Designed and manufactured by LOBO Systems, the British firm with the world’s most sophisticated work platform system, has won orders from AB Agri, part of the £13B giant Associated British Foods PLC.

The facilities convert grain into pellets by grinding it down and compacting it. This is done through various machines, conveyors and elevators, all requiring maintenance.

The engineering & maintenance teams require a single piece of equipment that would allow them to access all the machinery inside their building, including motors, bearings and hatches that need safe working access.

The LOBO platform system and its integrated Lifting Slider Beam configurations were perfect. Each site has a tailor-made “pool” of LOBO components that can build a tower to suit any issue brought to LOBO’s attention. The LOBO Systems solution will save AB Agri money long-term by reducing or eliminating the need for ongoing scaffolding costs.

Stuart Smith, the UK Reliability & Asset Care Manager for AB Agri comments:

Why did you purchase a LOBO System?

“I have used it before at several other businesses. Always found it easy to use and simple but very effective. The people I have dealt with at LOBO have always been professional, friendly and extremely helpful.”

What features of the system are especially appealing?

“Easy to assemble, and when you get used to it, you can erect it quickly. I feel safer on the top deck of LOBO equipment than I do with any other option. It all just locks into place with no tools and less risk.”

What was the thinking behind purchasing for all your locations?

“We have several areas that are difficult to access across the mills, and LOBO was the obvious solution. In addition, we can share knowledge and even equipment easily with LOBO rather than eleven different types of access equipment.”

Was the training of value and why?

“The training was superb, really well balanced between practical and theory. I felt confident that when the course was finished, I could train in the safe use of the LOBO system. As a result, all the engineering teams and I now know to train a vast amount of people in our business safely and effectively. Everything from the purchasing experience to the delivery and training has been superb. Even with the time, it took us to get the money allocated. LOBO was helpful and supportive in this process and, ultimately, highly patient with us.” 

The 12-month onboarding process comprised HSE compliance verification and approval by the UK engineering group, which has now been completed.

As LOBO is modular with no tools assembly, Amazon engineers use LOBO to access awkward areas above and around their conveyor units, which are in constant use, so a high priority. Outsourced contractor scaffolding costs can be substantially reduced, as maintenance teams can assemble the system anywhere required.

Robert Bokros, LOBO Systems inventor & CEO, explained: “The LOBO Advanced Platform System has revolutionized the way industry works safely at height. Evidence from satisfied users illustrates incredible cuts in scaffolding costs, reduced downtime whilst waiting for it to arrive, erected and less reliance on outside scaffolding contractors. In most cases, the payback time for LOBO is measured in months compared to conventional scaffolding. On our website, we identify these savings from actual case histories.”