From AR design checks to rescue kit: inside the ScaffEx26 Demo Zone

The showreel from the ScaffEx26 Demo Zone is here, covering both successful days in Manchester in just over 60 seconds.

Back for a second year after its debut at ScaffEx25, the Demo Zone gave visitors free, practical demonstrations of products, systems and scaffolding structures in front of a live audience. Nine sessions ran across the two days at Manchester Central, five on the Thursday and four on the Friday.

Thursday - Day one

Constructionline opened with Once For All: Constructionline Marketplace, showing how scaffolders can find leads, tenders and project opportunities and connect with main contractors, with live tenders up on the opportunities board. “There’s an 88% acceptance rate on these.”

Baton Software followed with Baton, presented as an operating system for scaffolding companies of all sizes.

Avontus demonstrated AI Connect, covering augmented reality design checks in Avontus Viewer, dispatch and shipping from the yard with Quantify Mobile, and linking those apps to CRM, accounting and SharePoint data.

AT-PAC took the stage with its Weather Protection Solutions with the NASC team closing day one with a demonstration of the NASC ePortal.

Friday - Day two

Layher opened with the SIM2Field XR App, followed by SpanSet with the Gotcha 2 rescue kit. ScaffPlan demonstrated its connected platform for scaffolding businesses, and Stocadro closed the Demo Zone with a live yard loss review, under the title “What did your yard lose last year?”

The thread running through it...

Across the nine sessions, the same question kept surfacing: the gap between how a job is planned and how it actually goes on site. “Most of the drawings given to you would be in 2D. So that could lead to mistakes onsite, misinterpretation.” “How long should this take and how much should it cost?”

On technology, the mood was practical rather than starry-eyed. “No, it’s not going to take your job, because it still takes that human element.” “You have to ask it a relevant question to get the answer.”

And on where the real gains are: “You’re eliminating a lot of the working at height.” “For me, this is what’s going to be the new standard for temporary roofing in the UK.”

Watch below: