Manchester-based AK Scaffolding is on the list for Las Vegas, alongside 4 first-time entrants from the US, Lithuania, Switzerland and Canada.
AK Scaffolding is among 10 teams named by the Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA) for the 2027 Scaffold Builders Competition at World of Concrete.
The competition will take place on Tuesday, 19 January at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The line-up supplied to Scaffmag includes crews from 5 countries, with Layher returning as official sponsor.
For the Manchester firm, it means a return to the event after finishing fourth in 2026. Scaffold Resource, which retained the title at that competition, is also on the 2027 list.
The 2027 team line-up
SAIA has supplied the following teams and locations:
- AK Scaffolding: Manchester, UK
- Bechtel: Sugar Land, Texas, US
- Mandros Painting Inc: Lehi, Utah, US
- Scaffold Resource, LLC: Lanham, Maryland, US
- Scaffold Solutions, Inc.: American Canyon, California, US
- Trekker Group: Haines City, Florida, US
- Leading Edge: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
- RNDV: Klaipeda, Lithuania
- Volken Group: Visp, Switzerland
- Youngchief Consulting & Training: Kehewin, Alberta, Canada
Mandros Painting, RNDV, Volken Group and Youngchief Consulting & Training are identified by SAIA as first-time participants. The association describes Youngchief as an all-Indigenous team from Canada.
Digital drawings planned
SAIA says the 2027 competition will introduce iPads for viewing scaffold blueprints, replacing paper drawings. Layher will supply the scaffold materials and designs, with the official build drawings released the night before the event.
Each team consists of 4 scaffold erectors and a head coach, with an optional reserve. Entry is open to SAIA member companies.
Crews are assessed on their combined assembly and dismantling times. Judges add time penalties for safety breaches and errors in the finished structure, so mistakes can change the finishing order.
“While speed is a big part of the Scaffold Builders Competition, safety and accuracy are just as important,” SAIA said in its event preview.
The supplied rules include a 5-minute penalty for deliberately throwing scaffold components and a 3-minute penalty for failing to attach fall protection to an approved component. More serious fall-protection breaches can lead to disqualification.
Judges will also check the completed scaffold against the drawings, including missing components and unsecured connections. John Royer of Action Equipment & Scaffold Co. is named as head judge.
The competition will be held in South Hall. Visitors will need World of Concrete admission to enter the competition area, with event information available from SAIA.
