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Innovative Aluminium Ladder Alternative Wins Building and Construction Prize

The Alcan co-developed "StepLift" has won the 2006 European Aluminium Award in the "building & construction" category at the "ALUMINIUM 2006" exhibition in Essen, Germany. Developed by Swiss-based M+F Engineering with the support of Alcan's R&D Centre in Neuhausen, the "StepLift" is a semi-automated climbing system made of aluminium and designed to replace conventional ladder systems. The system is just one of the many innovative aluminium solutions that were on display at the Alcan exhibition, which attracted even more visitors than anticipated, including more than 500 key existing and prospective customers, over three days.

"Innovation and customer focus are essential to Alcan's success, and we are proud to have collaborated in the development of an award-winning product like StepLift. This award further demonstrates Alcan's leading position in developing innovative lightweight products and solutions with its customers," said Michel Jacques, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alcan Engineered Products. "I am also very pleased with the amount of interest garnered by the Alcan exhibition and the opportunity to meet with familiar and potential new customers, in particular from countries like China and India," he added.

The StepLift allows its operator to access high-altitude work sites, such as high-voltage transmission masts or high-rise buildings, faster and safer than with conventional ladders. The ergonomically-designed system requires less physical effort, as the StepLift's footholds automatically mimic the movements of the operator's feet as he climbs the aluminium extruded rail, which is the only part of the system permanently installed on the scaling surface. The mobile climbing equipment is easy to move from one site to the next.

Award-winner Andreas Maurer of M+F Engineering Consultants Ltd. commented on the close cooperation with Alcan, "The competent teams of Alcan Technology and Innovation transformed our original concept of the 'StepLift' into an economic solution for mass production within just a few months."

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