is completed in safety below.
prototypes, so we sprayed them up and sold him those, and he was really chuffed with them.
“This also shows how much Prop Pal has evolved. Those early versions were crimped at one end, but customers began asking if they could be used like a conventional needle. We modified the adjustable foot to make it removable and the current design allows users to insert a prop at both ends if needs be.”
“That first year we had five hire customers on board and by year two it was over 15. To date, Prop Pal is available at 37 hire companies across 90 sites nationwide – including our biggest customers Smiths Hire and City Hire,” says David. “My target is to recruit 50 hire companies by the end of our financial year. Right now, Prop Pal is bought by customers about as much as it is hired out, and our website includes an interactive store locator to help people find their nearest suppliers.”
As its reputation has spread and the business has grown, Prop Pal must have come to the attention of rival manufacturers. Nobody has attempted to copy it – yet – but is the product sufficiently ‘protected’?
“It’s a bit spooky, this,” says David. “The patent was approved on my sister’s birthday on June 18th July 29th
, and it was finally received on , which is my birthday. It took us five
years to get the patent, but I was gobsmacked when I saw those two dates!”
Given the way that Prop Pal has taken off, a little bit of kismet seems appropriate. As the meeting draws to a close I wondered how Prop Pal might develop in the future, and whether its success had inspired ideas for other products?
“Firstly, we want to make it slightly stronger. It won’t cost much to do this, so I might not even announce it. We’re also thinking about bringing out a longer one,” says Steve. “Builders like the current dimensions because they only need to take one metric brick out, but a longer Prop Pal might be useful in some jobs.
“There’s a third thing that we’re not going to talk about. The idea is still in development but it’s going to involve Superprops.”
Lastly, Prop Pal is not an especially new product, although its success has been more recent. How will the company develop over the next few years? BDM David fields the question succinctly:
Acrow props can be inserted at both ends too, if required.
Support network Find out more about Prop Pal and connect with the team at
www.proppal.co.uk
Box Fresh It’s best to act quickly when
inspiration strikes. Steve Cheshire, eager to document his big idea as soon as he’d had it, reached for the nearest things to hand – a small white box and an old Biro. This rough, ready and somewhat pallid sketch is remarkably similar to the final product, although many accurate and more clearly delineated drawings have been created since.
“For me, it’s quite a simple one – I don’t think we’re a one-trick pony, so I want to get to the point where we have three products on the market. I want Prop Pal to become standard in the UK and to start selling it overseas. We’re pretty confident about achieving all of that, to be honest.” n
September 2021 - Executive Hire News 31
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