CPA Bulletin

10 CPA Bulletin > February 2025 www.cpa.uk.net STARS OF THE FUTURE: 5 Kirsty Archbold-Laming of Southern Hoist Services, who is also CPA Council Vice Chair and Chair of the Construction Hoist Interest Group (CHIG) accompanied Zac on the trip and tells us all about it in her own words. “Anyone who knows me also knows how passionate I am about training and attracting people to the industry. I have been honoured to be involved as both a judge and sponsor of the Stars of the Future Awards for a number of years now, watching the event grow bigger each time. “At the awards I watched proudly as the winners were announced, the anticipation building and the smiling faces of both nominees and winners is such a tremendous thing to behold. As Zac was awarded Lifting Technician of the Year, I could only guess at how he would feel winning the prize for this category - a trip to the Liebherr plant in Ehingen, Germany! Arran Willis of Liebherr, the sponsor of this award, then surprised me by asking me to accompany Zac and his colleagues on the trip, be rude not to I thought! ”We all met together at Munich airport, where we were then collected by Liebherr and taken to the mobile and crawler crane factory just over two hours away. During our journey I chatted with Zac about the awards and the day itself. I think he was still in shock, but we started to talk about his journey into the world of cranes and what the future could hold. “Having got to know each other over dinner, we then set off next day for a full tour of the factory, with Zac and his colleagues eagerly anticipating what awaited them. As I come from a world of hoists, I am not often involved in cranes, but upon reaching Liebherr I found myself being as excited as everyone else on the trip - infectious bunch…. “Arran first introduced us to his German counterparts, and we learned about the history of Liebherr - this was a real story. Hans Liebherr started the company following the war with a simple idea of rebuilding Germany – to understand how the company began, through to the various products offered (in 13 different sectors including aviation and fridges!), and the fact that the company still remains a family owned company to this day, was mind-blowing to say the least. “We then embarked on a tour of the factory, at which point Arran told me I would be investing in cranes by the end of our trip... I can see why. “Liebherr is a stand-out company, with attention to detail and some impressive ideas and designs. After moving throughout the manufacturing and assembly process from start to finish, it was time to head to the test area… Zac’s eyes lit up, here he was in his element. “Zac, a well-respected operator often asked for by clients, was offered the opportunity to test out some of their large products, putting them through their paces and, what amazed me the most, was not only his skill in operating but also his absolute dedication to asking questions, learning everything he can to enable him to progress the ladder to provide for his family. “I have never sat in a crane, let alone operated one, however Arran enticed me to try it (maybe I’ll buy one!) and to me the thought was TERRIFYING. Zac and his colleague, Steve Mooney, were amazing, they took my hand as I got into the cab and showed me the controls. It was my turn to ask the questions as I was out of my comfort zone. Zac is so knowledgeable and patient, he helped me through it and I stopped shaking (even trying another model later in the day), with lots of laughter along the way. “I can honestly say the trip was amazing, thanks to Arran Willis and Liebherr. It was truly an honour to spend time with Zac and talk shop. For someone so young he has great experience in the industry and clearly knows his business. We even had a game over dinner of guess the company by the crane colour! Liebherr Overseas Trip for Lifting Technician of the Year Last year, Zac Bradshaw of Commhoist was awarded the 2024 Lifting Technician of the Year accolade at the CPA Stars of the Future Awards. The awards are open to those who operate crawler, mobile or tower cranes. As part of his prize, Zac won a trip to Liebherr’s crane manufacturing plant in Ehingen, Germany, courtesy of Liebherr who sponsor the Lifting Technician award.