THE QUEEN’S AWARDSFOR ENTERPRISE:INNOVATION 2011IN

NO

VATE

Silent Running:

Good timing assures quiet progressForging Ahead:

Xcalibre welcomes some new additions

Undisputed Champion:

Packing a punch in North America

Hit the Road Jack:

The ‘Big Rig’ tour is heading your way

Leeds Castle:Top tourist attraction

selects Checkmate

#7SUMMER 2012

THE C

HECK

MATE

NEW

SLE

TTER

CHECKMATE

CHECKUSOUTwww.checkmateuk.com

XcalibreRUN SILENT

FLEXIBLE ENGINEERING CONTINUES TO SEE CONTROLLED AND SUSTAINED GROWTH AS A RESULT OF INVESTMENT IN THE RIGHT PRODUCTS AT THE RIGHT TIME. WITH MASSIVE increases in orders for both dunnage bags and peristaltic hoses, Tom Roach (pictured left), managing director, is delighted to announce that the Wiltshire-based team has grown by 30% during the last six months, entirely as a result of expanding order books. Sourcing quality staff is always tricky, but Tom has been very satisfi ed with the calibre of new recruits that have been taken on. An overnight production shift is also now running to meet the high demand; both new and existing staff have blended well

and the business is looking forward to further growth during 2012/13.Tom commented, ‘This represents our confi dence in our process, forward order book and continued relationships with our customers both within the UK market and abroad.’Checkmate Flexible Engineering’s special projects have ranged from waterproofi ng for military equipment through to submarine fuel tanks, explosives moulds and the design of hover barge skirt systems. Clients include the MOD, government research establishments, major shipping companies, offshore, chemical, aerospace, construction, naval architects and the automotive industries.

RUN DEEP

To contact Checkmate Flexible Engineering call +44 (0) 1225 705 465

2 INNOVATE WWW.CHECKMATEUK.COM

CHECKMATE

XcalibreOUR EAGERLY anticipated new additions to the Xcalibre range are now available to buy or pre-order. Managing director Oliver Auston said, “After many months of design, engineering of the prototype and constant honing of the product we are really delighted

to offer to our customers the latest incarnations of the Xcalibre fall arrest block.” Light, yet incredibly sturdy and produced with cutting edge technology, these new products cement Checkmate’s position as a leading British manufacturer of height safety equipment.

There drew he forth the brand Xcalibre*

* With thanks to Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “Morte d’Arthur”

CHECKMATE UNVEIL NEW XCALIBRE FAMILY MEMBERS

To discover more about the new members of the Xcalibre family, check out our website or call +44 (0) 1795 580 333 SAFETY BY DESIGN

®calibreX

XcalibreXcalibreXcalibrecalibre

FABX ATOM-X FABXOSFABX2R

The ATOM-X is the smallest, lightest, most compact fall arrest block in the world. So small it fi ts in the palm of your hand! This little gem is designed as a lanyard replacement.

Specifi cally designed for the offshore wind energy market. The FABXOS features a transparent casing for easy inspection, a sealed brake module and stainless steel fi xings.

A retrieval unit versatile enough for use in most scenarios. Its ability to raise and lower without changing modes really makes the FABX2R a class-leading rescue product.

2m Vectran webbing Load indicator Swivel eye top anchor Superlight 700 gms Double action snap-on lifeline Single or dual options

Glass fi lled nylon drum Powder coated chassis Hardened alloy

anodised pawl plate

5mm Dyneema rope Stainless steel sealed brake

module and pawls

18 metre maximum capacity Engageable retrieval gear Independent friction brakes Foldable handle Modular components

INNOVATE SUMMER 2012 3

CHECKMATE

Leeds Castleappoints Checkmate for its Roof Safe Access

CHECKMATE HEIGHT SAFETY WAS RECENTLY INSTRUCTED

BY WORLD FAMOUS TOURIST ATTRACTION, LEEDS CASTLE,

TO CONSTRUCT A WALKWAY DECK AND A HORIZONTAL

LIFELINE. CHECKLINE WILL BE PERMANENTLY INSTALLED

AND WILL FORM PART OF THE BUILDING FABRIC AND

STRUCTURE WHEN COMPLETE.

THE WORK being carried out includes a

walkway deck, horizontal restraint systems,

access ladders and safety platforms.

The castle’s Gloriette Roof is rectangular in

shape with a fl at lead area at the top bordering a

deep light well. This is where the walkway deck

will be fi tted. On all four sides of this lead roof

there are steep sloping tiled and slated areas.

A Checkline horizontal restraint system will

be fi xed to the deck to act as a continuous

connection point for a safety harness to

prevent staff falling from the roof.

An access ladder will also be installed down

the roof slope, it will provide access to the

lower gully level where a second Checkline

system will be installed, again to provide a

safe and continuous connection point for

a harness along the lower level gulley.

A vertical access ladder on the Box Roof,

one of the castle’s high turrets, will be

restored and fi tted with a vertical safety rail

for the attachment of a safety harness.

We will also be designing and fi tting

a safe platform to stand on in the

gulley at the bottom of the ladder.

Checkmate’s Roger Townsend said, ”We

are just delighted to be working with Leeds

Castle. This latest contract adds to the stable

of buildings we have worked on across the

world including The City Centre in Las Vegas,

Westminster Palace, and many more”.

If you want to fi nd out more about Checkline

horizontal restraint systems, visit www.

checkmateuk.com or call +44 (0) 1795 580 333

4 INNOVATE WWW.CHECKMATEUK.COM

CHECKMATE

Leeds Castleappoints Checkmate for its Roof Safe Access

newsCHECKNEWS FROM AROUND THE CHECKMATE GROUP

H.A.R.T gets a lift from LEEACHECKMATE’S HEIGHT and Rescue Training division (HART) has been awarded Accredited Training Company status by the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA).

Andy Stock, HART’s training director, undertook a comprehensive audit that covered criteria such as the quality of the training facilities and instructors, and the effectiveness of student assessment.

Following the successful audit we are now able to offer a range of LEEA-accredited training courses, including: Basic Work at Height/

Harness Awareness Work at Height for Managers Inspection of Equipment Rescue Training – Tower,

Crane, Rooftop, Racking.

Geoff Holden (below centre), LEEA’s chief executive, presented the award to Andy Stock (below right) and Checkmate’s managing director, Oliver Auston at the Checkmate HQ in Kent.

Full details at www.H-A-R-T.co.ukFull details at www.H-A-R-T.co.ukH-A-R-T.co.ukH-A-R-T

INNOVATE SUMMER 2012 5

CHECKMATE

Undisputed

World Heavyweights...

SLING WHEN

YOU’RE WINNING

THE CHECKMATE-PRODRAGON JOINT VENTURE IN

VIETNAM RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS THIRD ANNIVERSARY

IN STYLE WITH NEW CONTRACTS TOTALLING OVER

$2 MILLION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2012 ALONE!

PRODRAGON VIETNAM is

a joint venture between

Checkmate and the

Do Van family.

With more than 100 years’

experience in the weaving and

production of textile slings

between them, the partners

have brought European

standards of quality and

technical excellence to create

a world-class manufacturing

operation just outside Hanoi.

The facility and production

plant was designed from

scratch and built to demanding

specifi cations to facilitate

the weaving of high quality

polyester webbing and the

conversion of the fi nished

product into webslings.

And now, due to the

arrival of these huge new

contracts, additional

weaving capacity is being

ordered to increase output

and productivity.

For further information

visit our website or call

+44 (0) 1795 580 333

CHECKMATE FLEXIBLE ENGINEERING NOW MANUFACTURE

THE LARGEST PERISTALTIC HOSES IN THE WORLD

WE HAVE recently invested in more

infrastructure at our Wiltshire

base to cope with the growing

demand for peristaltic hoses.

Peristaltic hoses are used to pump

viscous ‘fragile’ liquids like mustard,

yeast and printing ink which are ‘shear

sensitive’ which means they can’t be

sloshed about as in a normal centrifugal

pump. Peristaltic hoses are also commonly

used in the water treatment industry.

Did you know Checkmate Flexible

Engineering manufacture the largest

peristaltic hoses in the world? Weighing

in at about 200 kg each these massive

hoses are used for pumping fi sh!

But probably most impressive of all is we have

grown our market share for supplying peristaltic

hoses in the North American market to 20%.

For further information on Peristaltic Hoses

visit our website or call +44 (0) 1225 793280.

...and European

Welterweight

■ Pictured above is some of the existing

weaving machinery at ProDragon’s

Hanoi manufacturing plant.

6 INNOVATE WWW.CHECKMATEUK.COM

CHECKMATE

newsCHECKNEWS FROM AROUND THE CHECKMATE GROUP

CHECKMATE FLEXIBLE Engineering is now responsible for manufacturing more than 9,000 dunnage bags as a result of new customer win, Grieg Star Shipping. A specialised transportation and logistic service company, it presently operates

some 46 ships with a deadweight of 2 million tonnes. This latest order confi rms Checkmate as the world’s number one dunnage bag maker - no mean feat when competing internationally.

G R O U P

To contact Checkmate Flexible Engineering call +44 (0)1225 705 465

Star Shipping

Enterprise

Tweet Tweet...WANT TO HEAR WHAT WE’RE UP TO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS? FOLLOW US on Twitter for all the latest company news and updates as they happen.

G R O U P

Our call sign is: @Checkmate_Group

...and European

Welterweight

CONGRATULATIONS to Danny Susan on becoming

European Super-Welterweight Kick Boxing Champion.

Danny (pictured left), who builds peristaltic hoses

at Checkmate Flexible Engineering, said, “Since

winning the English title two years ago I’ve been

working towards this and the next step is to go all

the way for the world title.” Good luck Danny!

On me ‘ead USHPAL THIND and Julie Abbott of Checkmate Flexible Engineering are pictured above with a giant, 6 foot high ‘push ball’ which was made for a local football team who were raising money for Sport Relief. It was pushed for 80 miles along the roads of Wiltshire. Rather them than us!

G R O U P

Our call sign is: @Checkmate_Group

Hear! Hear!HART HAS been awarded the Rooftop Safety Training Contract for the Palace of Westminster.

The contract consists of basic work at height training centred around the systems already in place at the Palace and will cater for all contractors and members of staff who need to access the roof area for any reason, including Police search teams, the BBC and cleaning contractors.

G R O U P

Full details can be found at www.h-a-r-t.co.uk

INNOVATE SUMMER 2012 7

CHECKMATE

Hit the

Road Jack

AT CHECKMATE we are always on

the lookout for events and

tradeshows to attend.

Keeping abreast of trends

and industry developments

enables the group to innovate and

deliver great new products to our

extensive range of customers.

‘Big Rig’ Road Show

Following its debut at A+A in Dusseldorf

(the world’s largest trade fair for safety and

security), the Checkmate fi re truck (AKA

‘Big Rig’) has been on tour around the UK,

stopping off at the LEEA Liftex Expo and the

Speedy Showcase 2012, among others.

The Speedy Showcase 2012 was a great road

show held at four locations in March – Haydock

Racecourse in Merseyside, Murrayfi eld Stadium

in Edinburgh, RICOH Arena in Coventry

and Epsom Racecourse in Surrey.

The events showcased a great new range

of products and services for 2012 with over

60 new “Green, Lean, Safe and Specialist”

products on display from over 30 leading

manufacturers. Speedy is a key client for

Checkmate, having recently standardised

its entire fall arrest block offering to include

the award-winning Xcalibre range.

We took the opportunity to display a huge

selection of products to branch personnel and

end users in a live environment – and audience

reaction was exceptional. Our fi re truck was an

instant hit with

all present as they could see

the practical application of our

product lines, and even take part

in live demos where possible.

The ‘Big Rig’ is now a

regular member of the

Checkmate family and is

available for hire either to demonstrate

our range of height safety equipment, or

as a stand-alone mobile training unit.

For details on how to book the ‘Big Rig’

contact us on +44(0) 1795 580 333

or email info@checkmateuk.com

WE ARE looking into holding our fi rst ever

International Distributor Conference in 2013.

This will be a great opportunity to bring

together everyone under one roof to launch

products and discuss new ideas. Companies will

also be able to share their thoughts, successes

and opportunities relevant to the industry.

With distributors and manufacturers

invited from across the globe, there is just

one discussion to be had on the ultimate

destination of this event… Vegas anyone?

If you are interested in being part of

Checkmate’s fi rst International Distributor

Conference or you would like more

information, please contact Mark

Hesslegrave on 01795 580 33 or

mwh@checkmateuk.com

Checkmate, Xcalibre, the Knight’s Helmet logo, ATOM-X and HART are all registered trademarks of Checkmate Limited, a company registered in England & Wales. All rights reserved. © 2012

Checkmate Distributor Conference 2013

available for hire either to demonstrate

our range of height safety equipment, or

instant hit with

instant hit with

all present as they could see

and Epsom Racecourse in Surrey.

of products and services for 2012 with over

60 new “Green, Lean, Safe and Specialist”

products on display from over 30 leading

manufacturers. Speedy is a key client for

Checkmate, having recently standardised

its entire fall arrest block offering to include

‘Big Rig’ Road Show

Following its debut at A+A in Dusseldorf

(the world’s largest trade fair for safety and

security), the Checkmate fi re truck (AKA

‘Big Rig’) has been on tour around the UK,

stopping off at the LEEA Liftex Expo and the

Speedy Showcase 2012, among others.

The Speedy Showcase 2012 was a great road

show held at four locations in March – Haydock

Racecourse in Merseyside, Murrayfi eld Stadium

8

CHECKMATE