As Innovate Access Solutions (IAS) continues to expand its impact, the Best of Britain Award serves as a significant milestone, highlighting the importance of its work and the positive change the company is making in driving the access industry forward.
Innovate Access Solutions (IAS), founded in 2020 by former colleagues Rob Foyle and Alf Taylor, originated in Manchester. Leveraging over 25 years of combined professional experience, the company has grown significantly, now boasting offices in Darlington and High Peak. IAS has quickly become a leading name in the rope access industry, not only in the North West but throughout the UK. Their commitment to excellence has earned them prestigious accreditations, including SafeContractors, CHAS Platinum, and ISO 9001.
We spoke to Alf Taylor, who elaborated on the extensive expertise and experience that he and Rob bring to the industry.
“Both Rob and myself have been working on the ropes for over 15 years, and are extremely competent in all facets of access within our trade. It is our skills in site management that we have gained over the years that enable us as a company, to run projects so successfully.
Rob comes from a painting and decorating background, where he earned his City and Guilds in the trade. This included industrial fire proofing spraying. Rob is highly experienced in working in the industrial sector, and has always excelled in finding access solutions within the hot and tricky environments of power stations. He has the ability to find access into the hardest to reach places, whilst maintaining immediate access to his operatives in an emergency.
With many years of experience navigating the challenging world of construction sites, I have refined my expertise in project management and collaboration with various trades to minimise site disruption and keep projects on track. I have successfully managed teams of up to 20 rope technicians, ensuring smooth operations and timely completion of projects.”
The Best of Britain Award celebrates outstanding achievements and innovation in British business. We believe that Innovate Access Solutions has distinguished itself through its commitment to creating environments that people want to work within. “I think a large part of it is our enjoyment of what we do. We each have a number of years’ experience in the industry which puts our client at ease, but we also really love our work, which enables us to build a personal relationship with our clients. We not only care about our clients, but also our friends in the industry that we now have the pleasure of employing. We are paying our subcontractors the top end wage for our industry, and have a great reputation to work for because we are professional, honest, fair, and great fun to hang out with,” added Alf.
The company’s innovative solutions encompass trusted expertise that far outweigh that of any competitor. “As a company, we only employ subcontractors that we know and trust to assist us in carrying out our projects. One way we differ is that we use a 3rd party to audit our site-specific Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS). If a client needs assurance that all our paperwork is in line with the most recent Health and Safety legislation, then we are happy to have our RAMS audited by our extensively qualified, independent Health and Safety consultant,” said Alf.
IAS take a customised and tailored approach with every single client. In order to meet each specific need starting from the initial point of contact with potential clients, right down to the completion of the contracts, Alf and Rob are hands on and present at every stage. “We always meet with clients to establish our main focus, which at the beginning stages is to gather all the information needed with regards to site specific health and safety requirements, exclusion zone specifics, 3rd party protection and any working restrictions,” added Alf.
IAS provide access solutions to a wide variation of clients within the construction, industrial and commercial sectors. Its main speciality lies in giving clients access options that enable them to complete their projects when other conventional means of access are not suitable. IAS provide skilled operatives to complete many facets of work which can be anything from industrial cleaning and painting, to glazing and heavy steel installation, as well as signage installation, inspection and survey works.
Even though the company started during the first year of COVID-19, it has managed to year-on-year achieve steady growth, building a portfolio of high-profile clients including Dublin Airport and British Gypsum. This remarkable achievement is highlighted by its client-focussed approach to all contracts. “We will never waiver on our Health and Safety commitments to ourselves or our subcontractors – we are a premium company that provides quality and assurances to every client,” said Alf.
Alf went on to describe one of the company’s most prolific clients and how IAS work with them.
“Ashleigh Signs was our first client, and are still our most prolific client. Rather than just being a contractor that carries out site work, we have built a close working relationship that has led to us to getting involved right at the early stages in some of their larger projects. We attend the preliminary site visits with Ashleigh Signs and their clients, and if required, provide input in the manufacturing stage of their products. This helps to ensure that the complexities of rope installation are understood and taken into consideration.
They trust us to liaise directly with their clients if needed; an example of this would be a project that is currently ongoing for a well know hotel brand. We are working closely with Ashleigh Signs and the Principal Contractor on site to ensure that the temporary works installations are designed to meet all the Health and Safety requirements.”
Even though IAS has only been established four years, its steady growth is already yielding a fruitful future. “Our plan going forward is to maintain our steady growth, and to grow the company to provide a secure future for our families. We would also love to be able to provide well paid stable jobs for our friends in the industry, and to develop as a well-regarded, high end access solutions company that will last longer than us! Again, we are over the moon about being chosen! We have been working extremely hard to grow a business that lives up to our reputations as subcontractors, and to get such amazing recognition at this stage is a real honour and a privilege. Thank you so much for this recognition, and for the added reach our company stands to gain as a result of this award. Lastly, we would love to give an extra special thanks to our Office Manager, Hannah! Hannah joined the team in 2022, at a point when Rob and myself seemed to be spending almost as much time on paperwork as we were on site! During her time with us, she has taken on and streamlined all behind the scenes processes making sure everything runs smoothly. We honestly don’t know how we would have coped without her,” stated Alf.
For more information about IAS’s services and future initiatives, please visit the IAS website below:
T 01618 505059
info@innovateaccesssolutions.co.uk
www.innovateaccesssolutions.co.uk