WORLDNEWS
7
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014
access
INTERNATIONAL
2014
Europlatform
September 25, 2014
Cologne, Germany
ALH Conference and
Awards
November 11, 2014
Miami, USA
2015
Intermat
April 20-25, 2015
Paris, France
ConExpo Latin America
October 21-24, 2015
Santiago, Chile
DIARY
■
Linamar Corporation’s
Skyjack division
has announced
its plans to exhibit at BaumaChina,
following increaseddemands for
its aerial work platforms from
across Asia.MalcolmEarly, vice
president ofmarketing at Skyjack,
said extending the company’s
Asian reach is a key target for the
business. “One of our strategic
goals for the short-term is to
strengthen our presence in several
high-potential growthmarkets, one
of which isChina,” he said.
■
UK-based rental company, part
of
Ashtead Group
, has placed
orderswith six suppliers formore
than720newmachines. The two
largest deals are a274machine, £6
million orderwithGenie and amore
than£4.6million order from JLG
for 220machines. Skyjack, Niftylift,
Haulotte andPower Towers also
received substantial orders.
■
Italian rental firm
Locatop
has
purchasedfive newPalfinger P200A
truck-mounted lifts fromPalfinger
Platforms Italy. All the units to be
equippedwith a hydraulic electrical-
drivenpump (230V). This allows the
P200 towork also in electricmode,
with zero emissions.
■
Italianmanufacturer
Socage
is
nowpromoting its patentedX-shape
chassis for aerial work platforms
(AWPs). TheX-shape chassis offers
a number of technical innovations.
The chassis has four telescopic
outriggers, which sit at a tangent to
themain chassis body, andwhich
are longer than common outriggers,
once opened.
INBRIEF
Manitex to acquire
Oil&Steel andPM
USA-basedManitex International
in theUSAhas agreed the
acquisitionof Italian articulating
crane and aerial platform
manufacturer PMGroupSpA for
US$107million.
Articulating (knuckle boom)
cranes under thePMbrand and
Oil&Steel branded truckmounted
aerial platformswill be added
to theManitex product offer.
Manitex said that PMGroup,
its largest acquisition todate,has
trailing twelvemonths revenue
of $106million and an adjusted
EBITDAmargin around9%.
PMGroup accumulated$140
million indebt following a 2008
leverage buyout (LBO),which
has created anopportunity for
Manitex to acquire the company
and restructure the debt, theUS
company said.The acquisition,
expected to close in the fourth
quarter of 2014, includes
assumptionof $68million indebt
and liabilities,plusworking capital
facilities.Also in the price is a $24
million loan, and$15million in
newManitex shares,mainly to
PM’s banks.
AtManitexPM andOil&Steel
will join fellow Italian crane
manufacturerValla and container
handling equipment specialist
CVSFerrari,plusUS crane
companiesManitex andBadger.
ManitexLiftKing andLoad
King are also in theManitex
International portfolio.
ATN to launch23m
tracked platform
France-basedATN is set to
extend its crawler rangewith a
23mmodel with outriggers.
Themanufacturer already
produces the 8.1mworking
height PIAF 810 verticalmast,
but this newproduct will be its
first foray into a platformwith
outriggers.
The new crawlerwill be
designedwith the rentalmarket in
mindwith an easy-to-use control
system similar to the one found
on its other products.The new
machinewill have a 1.2mwidth,
whichwillmake it wider than
a standarddoor in a residential
property, and runs counter to the
argument that trackedmachines
must be very compact.But asMr
Duclos explains, a 23mmachine
will not be used in residential
properties,butmore likely
buildingswithwider doors, like,
he suggests,gymnasiums.
The prototype of the new
machinewill be ready in 2015,
saidMrDuclos andwill be
followed by a 17mmodel
afterwards.
Force vertical masts to hospital project
Australian access equipment rental
company Skyreach has expanded
in Sydneywith the opening of two
new branches.
The company said the new
officeswere in Brookvale and
Kemps Creek, with the Brookvale
location forming the head office
for Skyreach inNew SouthWales
(NSW).
Skyreach said this sitewas
well placed to service the central
Sydneymarket aswell as the
bourgeoning northernmetropolitan
area. It has appointedMalcolm
Allan to head up the SkyreachNSW
operation.
SKYREACH
MATCHES GROWTH
IN AUSTRALIA
Skyjackhas received an order
for 40 verticalmasts fromForce
Australia.
Themast liftswill be delivered
toAdelaide,one of 16 locations in
theForce national network.
Their first jobwill be on the
construction of the newRoyal
AdelaideHospital (RAH). It is to
be built for the SouthAustralian
government.Run by the SA
HealthPartnershipConsortium,
it is the largest infrastructure
project ever inSouthAustralia.
