The globally active brand SKYLOTEC from Neuwied relies on a growth strategy. This is also evident at the trade fair appearance of the family-owned company, which has been developing and manufacturing protective equipment in Germany for over 70 years. SKYLOTEC has consistently developed its product range and presents, among other things, respiratory protection with many mask models "made in Germany".
"Senior boss Wolfgang Rinklake and managing director Dr. Kai Rinklake from SKYLOTEC have been working together with Aludesign founder Carlo Paglioli and Walter Remy (from left) for years - and have now formed an official alliance."
In the area of fall protection, the "Skyvest" is celebrating its premiere. The airbag vest is designed to prevent injuries from falls at low heights and can be used in a variety of ways. At the international trade fair, SKYLOTEC will also be presenting new and further developments for a wide range of applications - for example, for use in industrial environments, wind energy or rescue. Also on the stand in Hall 6: the solutions from "Climbing Technology" and "ActSafe", which were recently acquired by SKYLOTEC.
„For years, SKYLOTEC has been sourcing products from 'Climbing Technology' for the sports sector, but also for industrial work at height."
The Corona pandemic has shown that long supply chains are vulnerable. In addition, both the costs of materials and logistics as well as delivery times have increased significantly. With the takeover of the "Climbing Technology" from Italy, which is known worldwide in alpine mountaineering and sport climbing, SKYLOTEC recently acquired the largest European manufacturer of carabiners - and thus further expanded its know-how as well as its production capacities. As a globally active brand for protective equipment, the family-owned company is thus committing itself to Europe as a location, creating its own production capacities and increasing the long-term security of supply for its customers. In addition, SKYLOTEC is committed to a quality philosophy that has also characterised "Climbing Technology" for over 30 years: The brand stands for equipment that combines safety, functionality and user-friendly application. The diverse solutions are now part of the trade fair presentation in Düsseldorf.
Respiratory protection for professional users
"SKYLOTEC has expanded its range of respiratory protection to offer FFP2 masks equipped with a headgear, among other things."
SKYLOTEC also relies on decades of expertise in the production of protective equipment, corresponding quality management, raw materials from Germany and the EU, and long-term contracts with European suppliers for the manufacture of respiratory protection products. This guarantees security of supply and fast delivery times, which is elementarily important in times of crisis. The machinery for the production of respiratory protection in Neuwied was subsidised with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; it is among the fastest and most innovative in the world. In order to bundle competencies, SKYLOTEC also opened its own quality control, testing laboratory and product management department at the same location, which is exclusively responsible for respiratory protection. The fully automated production with automatic defect detection manufactures up to 800 masks per minute and also has a short set-up time for flexible type changes. As a result, up to 300 million medical face masks according to EN 14683:2019 and up to 50 million FFP2 masks according to EN 149:2001 can be produced in 2021.
At the beginning of 2020, the family-owned company expanded its range to include respiratory protection, focusing not only on Corona needs but also on the professional user market for personal protective equipment and medical products in the long term. There, masks are needed for areas of application where protection is fundamentally useful. SKYLOTEC has steadily expanded its respiratory protection range - and will be presenting new OP and FFP masks for all areas of application at the A+A: from health care and the nursing sector to public facilities, industry and the trades, right through to the gastronomy and food retail sectors. All masks are characterised by an ergonomic fit, a high level of wearing comfort and top quality - in other words, the values that all products at SKYLOTEC stand for.
"Skyvest" - airbag west for low altitudes
A novelty on the market is the "Skyvest", which SKYLOTEC is presenting to the public for the first time in Düsseldorf. The airbag west is designed to prevent injuries from falls from low heights. After all, around twelve percent of all fatal fall accidents occur in falls from a height of less than two metres. The "Skyvest" is equipped with an intelligent protection system that works wirelessly and protects all relevant parts of the body. The west offers maximum safety for activities at heights between 1.70 and 3.20 metres. It is always suitable when there is a potential hazard, but no fall arrest system according to EN 363 is required.
„The 'Skyvest' airbag west from SKYLOTEC is equipped with an intelligent protection system that works wirelessly and protects all relevant parts of the body."
The "Skyvest" was tested by the BMW research centre for crash tests and certified by TÜV as personal protective equipment. Users of the "Skyvest" should be between 1.70 and 1.90 metres tall and weigh a maximum of 100 kilograms. Training is necessary before use. The west is suitable, for example, for electricians or employees in building management, for truck drivers, dock workers, service technicians, garage builders, employees in machine maintenance and servicing, or even private individuals who perform activities on a ladder. The patented system can also be combined with a PPE harness.
„Endurance-Pac“ mit 30 Jahren Lebenszeit
Another highlight at the A+A stand is the "Endurance Pac". This sealed polyurethane box is used in wind turbines to store SKYLOTEC's "Milan" rescue equipment, which has become the standard solution for rescuing injured persons in wind turbines in recent years. With the "Endurance Pac", SKYLOTEC offers a possibility to keep the life-saving equipment in stock for 30 years, which corresponds to the usual service life of a wind turbine, if checked annually. Centrifugally controlled rescue equipment has been part of the product range for over 20 years. SKYLOTEC has already specifically stored "Milan" devices from the first production series until today and exposed them to various environmental influences. In this way, the durability could be permanently further developed and improvements achieved. This includes, among other things, several years of load and laboratory tests with ropes or webbing slings as well as with "Milan" devices in realistic environments and under extreme conditions.
"SKYLOTEC's 'Endurance Pac' has a lifetime of up to 30 years. This corresponds to the usual service life of a wind turbine."
The "Endurance Pac" sets new standards: The storage box is tested according to the US military standard 810G. It can therefore withstand the extreme weather conditions that can prevail in offshore wind farms. In addition, direct weather influences inside the box are excluded and the natural ageing process is considerably slowed down. This means that safe functioning of the rescue device can be guaranteed over a service life of 30 years.
"Spark": descender with only one stop function
Another product innovation at the A+A is the "Spark" descender device. It is based on the "Sirius" descender device, with which SKYLOTEC has set standards since its market launch in 2019. "Sirius" is used, for example, in industrial rope access, in rescue, for tree care and maintenance work or for tactical operations. The sophisticated fine control during the abseiling process, the ergonomics and the design have set new standards in the market in terms of user-friendliness, reliability and robustness.
„The abseiling device 'Spark' is equipped with only one stop function. With the right handling, this enables smooth, precise and fast abseiling without interruption."
„Sirius" as a device has a "double stop function". It additionally secures users via a so-called "anti-panic function". But: In areas that are difficult to access or during rescue, some users prefer devices with only one stop function, as they enable gentle, precise and fast abseiling without interruption when handled correctly. SKYLOTEC has responded to this with the "Spark" - combining all the features of the "Sirius" with the advantages of the specialised device. It also has an "auto-block function". This ensures that the rope locks automatically as soon as a user releases the lever of his descender. This makes it possible to position oneself at a workstation. The "Spark" is certified according to EN 12841:2006-C, EN 341:2011/2A and EN 15151-1.
Horizontal systems for flexible working without interruption
"SKYLINE 2.0 - Horizontal rope fall arrest system for flexible working without interruption."
SKYLOTEC will also be presenting permanent horizontal systems at A+A, such as the "Skyline 2.0", which secures users in areas at risk of falling over long distances and thus enables flexible working without interruption. The traversable stainless steel rope safety system with a diameter of 8 millimetres is used for horizontal fall protection and can be installed on the floor, wall or ceiling. It is mainly used on large flat roofs, in production facilities, for maritime applications, at sewage treatment plants and silos or in logistics. With the "Skyline Run" glider, users can use the system without having to constantly unhook and re-hook between anchor points. Alternatively, the carabiner of a certified lanyard can be used. This is an advantage over previously available solutions because flexibility is increased once again and a glider does not have to be permanently carried for use.
The rope system can be mounted on different structures such as steel, concrete or wood as well as corresponding supports. The "Skyline 2.0" system has a building authority approval (abZ) Z-14.9-869 from the German Institute for Building Technology and has also been tested according to EN 795/C:2012 and CEN/TS 16415:2013. The maximum number of users is three persons, the maximum load without triggering the fall indicator is 200 kilograms.