____________________________________________________________________________________________ BFT Mastclimbing
“ At the next opportunity the owners bid for a project using mastclimbers , and although at the time they had no stock a project was won , and mastclimbers were procured . The first job was a success , and so was the second - soon , mastclimbing became the primary service offering of BFT and scaffold contracting became a thing of the past .
“ Today , we predominantly provide mastclimbing work platforms . We are the largest single stockholder of mastclimbers in the country , maybe Europe . On top of these , we have some construction hoists , which are suitable for a variety of applications to complement our offering .
“ Our fleet consists of 1600 mastclimbing driver units , spread across four different equipment sizes . The smallest unit we provide is a lightweight model known as the BFT90 . This is a compact machine that can be manoeuvred by two people . It ’ s perfect for fitting into smaller , more confined spaces . For example , it ’ s been used to do work in lift shafts and on canal towpaths , where traditional scaffolding simply won ’ t fit . Then , we ’ ve got the BFT120 , and the BFT130 . These are our core machines . They ’ re very flexible and hard-working pieces of equipment . They can carry a significant load , and the 130 is especially versatile , meaning we can adapt it to suit different applications and apply innovation . This gives us more flexibility and allows us to use these machines on a wider variety of projects .
“ Finally , we have the BFT150 . The 150 is our biggest machine . This is used primarily on heavy duty projects , where the materials are heavy , and the project is usually operating on a much larger scale . Our fleet is varied enough that it suits the requirements of almost any building project - and when a customer approaches us , we ’ re able to give expert advice as to which models would be best for the job . In addition , as if our fleet wasn ’ t already working hard enough , it ’ s also helping us in our philanthropic work . All our 130 machines are painted pink , and for every unit that goes on hire we contribute toward breast cancer awareness through Cancer Research UK . Equally all of our 150 machines are red , and we contribute to the Lighthouse Foundation .
“ Our machines and our staff are the core of our business and services we offer . Everything is maintained to an impeccable standard and supplied by European manufacturers . We buy brand-new , and the entire fleet is owned by BFT Mastclimbing . We also have our own fleet of specialist vehicles , which we operate alongside the mastclimbers . The machinery is delivered to site , with a BFT driver to pick up or drop equipment off . Our drivers are all trained to deliver equipment using HIAB attachments . In total , we operate eight Heavy Goods Vehicles ( HGVs ) for transportation and delivery purposes . On top of that , we operate a number of smaller vehicles for our installers and engineers to use . All equipment is prepared , delivered , erected , adapted and dismantled by BFT personnel .”
Multiple benefits
Mastclimbing equipment offers numerous advantages over traditional scaffolding , as Andrew discusses : “ The benefits are so simple we put them on the side of our vans in our logo ‘ faster safer cheaper ’. Compared to traditional scaffolding , what can take 24 days to put up takes just a few days for the equivalent , with significantly less men , materials and transport involved . Because of the way the machines work , there ’ s significantly less impact in terms of transport , meaning there ’ s less vehicles coming to site . This makes the overall project more sustainable and provides faster access for the people using the equipment and that is before we consider the client savings from an accelerated build or reparation program .
“ They are also equally as flexible as scaffolding . Mastclimbers are suited to most building projects , and we can adapt
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