VERTIKAL DAYS
Nationwide bought MEC’s Titan 40s boom.
Cushman
Titan T-1145
vegicle-
mounted
scissor lift.
Italian truck mounted and spider lift
manufacturer Oil & Steel has appointed
newly formed Mantis Access as its sole
distributor for the UK and Ireland. The
company launched the new Mantis MD21
AWS, based on a 6 tonne rigid frame
dumper with 4 wheel drive. The lift is an
Oil & Steel 2112 Snake Smart with 21 m
working height. It is designed with tree
clearance contractors in mind.
who is also managing director of CTE UK,
said, “On behalf of the management and
all employees of both CTE Spa and CTE
UK, I would like to thank Brian for his past
contribution to the success of CTE in the UK,
and wish him much good luck for the future.”
Mr King added, “I really enjoyed my 10/11
years with CTE, and think that I am leaving
CTE UK at the right time and in good hands.”
Cushman was using the exhibition to see
if there was a market in the UK for its Titan
T-1145 vehicle-mounted scissor. It was
launched in the US in April, and offers a 5.26
m working height, with 794 kg maximum
load for two people in the basket. It is an ideal
machine for airports, according to the company,
and the operator can carry tools around in the
back. The company said it would know by the
end July if imports to the UK will start - if so it
will apply for CE-Marking.
Holding its own
Affordable Access Hire, the UK distributor
for Italy-based Co.me.t, was showing the
manufacturer’s X4 vehicle mount for the first
time in the UK. It has a foldable boom behind
the cab, a bit like a knuckle boom crane, rather
than the basket resting across the chassis.This
frees up the body to carry equipment and
materials weighing up to 1.7 tonnes. Lateral
outreach is 4.5 m with a 150 kg carrying
capacity.The company has 23 units in its
rental fleet comprising of 13 – 15 m tracked
booms and 12 – 31 m truck mounts. Managing
director Tony Thornton said the UK market in
general was holding its own, “Just ticking over.”
But on the electricity work that the company
carries out, business has never been better. “In
the last two to three years, they have stopped
using ladders and towers and now insist on
these machines.”
Multitel launched a 23.40 m working height
truck mounted articulated boom at the show.
It said the UK had the biggest requirement for
this type of machine. “The UK market is the
third largest in terms of truck mounts.”
According to the company up to 600 truck
mounts are sold in the UK every year. “The
UK is not depressed, but on the other hand
it’s not good. Compared to last year it is steady
but money is tight and it’s getting tighter – it’s
taking people longer to decide to invest.”
At Promax, distributor for Platform Basket
in the UK, its managing director Mark Caves
said the market for tracked platforms in the
UK is saturated. “Everything is getting cheaper
- there’s a lot of them about now and everyone
is getting on the bandwagon.”Mr Caves said
there were about 500 track mounted units in
the UK. “But there is a healthy market in part
exchange, the phones are quieter but we are
holding our own.”
The company was showing the 33 m
Platform basket 33.15 in the UK for the first
time after it was launched at Bauma in April
this year, representing its entry to the mid-
height sector
Nationwide was showing its new Titan boom
on the manufacturer’s stand.The UK rental
company has invested in 40S and 60S units,
providing access to 14 and 18 m, respectively.
The manufacturer describes them as having the
capacity of a telehandler, with the work area of
an ultra-deck scissor and reach of, and rotation
of a boom.
Nationwide Platforms’ second MEC
investment is the Crossover, a rough terrain
electric scissor lift with outriggers, which is
available in two models which provide access
to 10 and 12 m and have a Safe Working Load
(SWL) of 454kg and 340kg, respectively.
Mike Potts, Nationwide Platforms’ managing
director, said: “An investment of this nature
requires a number of considerations that we
believe these platforms meet and even go
beyond.Working with MEC, we established
a robust process of employee engagement
to launch the products internally, and have
conducted customer trials and commercial
testing. As a result of that, we’re pleased to
establish ourselves as one of UK’s first hirers of
Titan Boom and Crossover units.”
MEC’s John Tolle told
AI
that the UK
market was innovative like the US and was
ready for this type of machine for use in
the petrochemical, shipyard and cladding
industries, among others. “We have been
talking about going bigger than the 60, but the
problem is the weight of transportation.”There
have been about 175 sales of the Titan 40
worldwide so far,” he added.
Fellow US manufacturer Custom Equipment
has been selling its compact Hy-Brid scissor
series through UK distributor Access Platform
Company for eight months. It was showing the
6 foot HB/P3.6 for the first time at Vertikal
Days. Designed for the UK market, and
produced in the US, the model has a 227 kg
capacity.
Chinese manufacturer Dingli has been
making itself noticed at European trade
fairs this year too; it was at bauma for the
first time and at its UK distributor booth
Dingli Platform Sales at Vertikal Days.The
company had been part of general construction
distributor Oswald Record, owned by LSGI,
but split into its own divisions because of the
potential in the market.
“It’s a product that now needs its own
company – there’s so much interest. We are
open about the fact that Dingli is a Chinese
manufacturer, but all of the components are
European spec,” said a spokesman.
AI
43
JULY-AUGUST 2013
access
INTERNATIONAL
