Besides being market leader in the construction of aluminium structures for the event industry, Prolyte is also
one of the initiators for the development of a European standard for entertainment technology. In an interview with Dutch magazine
Entertainment Business, Prolyte's Senior Technical Advisor and Prolyte Campus lecturer Matthias Moeller went into detail.
Matthias Moeller, Senior Technical Advisor at Prolyte, is part of the CEN / TC 152 working group 3, a group working on the development of the 'Event Structures' EN standard. “The working group was set up by the industry in 2017 and strives to present the first draft of the new EN standard by the end of this year. It will contain norms and requirements for our sector with regard to safety, design and construction of outdoor and indoor structures that are deployed in various places. Think of stages at festivals, exhibitions and other large-scale events.”
These agreements are desperately needed, as there is no regulation for the sector at European level. Moeller: “Strictly speaking, there are no standards formulated yet where our structures must comply to in Europe. This also applies to checks and inspections. To have something to hold on to, our sector therefore works with a European standard that is actually intended for Fairground and amusement park machinery and structures. We use this standard because the word "stages" is mentioned in the scope of the document. We interpreted that notion in the broadest sense of the word, but of course that is not sufficient."
The same objective
Prolyte has taken the lead in the Event Structures working group to ultimately professionalize the industry with other companies, Moeller says. “The call for clear regulations comes from the sector itself. Not from the European Commission, CEN or other governmental bodies. That makes the decision-making process easier. Despite cultural differences, we will definitely come to an agreement together. In another working group, the sector has succeeded in determining minimum requirements which steel and aluminium trusses must meet. Because of the lack of clear rules, all parties face the same problems. Fortunately, we all have the same objective: clear regulations for our industry at European level.”
High demands
Prolyte is also active outside Europe. There is a
strong growth in the United States and the Asian market is growing as well. In 2018, the modular Prolyte
Space Roof System was delivered to the Asian company NeuroTech, a system that has been fully developed and produced according to European safety standards. Moeller: “Worldwide, only the United States have basic regulations for our sector. That is why Prolyte produces everything according to European standards. We may have too high demands on our constructions sometimes, but we do not make concessions when it comes to safety.”
Prolyte Campus
Prolyte believes it is important for stage builders to work safely with its products. That is why the
Prolyte Campus has been created, where Moeller is one of the
trainers. “We think it is important to constantly provide our users with all necessary information. That is why we offer different
courses on the Campus where participants learn how to use our products properly and safely.” The courses focus on Prolyte products such as trusses and hoists, but also on installing
the modular Space Roof System. "We continuously improve the modules," says Moeller. “For example, periodic inspection of trusses, stage decks and chainhoists becomes a mayor part of safety at work. We are convinced that it is very important that the knowledge of our users is up-to-date. And it shows that it works very well in practice."
Source:
https://www.entertainmentbusiness.nl/