How Unusual Rigging worked with AutoLogic Systems to cut load planning time by 115 hours a year

For over forty years, has specialised in suspending, elevating and moving equipment, scenery and people for theatre, live events, museums and international sporting spectacles. 

Their work has featured at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Silverstone Grand Prix and Eurovision, as well as West End productions including Starlight Express and Les Misérables.

The problem  

Unusual Rigging fulfils around 5–13 projects a week. Most need 2–4 vehicles, but major events such as the Olympics or Commonwealth Games can call for up to 40 vehicles on a single project. 

Loads mix standardised case sizes with custom, irregular items such as truss, scaffolding, ladder beams, each with its own stacking and placement requirements.

Before using AutoLogic Systems' MaxLoad Pro, Yard Manager Steve Boot planned every vehicle load by hand, on paper. Each plan took around 20 minutes, plus time for last-minute changes, and depended heavily on his personal experience and knowledge of the fleet and the kit. As the number and scale of projects grew, that approach became harder to sustain.

Unusual Rigging needed a system that could automate most of the planning process and optimise vehicle fill, without losing the flexibility to handle custom equipment and keep related items grouped together. After comparing the options, they concluded MaxLoad Pro was the only one that could meet those requirements.

The solution  

MaxLoad Pro plans container and vehicle loads using intelligent algorithms that account for stacking rules, vehicle-specific characteristics and mixed SKU cargo. 

Working with the AutoLogic Systems technical team, Unusual Rigging's Asset Tracking and Stock Control Administrator, Richard Torok, modelled the company's full SKU catalogue and loading rules in the system including standard cases and custom, irregular items, each with dimensions, orientation, weight and specific stacking and placement rules.

Some of that logic is detailed. Motor boxes are usually stacked in a single layer and that stacking height can change again depending on what else is loaded, such as long scaffold beams, or which vehicle is being used. Unusual Rigging wanted MaxLoad Pro to mirror this decision-making as closely as possible, and it was built into the configuration. 

The team also set MaxLoad Pro to target a specified fill percentage rather than maximum capacity, for example, filling a vehicle to 90% and leaving the remainder free for flexibility or last-minute additions on a given project.

The results

Planning time down from 20 minutes to 5. 

Unusual Rigging's Steve Boot said: "The time taken to plan each vehicle load has reduced from 20 minutes to 5 minutes with MaxLoad Pro. This equates to a time saving of between 2 and 10 hours each week."

115 hours saved a year. 

Across roughly 700 vehicle loads annually, load planning has dropped from around 175 hours a year to around 60 which is a saving of approximately 115 hours of planning time. 

Right-sized vehicles, first time. 

When venues request the wrong-sized vehicle for a reload, Unusual Rigging previously had to add an extra vehicle or accept wasted space in an oversized one. MaxLoad Pro lets them specify the optimal vehicle size instead, cutting unnecessary vehicle costs, travel time and wasted space. 

Easier for everyone downstream. 

Load plans are shared directly with stakeholders and venues, so the team no longer has to talk plans through as they've already been proven in the software. Richard Torok: "The loads are also coming back tidier and as expected, making them easier and quicker to offload back at Unusual Rigging." Plans can still be edited for inevitable last-minute changes, or adjusted with the team's own logic and preferences.

What's next 

Unusual Rigging continues to add new custom SKUs to the catalogue and refine their load plans, and are looking to roll MaxLoad Pro out to more third-party partners and venues for greater efficiency across entire projects.