Layher World Scaffolding Championships - Hungarians among the top ten scaffolding teams in the world

The largest field ever assembled in Lithuania was at the ScaffChamp in May 2024. In addition to the noble competition, the international showcase for the industry will also focus on showcasing innovation. The event is also an opportunity to deepen professional cooperation between industry players from all over the world.

It started with a competition between four countries...

The start of the scaffolding championship dates back to 2019, when nine teams from four countries competed in the tournament.
 

The aim of the event is to recognise the best of the profession.

The COVID epidemic prevented the event from taking place for two years. In 2022, the tournament was held with six Lithuanian teams, plus Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian teams. The event then attracted nearly 200 guests from the industry.
Each year, the scaffolding championship has attracted increasing interest from companies and representatives of the industry. Last year, 15 teams competed for first place in the world event, ScaffChamp, and more than 400 industry players were represented at the Lithuanian meeting.
The spectacular battle of the teams was also broadcast online, with ScaffChamp generating more than 50 percent more than the previous year, with 275,000 views.

A record number of teams competed for first place this year

At ScaffCamp 2024 in Vilnius, a record 21 teams competed for the top spot. This year's championship final attracted more than 500 spectators and 126 competitors. The organisers of the competition made safety rules a priority. This was done to ensure that the focus of the racers was not only on speed, but also on maximum safety. Judges checked compliance with the protocols, and penalties were imposed for breaches.

A Layher stand designed for the occasion had to be built and dismantled

On the opening day of the World Finals, a Fun Day was organised, where, in addition to the professional demonstrations, participants showed off their training on an obstacle course and set the mood for the next day's competition with scrambles. Afterwards, 4D plans of the tower that the teams had to build in the shortest possible time the next day were presented. The challenging scaffolding system of the Layher also incorporated the company's innovation TwixBeam.
 

The riders had only a few hours to plan their race strategy for the next day. In the meantime, the draw was held to determine the group assignments, eliminating the possibility of teams from the same country competing in the same round.

Penalties for mistakes

Divided into three groups, the teams were tasked with assembling and disassembling the Layher composite scaffolding structure designed for the competition in the shortest possible time, following strict safety rules.

Achieving the best result required extremely precise strategic planning, expertise, the ability to withstand time pressure and team cohesion. The referees monitored the build-up throughout and penalised for mistakes and rule-breaking.

One of the teams started after a sixteen-hour flight

The world final was won by N-Projects from Poland with a time of 71 minutes. The battle for the silver medal was extremely close, with Ireland's Cumiskey Scaffolding taking the title with a time of 83 minutes. They were only 120 seconds behind NBIK, who deserve credit not only for their podium finish, but also for having competed after a 16-hour flight from Mongolia.

The weather was kind to the field for most of the World Final, but at the end of the last round a sudden hailstorm forced the competitors into the tent. The storm caused a power cut and it took longer than planned for the officials to determine the final order. However, this did not affect the great mood of the competitors and spectators.

Two Hungarian teams competed in the world final

The Hungarian competitors in the world finals, were the best performers in the national competition held in Tiszaújváros by Layher Kft.: the experts from Stabil Építő Kft. and Látvány-Állvány Kft.. They competed against teams from the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Mongolia and Lithuania. The Stabil Építő Kft. team finished the competition with the eighth best time. The other team finished in 19th place.  

The members of the Stabil Építő Kft. team organised the practice and preparation for the world final in addition to the fast-paced work - reported Zsolt Halmavánszky, the owner and managing director of the company. He added that their goal was to represent Hungary with a well-coordinated, professional team that could stand on the podium at the end of the competition.

Zsolt Halmavánszky said that they are proud to be the first Hungarian team to represent Hungary at the World Scaffolding Final and that they have always had the goal to prove that they are among the best in the business.

Speaking about the experience of the competition, the CEO said:

"It was an exciting fight, during which we came across a number of techniques that will benefit the team and therefore the company in the future, in order to do our job even more efficiently."
 

As Zsolt Halmavánszky pointed out, "it was instructive for them to see how many factors are necessary for a team to achieve good results. A team spirit, calmness, up-to-date knowledge of products and materials are all components of success". The owner and managing director of Stabil Építő Kft. added: "as we did this year, we want to participate in the world finals next year with the aim of finishing on the podium".

Preparations for the 2025 competitions start in January

For a month and a half, the Látvány-Állvány Kft. team has been preparing for the qualifying tournament in Hungary, working two to three hours a week, Sándor Bayer told our portal. The owner of the company added that after they had qualified for the world finals, they continued their preparations at a similar pace. The primary goal was to win the quota for Vilnius, and after that they had their sights set on competing in the international scaffolding competition.

Sándor Bayer added that they gained a lot of experience at the first international competition. One of these, he said, is that it is worth arriving a day or two before the final. They should also be careful not to get too excited about complying with the safety instructions. This year, both the organisers and the judges have paid particular attention to this.

The Layher Allround received as a competition task was well feasible and buildable thanks to the technology typical of Layher products, added Sándor Bayer.
 

The owner of the Látvány-Állvány Kft. also said that they would like to compete in the next event, so they will start preparing and building their team in January.

The global community of scaffolders grows stronger every year

Oleg Abramov, Head of Operations of ScaffChamp, who was also present at the qualifying event organised by Layher Kft. in Tiszaújváros, expressed his appreciation for the adaptability and resilience of the competitors at the final event of the World Final. He said. This event continues to foster a global community of scaffolders and a sense of commitment to the profession".

Hungary was represented by two professional and well-prepared teams at the ScaffChamp World Final in Vilnius. We can be proud of this and of the results achieved," said Sándor Serdült in his assessment of the two competitions.
 

The Managing Director of Layher Kft. added that next year they will organise the national selection again, so that the best teams can compete in the international field. The Managing Director of Layher Kft. said that they are committed to promoting the recognition of the scaffolding profession through events such as the Tiszaújváros qualifier. Sándor Serdült added that the Layher Baltic and the ScaffChamp Vilnius organised by the BSA Baltic Scaffolders Assosiation were of an exceptionally high standard, which was worth attending and testing the skills of the Hungarian teams.