AFIX Group steps up expansion across Asia, Middle East and Africa

Daniel Norton
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AFIX Group steps up expansion across Asia, Middle East and Africa

Scaffolding manufacturer AFIX Group is expanding its presence across Asia, the Middle East and Africa as it looks to strengthen its distribution network and secure larger industrial and infrastructure projects.

The Belgian-headquartered group has stepped up its activity across the AMEA region following the appointment of Paul Grant in February 2026 to support business development and operations across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Portrait supplied with the section about Paul Grant
Paul Grant

Grant brings more than 40 years of experience in the scaffolding industry, including 15 years overseeing operations across India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Speaking about his new role, Grant said: “It’s an exciting time for me personally, heading up the AMEA business for AFIX Group. Having spent over 40 years as an end user in the scaffolding industry, including 15 years running operations across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia—I know firsthand the engineering and commercial benefits this system brings to major projects.”

Grant, whose role is Business Development & Operations Support, is working alongside other regional appointments, including David Barango Tariah, who is helping develop the company’s position in Nigeria.

AFIX says it is now seeking further distribution partners across the region while strengthening relationships with existing customers in Africa, where the group currently operates two permanent branches.

From European manufacturer to international supplier

The expansion follows more than 20 years of growth for AFIX, which was founded by Christiaan Fleurbaey in 2004.

Portrait supplied with the section about AFIX founder Christiaan Fleurbaey
Christiaan Fleurbaey

The company was originally established to provide contractors with an alternative to traditional tube and fitting scaffolding through its AFIXFAST modular system.

Manufactured using high-strength S355 steel, AFIXFAST is a multi-directional ring scaffolding system designed to reduce erection times while meeting international safety and engineering standards.

According to the manufacturer, the system holds DIBt approval and certification to relevant European EN standards.

Over the following two decades, AFIX developed its manufacturing, rental and engineering operations, establishing production facilities in Rotterdam and Istanbul and building a distribution network across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

The business now supplies scaffolding equipment alongside project engineering, design and rental services for contractors working across a range of industrial and construction sectors.

UK business forms part of wider expansion

AFIX strengthened its presence in the UK in 2019 through the acquisition of Grand Construction Products Ltd.

The company was subsequently renamed AFIX UK Ltd and operates from the South East of England, supplying traditional tube and fitting equipment, ancillary scaffolding products and the group’s AFIX modular systems.

Alongside its equipment range, AFIX has developed finance and leasing arrangements aimed at helping contractors invest in additional scaffolding stock.

The manufacturer says these options have proved particularly popular with small and medium-sized scaffolding businesses looking to increase their equipment holdings or introduce ringlock systems into fleets traditionally built around tube and fitting scaffolding.

Depending on the arrangement, contractors can spread the cost of equipment purchases rather than committing substantial capital upfront.

For smaller scaffolding companies, the initial investment required to build a system scaffold fleet can be a significant consideration, particularly when equipment is needed to take on larger contracts.

AFIX says its financing arrangements are intended to give those businesses greater flexibility when expanding their operations.

Focus turns to major international projects

Stacks of AFIX-branded scaffold components

The group’s latest expansion is focused on developing opportunities across infrastructure, industrial scaffolding, offshore construction and major energy projects.

AFIX is looking to establish new distribution relationships while working more closely with existing customers in Africa and other developing markets.

The strategy is intended to strengthen its position as a supplier to contractors delivering large-scale industrial and infrastructure work.

Grant said the company’s approach to customer relationships would be an important part of that expansion.

“At AFIX we focus on long-term partnerships with our customers, offering access solutions and value engineering. I’m really enjoying working with the whole team to drive our expansion forward.”

The company believes its combination of modular scaffolding equipment, engineering support and financing arrangements will help it compete for larger contracts as it develops its international operations.

The AMEA expansion continues a period of international growth for AFIX as the manufacturer seeks to build on its established European operations and extend its reach into new markets.

Your work speaks for itself… or does it?

Sophia Gowland
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Your work speaks for itself… or does it?

There are businesses in the scaffolding industry that have spent 20, 30, even 40 years building brilliant reputations.

They’ve delivered major projects, they have incredibly knowledgeable people within their teams, they’re trusted by their clients, known throughout the industry and have decades of experience behind them.

But look at some of those same businesses online and you’d never know it.

And that’s something I’ve noticed more and more since we started working within the scaffolding and access sector at Petite Agency. There can be a real disconnect between the business people know within the industry and the business they see online. That doesn’t mean every scaffolding company suddenly needs to launch on TikTok or start chasing the latest social media trend.

Actually, I think it’s almost the opposite. Your marketing should be doing a better job of communicating the reputation you’ve already built.

Your first impression happens earlier than you think

For years, businesses in this sector have grown through relationships, reputation, referrals and doing good work. None of that has suddenly become less important.

But the way people research businesses has changed.

Before somebody picks up the phone, responds to an introduction, applies for a role or meets your team at an event, there’s a good chance they’ve already looked you up.

They might visit your website, look at your LinkedIn page, or look at the people running the business too.

And what they find creates an impression.

If you’ve delivered some of the biggest or most technically challenging projects in your market, does your online presence demonstrate that?

If you’ve got 30 years of expertise within the business, are you sharing any of it?

If your people are one of the reasons clients choose to work with you, can anyone actually see them?

And if you’re an ambitious £20m business, does your brand look and sound like one?

That last question is one I think more established businesses should be asking themselves.

Good marketing isn’t about making a business look like something it isn’t.

It’s about closing the gap between the business people experience in person and the business they find online.

I’ve sat with MDs who can talk for an hour about a project they’re proud of, a problem their team solved or a decision that changed the direction of the business. That knowledge, experience and perspective is incredibly valuable, yet none of it exists online.

And that’s the gap.

Because the person researching your business before they pick up the phone doesn’t get that conversation. They get your website. They get your LinkedIn page. They get whatever impression they form in the first 30 seconds.

Your projects are content.

Your technical expertise is content.

Your people are content.

The knowledge sitting within your leadership team is content.

Businesses rarely lack interesting things to say. The challenge is turning that knowledge and expertise into content that people actually want to see.

Your best marketing might already be sitting in front of you

You don’t have to lose the personality that’s made the business successful in the first place.

Some of the most effective content we see isn’t polished corporate marketing. It’s an MD sharing a genuine opinion. An engineer explaining how they solved a difficult problem. A photograph from site with a story behind it. A member of the team sharing something they know inside out.

It works because it gives people something corporate marketing often can’t: a genuine insight into the people, expertise and thinking behind the business.

The aim shouldn’t be to make every business look the same. It should be to make your marketing look and feel more like the business behind it.

And when businesses do start showing more of what sits behind the brand, the response can be bigger than you might expect.

One business we work with in the sector generated more than 600,000 organic impressions over a 12-month period, with a 17.8% engagement rate on LinkedIn, through content that consistently shared its projects, people and expertise.

The numbers are impressive. But for me, the more interesting question is where that content came from.

The projects were already happening, the expertise was already there and the people already had the knowledge. Our team simply helped give the business a way to share more of it.

And chances are, there’s a huge amount happening inside your business that you’re not making enough of either.

Start with the gap

If you’re wondering where to start, I’d ask one simple question:

If somebody knew nothing about your business and only had your online presence to judge you by, would they understand why you’re good at what you do?

Look at your website and LinkedIn through that lens.

Would they see your expertise? Your people? Your best work? Your scale? Your personality? What you stand for? Why clients trust you?

If the answer is no, there’s your gap.

You don’t need to create a better story. You need to do a better job of telling the one you’ve already got.

You’ve built the reputation. Don’t leave it to speak for itself.

Sophia Gowland is the founder of Petite Agency, a specialist B2B marketing agency working with businesses and industry leaders across the scaffolding and access sector. Her column appears on Scaffmag every month.

Blencowe report details £620,000 asset sale and creditor shortfall

Daniel Norton
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Blencowe report details £620,000 asset sale and creditor shortfall

Blencowe Scaffolding’s administrators have detailed a £620,000 sale of scaffolding equipment in newly filed proposals which forecast no payout for unsecured creditors.

The report, filed at Companies House on 7 October, says Aiseandan Plant Limited bought equipment held at the contractor’s Salisbury, Eastleigh and Basingstoke premises, together with scaffolding on seven of its largest live sites.

The sale completed on 17 August, five days after Andrew Hook and Julie Anne Palmer of BTG Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP were appointed joint administrators.

Scaffmag reported the administration notice on 14 August, when the appointment had not yet appeared in the publicly available Companies House filing history. The proposals confirm that Blencowe entered administration on 12 August.

The £620,000 agreement comprised £300,000 payable on completion, a further £83,571 due 28 days later and £236,429 payable as equipment was recovered from the seven sites. The report says the first £383,571 had been received by the date of the proposals, 25 September.

VAT applies to the sale, which the administrators state was an asset transaction rather than a transfer of a going concern.

Live-site work arrangement

PHD Modular Access Services Limited, described in the report as a company connected to Aiseandan, was engaged as a subcontractor to carry out continuing work on the live sites.

Under the arrangement, 15% of the remaining contract value on the relevant sites is allocated to the administration estate, with the balance going to PHD. The agreement also included two additional sites to assist with debt collection.

The administrators estimate that the arrangement will realise around £89,212 for the estate after applying a 20% provision to allow for changes in the final agreed value. Recoveries depend on the work completed, invoiced and collected by PHD.

No unsecured dividend expected

The proposals put estimated unsecured creditor claims at £880,764.42. Based on recoveries to date and expected future realisations, the administrators say there will be insufficient funds to pay those creditors a dividend.

The report also sets out the marketing process preceding the equipment sale. It generated 29 expressions of interest and three offers, but the administrators say two of those offers could not proceed because of funding or transaction risks.

They concluded that extending the marketing period was unlikely to secure a higher break-up offer and would add costs, including rent and insurance.

The proposals are dated 25 September and include a separate report on the sale sent to creditors on 21 August. The newly filed documents provide further detail on the August transaction and the expected outcome for creditors.

Former Layher UK director Katherine Fox joins ScaffPlan

Daniel Norton
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Former Layher UK director Katherine Fox joins ScaffPlan

ScaffPlan has appointed former Layher UK Operations Director Katherine Fox as Commercial Director, with responsibility for improving the support customers receive after signing up.

The scaffolding software company announced the appointment on 9 October. Fox will focus on onboarding, customer feedback and helping contractors make better use of the platform.

Her move brings experience of running operations within a major scaffold system supplier to the software business.

Layher UK background

Fox joined Layher UK as Operations Director in 2022. Her remit included logistics, stock ordering, depot functions, accounts, credit control, HR and internal sales.

In a 2022 interview with Scaffmag, she described entering scaffolding after a career spanning Marks & Spencer, Homebase and John Lewis, where she worked in installations, service development and business transformation.

That background combined operational management with experience of developing services around customer needs.

Customer support priorities

At ScaffPlan, Fox plans to speak to existing customers about what is working and where support needs to improve. She said businesses using individual design tools could need a different approach from those adopting the wider workflow.

“I want to make sure we’re delivering what customers need, not what we think they need,” she said in ScaffPlan’s announcement.

Her priorities also include making it easier for users to ask questions and find the right support, alongside developing referral opportunities for existing customers.

ScaffPlan founder Simon Boyes said her experience would strengthen the team. Director Ben Beaumont said her knowledge of scaffolding businesses and their expectations would be valuable as the company grows.

Lee Marley turnover hits £95.4m as profit falls

Alex Mercer
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Lee Marley turnover hits £95.4m as profit falls

Lee Marley Brickwork has reported record turnover of £95.4m after investing £2.99m in scaffold and other fixed assets, although pre-tax profit fell by almost a fifth.

The masonry and scaffolding contractor had £131m of secured work at 31 December 2025, down from £135m a year earlier, as delays through the Building Safety Regulator’s Gateway process pushed back project starts.

Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025, filed at Companies House on 6 October 2026, show turnover rose 9.4% from £87.2m. It was the company’s sixth consecutive year of revenue growth.

Pre-tax profit fell 19.7% to £2.87m from £3.57m. The figures relate to Lee Marley Brickwork Limited.

In its strategic report, the company linked the lower profit to investment ahead of anticipated growth, including additional staff and IT systems, alongside increased depreciation on its expanding fixed-asset base.

It added staff in estimating, design management, finance, commercial and accounting roles. Tangible fixed assets rose to £11.2m from £9.7m.

The £2.99m investment figure covers scaffold and other fixed assets across the business. Cash at bank and in hand stood at £968,000 at the year end, compared with £2m a year earlier.

Lee Marley said 2025 began positively as projects held up during 2024 by second-staircase requirements moved forward and generated revenue. New contracts secured in the first quarter included schemes worth £22.7m and £13.7m.

However, delays in the Gateway process became more apparent as the year progressed, deferring a number of anticipated schemes.

The company said a slowdown in the conventional housing market during the latter part of 2025 had compounded those delays, increasing competition and putting pressure on bid margins.

Earlier involvement in design and cost planning had improved visibility of potential work, the report said. Its focus on major projects underpinned the £131m secured workload carried into 2026.

Lee Marley operates from London, Reading and Glasgow, specialising in large-scale, high-rise and complex projects. Its core markets include mixed-use developments, affordable and social housing, and institutional build-to-rent.

Tyne Bridge to close for overhead scaffold deck installation

Daniel Norton
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Tyne Bridge to close for overhead scaffold deck installation

The Tyne Bridge will close from 23 October to 2 November while scaffolders install an overhead protection deck for the next stage of its restoration.

The structure will span the carriageway and footpaths, allowing the crossing to remain in use when work moves onto the main steel arch in early 2027.

According to Newcastle City Council’s latest project update, crews will work around the clock during the closure. Independent scaffold legs will run along both footpaths, with a new arrangement on the east side mirroring the existing west-side scaffold.

Twin aluminium beams will span between the footpaths to form the deck’s main structure. Scaffold boards and temporary carriageway lighting will complete the installation, providing a working platform and protection for the public below.

The bridge will shut to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists at 11pm on Friday 23 October and reopen at 5am on Monday 2 November. The council said the scaffold cannot be erected safely over the full width of the crossing while it remains in public use.

Up to 70% of the protection deck is expected to be completed during the full closure. The remainder will be installed during weekday overnight vehicle closures lasting up to four weeks in November, subject to weather. Pedestrian and cycle access will remain available during those overnight closures.

The new deck follows the parapet scaffolding phase reported by Scaffmag in September 2025. Work on the east-side parapets is now nearing completion.

Esh Construction is delivering the restoration for Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council. Main arch work will include grit blasting, steelwork repairs and a three-coat protective paint system finished in Hollybush Green.

A 4.95m vehicle height restriction will be introduced to accommodate the protection deck. Double-decker buses will not be affected.

The council said the wider programme remains on schedule to finish ahead of the bridge’s centenary in October 2028.

Worker dies in fall as campaigners count 21 Hong Kong construction deaths this year

Daniel Norton
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Worker dies in fall as campaigners count 21 Hong Kong construction deaths this year

A 34-year-old construction worker has died in a fall at a public housing site in Hong Kong, bringing the number of construction fatalities reported by a workers’ rights group this year to 21. Almost half have involved falls from height.

The latest death happened on Wednesday, 7 October, at the Tung Chung Area 103 housing development where, according to the Labour Department, the worker was dismantling an external-wall working platform.

Ten of those deaths were falls from height, and 6 of them happened on public works projects, according to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims.

Hong Kong’s Labour Department confirmed that inspectors attended the site following the fatal fall and issued suspension notices stopping all erection, alteration, dismantling and use of external-wall working platforms.

The work cannot resume until the department is satisfied that the risks have been addressed.

The worker, identified locally by his surname Chin, was found unconscious on a second-floor working platform and taken to North Lantau Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Growing concern over fatal falls

The Hong Kong Institute of Safety Practitioner has called for dedicated work-at-height legislation and stronger supervision on construction sites.

Its proposals include a code of practice covering different forms of elevated work, alongside greater accountability for site supervisors and closer checks on the proper use of fall-protection equipment.

The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims has also called on the government to take stronger action, particularly on publicly funded construction projects.

Its general secretary, Fay Siu, urged the Labour Department to investigate the latest death quickly and make its findings public.

Investigation under way

Local reports have raised questions about the circumstances of Wednesday’s accident.

According to the workers’ rights association, Mr Chin was dismantling equipment connected with a tower crane when he fell from the 13th floor onto a working platform below.

The association also reported that he was wearing fall-protection equipment.

However, the Labour Department has described the incident as a fall while dismantling an external-wall working platform. It has yet to confirm the height of the fall or the safety arrangements in place.

The type of working platform involved also remains unclear.

Investigators will examine the cause of the accident and whether those responsible for site safety breached their legal duties.

Under Hong Kong’s Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, breaches of the general duty provisions can result in fines of up to HK$10 million and imprisonment for two years.

The Labour Department has reminded contractors that workers dismantling platforms must be protected by suitable fall-arrest equipment connected to secure anchor points or independent lifelines.

It is also issuing a Work Safety Alert to contractors and industry organisations.

ECITB launches PPE fit training for workers and employers

Alex Mercer
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ECITB launches PPE fit training for workers and employers

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board has launched two short online courses to help workers and employers understand the risks of ill-fitting personal protective equipment.

The PPE: Right Fit. Real Protection modules each take around ten minutes to complete and are initially available only to ECITB in-scope employers.

The training is delivered through ECITB World, part of the board’s Learning Experience Platform (LXP). It uses engineering construction scenarios to explain how PPE should suit both the work being carried out and the person wearing it.

One module, Wearing and using PPE, is aimed at employees, technicians and operational supervisors. It covers fit, compatibility between items of equipment, pre-use checks and recognising when PPE is no longer suitable.

The second, Providing and managing PPE, is for those responsible for selecting, buying, issuing or overseeing equipment. Its audience includes managers, supervisors, procurement and stores teams, HR staff and administrators.

That module focuses on the decisions and systems needed to select suitable PPE, review its use and make improvements over time.

Both courses are awareness modules rather than training in technical PPE competence.

The ECITB worked with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), which reviewed the initial proposal and contributed industry insights through its Safety Forum.

The training addresses the need for different sizes, designs or adjustments to give workers suitable protection. The ECITB says differences in body shape, medical needs and other individual requirements need to be recognised when equipment is selected.

Mat Parker, the ECITB’s head of careers and inclusion, said: “PPE is often the final barrier between a worker and serious injury or ill health.”

The board hopes to extend the PPE training to the wider industry in future, but has not announced a date.

Access to the LXP is free for ECITB in-scope employers. Employers wishing to join are directed to their ECITB Relationship Manager.

UK proposes duties of up to 82.89% on Chinese boom lifts

Alex Mercer
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UK proposes duties of up to 82.89% on Chinese boom lifts

The UK’s trade watchdog has proposed anti-dumping duties of up to 82.89% on boom lifts made in China.

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) found that Chinese manufacturers had been selling the machines in the UK at unfairly low prices, harming British producers.

It said Chinese imports undercut UK prices by more than 25%.

If the government approves the duties, they will apply for five years.

The investigation began in December 2025 following a complaint from Niftylift, the UK boom lift manufacturer.

The TRA published its findings on 5 October.

It has proposed a rate of 21.01% for Zhejiang Dingli Machinery and 48.92% for Lingong Heavy Machinery, which trades as LGMG.

Thirteen other Chinese exporters that co-operated with the investigation would pay 27.67%. Any exporter that did not co-operate would pay the top rate of 82.89%.

The co-operating group includes the Chinese factories of several major Western brands, including JLG, Terex, which owns Genie, and Haulotte. Sinoboom, XCMG, Zoomlion, LiuGong and Sunward are also on the list.

The duties apply to where a machine is built rather than to the brand. A boom made by the same company in Europe or the US would not be affected.

Temporary duties have been in force since 20 August, set at 16.25% for Dingli, 64.25% for LGMG, 28.12% for the co-operating group and 71.74% for all other exporters.

Under the final proposal, Dingli’s rate would rise and LGMG’s would fall.

The measures cover self-propelled articulated and telescopic booms, including spider lifts, with a working height of 6m or more. Individual components imported separately are excluded.

The duties could push up the cost of new machines for UK hire companies, many of which have added lower-priced Chinese booms to their fleets in recent years.

Scaffolding contractors who hire powered access for their jobs may eventually see higher rates.

The European Union imposed similar duties on Chinese mobile elevating work platforms in 2025. The US introduced its own in 2021.

Companies affected have until 20 October to respond. The TRA will then make a final recommendation to the Business and Trade Secretary, who will decide whether the duties go ahead.

Monthly Scaff Walk launched to support mental health conversations

Daniel Norton
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Monthly Scaff Walk launched to support mental health conversations

The first Scaff Walk will take place at Battersea Park on Sunday 18 October, starting at 9am.

Stuart Didd

Those attending are being asked to meet at the Gate Car Park by the Chelsea Bridge Road roundabout before walking together through the park.

The initiative has been set up by Benchmark Scaffolding Senior Contracts Manager Stuart Didd, who has become increasingly involved in mental health awareness across the construction industry.

Didd said the walk is open to anyone from scaffolding or the wider construction sector who wants to come along, meet others and talk.

“You don’t have to be struggling to come along. Just turn up, walk, talk and be part of it,” he said.

In memory of Wayne ‘Bud’ Didd

The first walk will have particular significance for Didd and his family.

It is being held in memory of his younger brother Wayne, known as Bud, who died unexpectedly in 2021 at the age of 29.

Didd said he hopes the event will give people across the trade an informal way to check in with each other and make conversations about mental health easier.

The Battersea event is planned as the first of a series. Scaff Walks will take place every month at different locations, giving people from other areas an opportunity to get involved.

Building on Bud’s Story

The walk builds on mental health work Didd has already been carrying out on construction sites.

Through Bud’s Story, Didd and his cockapoo, also called Bud, have visited sites and offices to speak about his own experiences with mental health and encourage workers to talk when they need support.

Didd has previously explained that the dog’s name honours his younger brother. Benchmark Scaffolding has also used the sessions across its workforce as part of its wider health and wellbeing activity.

The first Scaff Walk takes place on Sunday 18 October at 9am at Battersea Park, London.

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