CASE STUDY
Lakeside - Testing & Certification Services
The Test & Research Centre is a UK-based Certification Body, Test Laboratory and Training Facility that specialises in access equipment.
13/08/25
CASE STUDY
The Test & Research Centre is a UK-based Certification Body, Test Laboratory and Training Facility that specialises in access equipment.
13/08/25
Lakeside Industries is a manufacturer specialising in high-quality aluminium scaffold towers carrying the recognised Alto brand name, designed specifically to meet the robust demands of industrial and commercial sectors. With an emphasis on durability and strength, Lakesides’s products are engineered by experienced scaffolding professionals who integrate traditional scaffolding fundamentals with innovative enhancements. This approach has positioned Lakeside uniquely in a competitive marketplace, offering superior reliability and strength compared to conventional alternatives.
Ensuring compliance and demonstrating the quality of products through recognised certification was vital for Lakeside Industries. They required rigorous testing and certification for various ranges, including their heavy-duty and medium-duty towers under EN 1004 Parts 1 and 2 and more complex configurations such as linked towers, bridge towers, stepped towers, cantilever towers, and large deck towers under BS 1139 Part 6. Alto also sought certification for their innovative Stairwell Pro range.
Lakeside faced difficulty in securing responsive and credible testing services. Previous engagements with other certification bodies had proven challenging, characterised by delayed responses and questionable integrity, undermining Lakeside’s confidence in these organisations’ ability to deliver meaningful certification.
As active members of PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association), Lakeside Industries became aware of the Test & Research Centre (T&R), an independent UK-based certification and testing laboratory specialising in access equipment. Initially prompted by a shift in certification providers, Lakeside approached T&R for testing and certification services.
The deciding factors in choosing T&R included their responsiveness, specialised expertise, and clear understanding of the industry. With substantial experience in the tower industry, T&R’s expert John Darby, provided insightful, practical guidance, significantly enhancing Lakesides’s testing and certification experience.
Testing at T&R has considerably benefited Lakeside Industries, notably by enhancing market confidence and facilitating a smoother certification process.
Unlike their previous experiences, Lakeside found collaboration with T&R to be highly interactive and insightful. Regular communication and informative dialogue helped Lakeside to clearly understand testing criteria, standards requirements, and achieve positive testing outcomes. This collaborative approach provided a deeper insight into product testing requirements and standards, strengthening Lakesides’s internal documentation processes and overall product development methodology.
Certification through T&R notably improved Lakeside’s market access, enabling them to regain and solidify positions in key markets.
The BS 1139 certification particularly bolstered confidence among existing and potential customers by verifying product safety and reliability standards, crucial in an industry where trust and adherence to rigorous standards are paramount.
Looking ahead, Lakeside Industries recognise the potential for T&R to expand their services into new areas, thereby potentially broadening the certification scope available to Lakeside and other manufacturers in related sectors.
They acknowledge T&R’s ongoing development and expanding capabilities, seeing it as an opportunity to support and grow alongside a trusted partner.
“I would not hesitate to recommend T&R for their exceptional service, deep industry knowledge, and collaborative approach. Their clear expertise in working-at-height products has proven invaluable, offering us not just certifications but genuine improvements to our processes and market credibility.”
Charles Wright CEO Lakeside Industries
The Test & Research Centre is a UK-based Certification Body, Test Laboratory and Training Facility that specialises in access equipment.
We provide ladder and mobile access tower testing and certification services for manufacturers, importers and regulators, to check that products conform with current British and European Standards.
We work with, and are supported by, the Ladder Association and PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers’ and Manufacturers’ Association), the leading not-for-profit industry bodies in their sectors.
We also work closely with the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Trading Standards teams across the UK to offer advice, support and market surveillance testing on consumer access equipment.
The Test & Research Centre was founded to help make access products and their users safer.
If you are a manufacturer, supplier or importer of non-powered access products and you are looking to have a product tested or Certified, please get in touch to discuss how the Test & Research Centre can help.
34 Regal Drive, Soham, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5BE.
A UK-based Certification Body, Test Laboratory and training facility that specialises in access equipment.
