Area Four Industries UK Brings SkillsLab EXE Basic Maintenance Training to IPS

A4I’s SkillsLab draws a full house for its EXE Basic Maintenance workshop hosted at IPS (Impact Production Services) HQ’s cutting-edge training facility exhibiting a built-in rigging beam which enabled practical sessions to be conducted in the same training space.



The two sessions bring A4IUK’s structured technical training directly to one of the UK’s most respected event production and equipment hire companies, providing delegates with the essential basics in classroom theory and hands-on knowledge of EXE Technology - EXE Rise D8+ chain hoist systems. 

Members of the IPS technical team were joined by external attendees ranging from freelancers, Technical Managers, Riggers, Business Owners and some of the technical staging team from the Royal and Derngate, Northampton.



The SkillsLab EXE Basic Maintenance training course is designed to give riggers, technicians and production professionals a solid foundation and grounding in EXE chain hoist operation and upkeep.  Covering routine inspection procedures, safe working practices, preventative maintenance techniques and product care, the training equips attendees with practical immediately applicable skills that help reduce equipment downtime and support a safer working environment.

IPS based in Milton Keynes are suppliers of staging, rigging, lightning, sound and power equipment to the events industry and operates across the UK delivering full technical production services and dry hire for live events of all scales. IPS stock a large inventory of EXE chain hoists for dry hire ranging from 500Kg to 2000Kg EXE Rise D8+ chain hoists and are one of the largest EXE rental suppliers in the UK.  Hosting the SkillsLab Exe session at their HQ training facility underscores both companies’ shared commitment to technical excellence and raising professional standards across the live events sector.

Tom Warden – Marketing and H&S Manager at IPS said: “I really enjoyed the course. I appreciated the detailed explanations coupled with the real-world examples of why certain design or safety features were important. It was great that when questions were asked, we could take the hoist apart and understand what components do and how/why they operate like they do.”
Matthew Millward – Head of Automation, A4I UK said: "It was fantastic to deliver the basic maintenance training in the new IPS training facilities, and to reach such a diverse cross-section of our fantastic industry. Attendees ranged from freelance riggers to service technicians and everything in between. I very much look forward to bringing the next training session back to IPS."

The A4IUK SkillsLab platform provides industry professionals with access to a growing portfolio of specialist education and technical training programmes across the Area Four Industries brand family including EXE Technology, MILOS, LITEC and PROLYTE.  The two-day EXE Advanced Maintenance training course is delivered at A4I UK’s Innovation Centre in Holbeach Hurn, Lincs, whilst EXE Basic Maintenance training will be conducted at other customer locations, due to popular demand am and pm sessions will return to IPS on Wednesday 30^th September 2026.
 
Theresa Gibson – Head of Marketing A4I UK concludes: “Bringing the SkillsLab EXE Basic Maintenance Training offering directly to companies like IPS means we can reach technicians in their own environment working with equipment they use every day.  That’s when learning really sticks. Our goal with SkillsLab is to make high-quality structured training as accessible as possible across the industry and it was great to attract individuals throughout the sector from theatre technicians, to riggers and live event professionals to both these sessions.  Partnering with established companies like IPS to host training workshops is a natural extension of that mission.”

The programme continues to expand throughout 2026, with further courses and specialist workshops planned across A4I’s wider brand portfolio