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JULY-AUGUST 2013
access
INTERNATIONAL
are regional differences, different applications
and different legislation, but it is one industry,
and it presents itself with the same problems
globally.”
During his inauguration as president Mr
Couling said IPAF had experienced some
growing pains. Expanding on that theme,
he adds, “When you are knocking on the
door of new regions, it can take some time
to happen and when it does you can find you
lack the necessary resources. Sometimes the
growing pains come from trying to provide
the necessary support in those places. Others
are growing pains in terms of languages and
satisfying those needs with written materials.”
Remote learning
One of IPAF’s latest international ventures, the
eLearning module, seems to be experiencing
few growing pains, although its adoption
followed a period of uncertainty for IPAF in
the US.
The eLearning module was introduced to
the US earlier this year with the help of North
American rental giant NES Rentals.The trial
run saw nearly all of the company’s 1050 staff
receiving a PAL Card, and has set the scheme
up for continued success.
The eLearning module allows operators
S
teve Couling began his two year stint as
president of the International Powered
Access Federation (IPAF) in March
this year. He officially took over the reins from
Wayne Lawson during the federation’s Annual
General Meeting, held at the IPAF Summit, in
Miami, US.
He joined Versalift UK, Time
manufacturing’s UK and Ireland business, as
managing director eight-and-a-half years ago,
but it was during his fledgling years in the
access industry that he was attracted to IPAF
and what it could offer.
Talking to
AI
at Versalift UK’s headquarters
in Kettering, Mr Couling remembers how it
was the networking opportunities that first got
him interested in the Federation.
“It was some 20 years ago and I was in a new
marketplace; IPAF was an ideal way to network
because all the principles of all the major rental
companies are there. But over the years I got
more involved with campaigns and events
and now I have been an active member of the
council on-and-off for the last 18 years and on
the board of directors for the last six years.”
In those six years on the front-line Mr
Couling has seen some dramatic changes at
the Federation. “IPAF has become a far more
international body, and it is apparent there
Setting new
standards
to take the theoretical part of the PAL Card
training course online, but they must still pass
a supervised theory and practical test at a
recognised centre.
“As far as training in the US is concerned,
everyone is online; that is the way they like to
learn and a lot of the credit has to go to Andy
Studdert, NES Rentals CEO, who has helped
to develop the cause.
“It’s a concept that can be developed across
many parts of the world, particularly with
language and geographical challenges. But we
are in the early stages and we need to drive it
now because I think it’s something that’s going
to explode over the coming years.”
At the IPAF Summit Mr Studdert pointed
out that attempts to duplicate the training
centre model in the US had proved less fruitful
than in other markets like the UK, due to its
much smaller land area. Mr Couling explains:
“It works very well in the UK and we have
numerous centres - you haven’t got to go very
far to visit one, but it’s a little bit different if
you are in Midwest USA where the distances
are greater.”
During the Summit Mr Studdert set North
America the challenge of reaching 30,000 PAL
Cards by March 2014. “I think it’s a fantastic
objective,” comments Mr Couling, “and I
INTERVIEW
Steve Couling’s
first speech as
IPAF president at
the IPAF Summit
in Miami.
There is plenty for Steve Couling to sink his teeth into as the
new president of IPAF. He explains all to
Euan Youdale
