SPOA on song
3 May 2024
The Scottish Plant Owners’ Association (SPOA) stand at the recent ScotPlant exhibition in Edinburgh seemed constantly busy owing to the fact that there was so much to see and hear.
As well as a trio playing traditional Scottish music, the stand included representative displays from many industry related organisations
Acknowledging the challenge of attracting young people into the industry, the SPOA has invested heavily over the past few years to tackle this, including the purchase of a Tenstar plant simulator which can be taken to local schools and career fairs. The machine was the most popular feature on the stand with adults and children all keen to try it.
Staff from the SPOA and the CITB also gave advice on plant operator, plant mechanic and crane operator apprenticeships and funding available.
ScotPlant marked almost a full year since the association announced its role in the Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE) and this year’s exhibition was a fitting venue to end the tour of the Machine on a Mission initiative. A Police Scotland liveried JCB 3CX has visited sites throughout Scotland to raise awareness. It has now been retired and returned to dealership Scot JCB for sale.
Police Scotland also gave advice on preventing the theft of plant and fuel theft, and encouraged plant owners to sign up to the Construction Watch monitoring initiative.
The collaboration with SPAACE will continue and plans are already underway for the next 12 months which will likely kick off with a presence at the Royal Highland Show later this year.
Copies of the SPOA’s recently published guidance on bridge strike safety were available to collect.
Callum Mackintosh, Immediate Past President of the SPOA, said: “This show is possibly the best ScotPlant to date, certainly for the SPOA but I also believe for the industry. The highlight for me was having past presidents Jim Anderson and Gordon Bow visit the stand and share their observations about the transformation of the Association over the last few years and how the SPOA’s presence at ScotPlant reflected that.
“Our ambition since 2021 has been to be at the heart of the plant community in Scotland. ScotPlant provides a platform to promote all the great initiatives and progress the Association is making thanks to its Executive Committee, working groups and stakeholders.”
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