WORLD NEWS
6
access
INTERNATIONAL
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014
■
The UK’s
Prefabricated
Access Suppliers &
Manufacturers Association
(PASMA)
trained more than
63000 people to work at height
safely in 2013. This marked a new
record for the mobile access tower
association, as training figures rose
10% on 2012. At the start of 2014,
there were 320000 active PASMA
cards in circulation; a figure that
has continued to rise steeply over
the last five years, as more and
more organizations see the value of
PASMA training courses.
■
Riwal
has opened a new
depot in the state of São Paulo,
Brazil. The depot in the Campinas
region comes as Riwal seeks to
broaden its market coverage,
while establishing a closer
proximity to its customers and
maximizing transport efficiency. It
accommodates a range of aerial
work platforms and telehandlers.
In addition it serves as a training
centre offering IPAF certified
courses to operators.
■
Skyjack
will supply more
than 250 aerial work platforms
to Modern (Singapore) Access &
Equipment. Comprised mainly
of electric scissors, the order
represents a significant investment
designed to improve the size and
capability of its rental fleet. The
deal comes at an important time
as Skyjack seeks to grow in this
increasingly important market.
IN BRIEF
NEW ADVERTISING MANAGER AT
AI
Mike Posener is the new Advertising Manager of
Access International
.
Mike took over the position from Wil Holloway, who has been promoted to
head of sales for KHL Americas. Wil continues to play a key role with Access
International thanks to his proximity to contacts in North America; he also
continues as sales manager for
AI’s
sister magazine,
Access, Lift & Handlers
,
based at KHL’s Chicago office.
Mike already has a wealth of experience in the access industry having spent
the last eight years as KHL’s sales
representative for German speaking
countries and central Europe across
all its titles.
“Mike’s industry knowledge and
expertise will be a huge asset to
Access International
and we are
delighted to have him on board,” said
AI
Editor Euan Youdale.
If you have any enquiries
regarding advertising in
Access
International
, please contact Mike by
e-mail at
or
telephone him on +353 860 431219.
Manitou appoints new CEO
Michel Denis, a former CEO
of European truck rental group
Fraikin, will be the new president
and CEO of Manitou Group.
He will officially take over
from interim president and CEO
Dominique Bamas this month
( January). Mr Bamas has resigned
in accordance with the Manitou
board of director’s planned
appointment of Mr Denis.
In 2003 Mr Denis joined the
Fraikin Group, a European leader
in truck rentals, for which he
was CEO until August 2013.
He helped grow the group’s
international standing, influenced
the design of industrial vehicles,
and developed services and
financing associated with its
60000-strong fleet.
Mr Denis will take over the
position at Manitou on 13
January for a four year term
expiring at the 2017 shareholders’
meeting for financial statements.
Manitou board members
expressed their appreciation to
Mr Bamas for his efforts since
former CEO Jean Christophe
Giroux stepped down in March
last year. Marcel Braud, chairman
of the board, said, “During this
period he [Mr Bamas] stabilised
financing for the next five years,
reduced the debt and initiated
a combination of optimisation
programs and developments from
which the group should benefit in
the upcoming years.”
Mr Braud continued, “It is our
pleasure to welcome Mr Denis
whose appointment marks a
new chapter in the history of
Manitou.”
Italian manufacturer Socage
has sold 1000 units of its
DA320 articulated platform.
The DA320 is a double
articulated truck mount that
can be installed on 3.5 tonne
trucks, such as a Nissan
Cabstar or Iveco Daily.
It has a maximum working
height of 20 m, a maximum
working outreach of 9.5 m
and a basket capacity of 225
kg. The 1000-unit milestone
makes the DA320 one of the
most popular aerial working
platforms sold by Socage.
The company has also
reported sales of 98
platforms in the African
market in the last 12 months,
as it continues to work on
expanding its international
reach.
Calibration focus
for fatal collapse
The UK’s Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) has said an
initial investigation into the fatal
collapse of a Terex AWP Genie
Z-135/70 boom in London, UK,
belonging to Kimberly
Access, showed that
the machine may not
have been calibrated
correctly.
The response came
in a letter from the UK
Minister of State for Disabled
People, Mike Penning MP
to IPAF CEO Tim Whiteman.
It followed a letter from Mr
Whiteman to the government
in November calling
for an urgent review
of the time taken by
the Health & Safety
Executive (HSE) to
respond to the accident,
which occurred at
Kimberly’s west London
depot in June this year.
“In this case HSE’s Health
and Safety Laboratory (HSL)
began their examination of the
MEWP on 17 July 2013 in the
presence of a representative of
its manufacturer.Their initial
findings were that it appeared
that the machine in question may
not have been calibrated correctly.
This may have allowed the basket
to be extended to a position
in which the MEWP became
unstable,”Mr Penning stated.
The HSE uses safety alerts
to inform industry and the
workforce whenever new safety
concerns emerge. “No safety alert
has been issued on this occasion.
the HSE has no evidence at
present which would suggest that
these machines are unsafe when
properly calibrated and used.”
