Keighley Labs has launched a new competition to find Yorkshire’s strongest brand by putting products to the test in its new tensile testing machine.
The winner so far is award-winning brewer Timothy Taylor after its beer keg withstood a force of 213kN before it was crushed.
Yorkshire’s Strongest Brand 2021 looks to boost awareness of local organisations, while encouraging companies to prioritise offering graduate job roles across the region.
Applicants can put themselves forwards for the coveted title of ‘Yorkshire’s strongest brand’ by providing a product to be put through a state-of-the-art tensile testing machine, which slowly applies pressure to determine how long an item can go without being crushed.
This also follows a rise in interest in tensile testing, as videos showing hydraulic presses are becoming increasingly popular on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Brands looking to enter the challenge are up against local award-winning brewery Timothy Taylor, who put forward a bottle opener, magnet and beer keg to be crushed.
And it’s the beer keg that sits in pole position, after surviving a massive force of 213.51kN before giving way, while the bottle opener handled 9.45kN and a magnet took on 6.11kN.
With each brand able to enter up to three items in an attempt to take on Timothy Taylor, this competition will be particularly attractive to those who deal in heavy items - as long as they’re able to fit into the tensile machines, and aren’t made of glass or ceramic.
Not only does the competition look to award the coveted title of the region’s toughest brand - boosting the profile of local businesses and job opportunities is another key focus.
Debbie Mellor, Managing Director at Keighley Labs comments on this, saying: “Yorkshire’s Strongest Brand 2021 is a great opportunity for local brands to get their name out there in an engaging and unique way - which is particularly important for those who are looking to attract a more mainstream or younger customer base.
“With increased brand awareness comes more interest in job opportunities from the local community, so we’re hoping this fun competition will genuinely benefit the brands who get involved, as well as Yorkshire graduates who’re looking for a way into these industries.”
Keighley Labs is a proud advocate for local graduate schemes and apprenticeships, having regularly offered opportunities to local students in order to close the skills gap and nurture Yorkhire’s home-grown talent - Debbie Mellor recently took part in an event at Bradford Girl’s Grammar School as part of the Bradford Manufacturing Weeks, promoting women in engineering.
Videos are also taken of each product in the tensile testing machine, to verify its durability, with brands able to keep their crushed items as souvenirs, or see them recycled responsibly.
To enter Yorkshire’s Strongest Brand 2021, please email [email protected] to find out more.