Halford is managing director and owner of Dynamic Load Monitoring (UK), a designer and manufacturer of load cells and load monitoring equipment, and a director at Vulcan Offshore, an engineering services specialist for the offshore industry.
Commenting on joining the board, Halford said: “LEEA is a great forward thinking international association for the Lifting Industry, providing training and other vital resources. I was first encouraged to put myself forward for board membership at LiftEx 2019 while speaking to some industry peers, and it is something I have considered for a while now. With a background in Electronic Engineering, owning DLM and the evolution of technology within the lifting industry, I thought that some of my skills could be utilised within LEEA and help represent some of the more electronic based lifting products on the market including Load Cells. I would like to be able help drive the Association forward and assist in developing LEEA’s offerings to the global market, while continuing to promote best practice.
“I am encouraged to see LEEA engaging with other industries using lifting practices and offering support for non-traditional products for the Lifting Industry, which I believe will stand it in good stead for future development.”
Ross Moloney, CEO at LEEA said: “Martin is a tremendous addition to the Association’s Board, which makes a vital contribution in helping to drive LEEA forward as we continue to support our members and create the conditions for sustainable, safe, innovative and advanced industry.”
Steven Flint, founder and CEO of The Rigging Shed in Western Australia, has also joined the LEEA board, as regional director for Australia.
Flint said: “My overall focus will be the membership—and letting the rest of the LEEA Board and organisation know their views, thoughts and aspirations.
“I would like to thank Ashley Thacker for his work and dedication to LEEA during his tenure in the role. I wish also to thank the members who endorsed me to represent them and look forward to hearing their views.
“There will be more autonomy for Australian and New Zealand LEEA members, leading to some real and meaningful improvements on several levels, with additional member and industry benefit. Education is the future and creating industry specific qualifications will enhance our ability to attract, train and retain technical people. Working with Justin Boehm, LEEA’s Member Engagement Manager for Australia, we will be driving this forward and I particularly look forward to hearing from our members.”
Brexit preparations
LEEA has published its ‘Guidance to UK conformity assessment, marking and documentation’. It can be found on the recently-added Brexit tab on the Association’s website: leeaint.com.
The portal has been created to help keep companies up to date on all Brexit news and provides details on UK trade agreements and manufacturer requirements, says the organisation. There is also a series of Brexit-specific frequently asked questions: the FAQs and the UKCA Guidance note will be continuously updated on the website to provide quick responses to common issues.
“It is essential that operations in the lifting industry stay on top of Brexit developments,” said Ross Moloney. “LEEA is working closely with other UK Trade bodies such as ALLMI (Association of Lorry Loader Manufacturers and Importers), CPA (Construction Product Association and CEA (Construction Equipment Association) to ensure a common interpretation of the requirements and ease the transition for our respective memberships. We are also in close liaison with the relevant authorities for the same purpose and we will keep members up to date as things development over the course of the coming months.”
