Rob Messenger, sales manager, RUD, on the value of becoming a LEEA member and attending LiftEx 2023
As part of LEEA’s YouTube channel, ‘Be my Guest…’ series, Jenny Eagle speaks to Rob Messenger, sales manager, RUD, on the value of becoming a LEEA member and attending LiftEx 2023.
After spending 23 years as a recovery mechanic in the military, Rob Messenger, technical sales manager, RUD, is no stranger to LEEA, having joined the association through its Military Transition Scheme and is now delighted to be joining the LEEA Technical Committee.
Now celebrating five years at RUD, the company will be exhibiting again at this year’s LiftEx Exhibition (November 21-22) in Liverpool as well as attending the LEEA Awards ceremony and dinner.
“If you are a company who manufacturers tests and inspects anything to do with the lifting industry, for your credibility, the association is where you need to be. You need to be a member of the association,” said Messenger.
“You need to be audited, not because we want people to catch you out or try to find things wrong, but to make sure you are doing things correctly, you may think you are. But you know, when you get audited and somebody asks you that question and you think, well, hang on, have I got that correct paperwork. Have I got that correct documentation? The support that you receive as a member company from LEEA along with what the Technical Committee is trying to do, is generate guidance.
“LEEA answers questions from members to make sure the lifting industry is the safest place to work. Because at the end of the day, we all deserve to go back home to our families, and by becoming a LEEA member, you are saying I am going to look inwardly at my business, do all our day-to-day work that meets legislation and make sure we do it safely and we do it correctly. By joining the association, you are ultimately going to achieve that aim.”
RUD supplies lifting and lashing systems, known by its pink and magenta-coloured lifting gear, and supplies these to various industries including the military and conveyor and chains primarily for the quarrying and mining sector.
“I deal with any sort of technical queries that come in with regards to our products, how they can be used, with our end users and assisting our dealerships,” said Messenger.
“Our military and civil department go together very well. I'm ex-military myself, so the contracts we get through that, include tie down schemes for flat racks (which is a load carrying flat rack that goes on the back of a vehicle).
“Another product that we've got, which is doing very well is the RUD ROV-Hook designed by RUD and tested by a large Subsea operating company in Aberdeen, to make sure it meets market requirements. That has really taken off in respect to safety in that it's a twin trigger operated hook. It can be operated by the manipulator of the ROV. But you have to operate both triggers together.”
On joining the LEEA Technical Committee, Messenger said the company wanted to continue to support the association after his colleague, Alan Walton, project manager, RUD Chains, announced he was standing down after 10 years.
“We wanted to make sure that we continue to support the association. We fully support the direction in where LEEA is trying to go and to support its members. We think it's important to continue that so, I put my application in to join the committee. Obviously, that goes to the vote and I was delighted to be voted onto the committee along with four other members,” he added.
Click HERE to watch the video on LEEA YouTube.
Read more about the Technical Committee HERE.
Click HERE to join LiftEx 2023.
