Engineers from Lavendon Access Services have put their ingenuity and team spirit to the test by competing in a powered access version of "Scrapheap Challenge" — a popular show in the U.K. where teams show what skilled professionals can do against the clock with nothing more than a jumble of machinery parts and an above average ability to solve a problem.

The challenge took place in mid July at the Boughton Industrial Estate in Nottinghamshire, England.

Five teams of four engineers from Nationwide Platforms, EPL Skylift and Panther represented different regions across the U.K. They were all given just 48 hours to design and build a piece of machinery using only the tools and equipment they brought with them and any scrap machinery they could find in the yard. Each team then had to prove their finished product could be operated successfully and safely before completing a lap of a predetermined course in front of a panel of eagle-eyed judges.

The chairman of the judging panel was Mick Ledden, Lavendon Group’s operations director. “First and foremost this was a fun way to bring our engineers from across the U.K. together and show their team spirit and put their skills to the test,” Ledden said. “Everyone did an excellent job and really rose to the challenge as we knew they would. It was 48 hours of innovation in action. As a team building exercise the weekend was a great success for Lavendon Access Services. It perfectly demonstrated the abilities of Lavendon Access Services’ engineers to inspire each other.”

The North East Team, “Durham County Choppers,” took first prize with its all-terrain beach buggy.

Nick Connor, Regional Engineering Manager for the North East, said: “The lads simply surpassed themselves. They took this opportunity to use their creativity and skills and thought outside the box. Starting with the axle of a Genie Z-boom they then used various different parts from different machines. In the end, their beach buggy was an amalgamation of different manufacturers’ machines from JLG, Skyjack, Genie, Manitou, Upright, Haulotte and Niftylift, down to the seat and mirrors from a Skyking Truckmount.”

In addition to Ledden, the panel of judges included Chris Wraith, U.K. Group Quality, Health and Safety and Environment manager; John Liposites, Genie’s U.K. training manager; and Simon Cracknell, senior director sales and customer support at JLG.

“I was extremely impressed at the level of communication and team work I saw over the course of the challenge; coupled with a healthy competitive spirit throughout, the weekend was a great deal of fun,” said Simon Cracknell. “We’d like to thank all of our suppliers: IPS, Wurth, Pirtek and Tyrefix, for supplying spare parts, whilst prizes, such as clothing, came courtesy of three leading access platform manufacturers: Genie, JLG and SkyJack.”