Take That robot made in Norfolk
Thetford-based Warren Services and Boniface Engineering were both involved in building Om, the giant robot which formed the centre piece of the record breaking Progress Tour
Two Norfolk engineering firms helped create the giant robot that took centre stage on Take That’s latest tour.
Thetford-based Warren Services and Boniface Engineering were both involved in building Om, the giant robot which formed the centre piece of the record breaking Progress Tour. The value of this project to Warren Services was £165,000, and to Boniface it was £220,000.
The Take That concerts hit the headlines not only because they were the first time the original line up including Robbie Williams had gone back on the road since their split, but also because the show’s phenomenal success meant that several additional UK dates had to be added.
More than 1.75 million fans enjoyed the 15m production and the staging, including the 60ft moving Om which was undoubtedly one of the main talking points, hitting the national media spotlight immediately after the first night as one of the focal points of the show’s rave reviews.
Taller than the Angel of the North, the robotic man built in Norfolk took centre stage as the concerts reached their climax, moving forward and standing upright atmospherically with outstretched arms and with band members also singing and dancing in his giant hands.
The project started life on the factory floor at Warren Services in Thetford, where the firm transformed designs sent through from Hertfordshire based Brilliant Stages for the main body of Om into a reality. The full internal skeleton, body panel mounting frames, the drive tug, operator’s platform and numerous ancillary items were all manufactured across the Warren Services factories.
Recovery truck specialist Boniface Engineering was tasked with creating the moving base with rotating boom to help him stand up and down. Both firms had a matter of weeks to deliver the end result, working round the clock where needed to make sure it was delivered in time for the show.
Clive Poyner, operations director at Warren Services said; “We didn’t see the full plans to start with as they came through in sections as we were building it, but it was exciting to see Om develop and grow in front of our eyes. We were told that we got the contract as the only company that could deliver such a complex engineering solution in the timeframe involved. To then subsequently receive an order for a significant percentage of the manufactured items within the project demonstrates the capabilities of Warren Services, from both a reactionary project management perspective and also the extent of our in-house manufacturing processes. It was a real team effort.”
Chairman Richard Bridgman said; “We’ve got a fantastic team of 75 staff and most of them worked on it at some point, day and night and flat out over Easter. Despite the tight timescales and having to sign a confidentiality agreement we all relished the challenge of taking this on. It’s really been fantastic to create such a high profile piece of engineering, and great for Norfolk that it could all be done here. ”
The firm has also worked on Muse staging and on the last Take That Circus tour, in addition to providing equipment for other high-profile productions such as Cirque Du Soleil, Pink and many others.
The heavier work to adapt the truck crane used to support Om was carried out by Boniface, and its yard was where the giant man was put through his paces, standing in the air for the first time with the help of a specially made rotating boom, looking out over Norfolk countryside. David Hall, project manager at Boniface said; “There was a lot of very heavy engineering involved but it was a fantastic thing to do.”
Both firms agree that a highlight was taking members of their staff to see Om in action and hearing the reaction of the audience throughout the concert as the giant figure took centre stage. “That was absolutely brilliant,” Richard Bridgman said. “We were really proud to be a part of it.”
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