Continual innovation.

If you are going to invest in a modular scaffolding system, you want to be sure of several things. The first is that the supplier is a reliable company which will remain in business and be able to continue to supply you over the years. You also want to know that the company will be market aware and have a programme of developments for new components that will meet the changing market needs. Finally you want to be confident that new components will be compatible with the original component set you purchased.

Layher has been in business since 1957 when it began manufacturing rolling towers. In 1965 it introduced the SpeedyScaf, a boltless scaffolding system designed for quick erection and dismantling. In 1974 the Allround modular scaffolding system was introduced. Since then the company has continued to produce additional modules and systems and the Speedyscaf and Allround systems can be combined on one jobsite.

The company manufactures protect systems for covering scaffolds and suitable for contractors carrying out work such as asbestos clearance and sandblasting. It can also be used for weather protection, pedestrian protection and noise insulation. The Layher cassette roof system provides strong interim weather protection and the Event system is designed for staging and temporary seating.

The Allround Scaffolding system is available in steel or aluminium, the hub used to connect the scaffolding elements allows eight pieces to be connected to one hub. Four of the connecting slots are set at 90degree angles and the other four allow more flexibility within 30degrees. The scaffold 'poles' have integral connectors in the form of a hinged wedge which is inserted into the holes in the rosette hub. When the scaffolder is happy with the position a sharp tap with a hammer secures the wedge and the pole position.

New modules are developed through customer feedback -sometime 'special' parts made for one customer will make it into the standard range. Other development can come from closely observing trends in construction. For example contractors carrying house insulation needed to safely bridge the 30cm gap that usually exists between a scaffold deck and the wall of a building. Layher developed a console bracket which is quick to install and remove, bridges the gap to the wall and makes the insulator's job easier to complete and safer.

Other development comes from internal brainstorming and one of the latest products to come from this is the Shoring Frame TG60 which works with the Allround system especially for constructing support scaffolding. It is available in three different sizes and can sustain loads of up to 6t per standard very strong supporting structures can be built quickly

Time is saved in construction through lightweight components - weighing no more than 18km, but also by the lower number of parts:. Layher says that assembly is about 30% faster than for a comparable structure using individual standards and ledgers. TG60 is a flexible system which can be individually matched to complex building geometries: by height equalization when the ground is uneven, by building around obstacles, by special edge or corner solutions, or by extensions using brackets, for example for walkways. Easily fitted castors permit time-saving movement of individual shoring towers and even of complete shoring structures.