Why you should enter
November 2013
WEB Rigging Services won the 2013 Emerging Technology Award for its temporary underdeck access system, developed for fabric maintenance on offshore structures.
We put ourselves forward for the award because the Emerging Technology category seemed to be a perfect fit for our WEB Deck system which so far had only been piloted – we were looking for a substantial break into the market and felt that industry recognition of the product would really help in achieving this.
"WEB Deck combines strong, lightweight materials and innovative design to provide significant advantages over traditional suspended scaffolding. The system has a huge application and brings enormous benefits for clients, particularly a reduction in the cost of underdeck scaffolding which can equate to up to 80% of project cost.
"Our system has around an 80% reduction in contact points, which can often rise into the thousands using traditional scaffolding. With contact points being the first areas to corrode, this is a feature which has been welcomed by clients. 90% of contact point coatings can also be done at the same time as other areas, which is an industry first.
"It’s also been commented to us that productivity from workers using the WEB Deck system has increased. The area is far more open plan and less claustrophobic, creating a safer and more positive working environment.
"Everyone at WEB Rigging Services was delighted when we were announced as a finalist. We are a young company, in year seven of business and only year three of the system itself. When we saw the finalists that we were up against, and their clever, innovative products, it spoke volumes for our concept and how wide the application of the system is.
"I was truly speechless when we were announced as the winner - I think my surprise and excitement was clear when I picked up the award! We were over the moon to have won, particularly as we were relatively new to the energy industry.
"We’re using the WEB Deck system at the moment on our biggest offshore project to date, and the Offshore Achievement Award really is a talking point. We believe it has instilled an additional level of confidence in our clients who are using the system in the introductory stages. Particularly with international clients, who we often aren’t able to meet face to face as frequently as we would like, the award has been a credential that we are able to use to show how the industry has recognised our product and its benefits.
"Whilst it was fantastic to pick up the trophy on the night in front of hundreds of industry peers, the real celebration we’re having is how the award has added to the successful roll out of our system, and will continue to do so for the long haul."
