The Revolution point hoist, a new product from Unusual was awarded ABTT Product of the Year 2007- Engineering/Rigging Award at the ABTT awards dinner on Wednesday 13th June. “The reaction to the product at the ABTT show was extremely positive” said Alan Jacobi, MD of Unusual. “We’re delighted. The Revolution has been the subject of a rigorous development programme by a highly committed group of people blending technical skills and live performance experience. We look forward to working with the technical theatre community to deliver tangible benefits in the coming years with the Revolution.”

The seeds of the Revolution started on 2001, when the development project started. Like many other service companies in the entertainment industry, Unusual does not support a full time R&D team. All R&D is carried out by core members of the company, who work for the company week in week out. Progress happens when workload permits, so it is hardly surprising that it has taken six years. The disadvantage of this approach to R&D is that one can easily end up following a moving target as technology progresses. However, the big advantage is that working experts are in control of the project with the objective that the end product is relevant, practical and usable. Instrumental in the whole programme were Unusual’s winch and chain hoist manufacturing partners in Germany. From the outset, the plan was to produce a winch, which was subject to stringent European manufacturing and testing criteria. The focus was always on producing a new product, which genuinely extends the current choice in the marketplace.

The Revolution is now part of Unusual’s hire fleet and is scheduled to go into use immediately. Such is the demand for the product, more units are being fast tracked through the specialist manufacturing facility in Germany for arrival late summer. New versions with additional options on travel, loading and speed are now in development for delivery late this year.