Access

  Pictured left to right with an SL30RTE are Ed Bisdee from battery supplier Hyperdrive Innovation with Snorkel’s engineering manager Jason Lovell, commercial director Stephen Irish, CEO Matthew Elvin and manufacturing chief John Gill Powered access platform manufacturer Snorkel has started up full production at its Wearside factory of two new lithium-powered Speed Level scissor lifts. The new models, the Snorkel SL26RTE and SL30RTE, were initially previewed at the Bauma 2019 trade show earlier this year and are now in production at the Snorkel’s Vigo Centre plant in Washington, Tyne & Wear. Both lifts are completely zero emission thanks to lithium-ion battery packs with built-in battery management system (BMS), and an integrated electric powertrain developed with ...

The Gulf arm of UK powered access specialist Access Rental has placed a US$5m (£4m) equipment order with Skyjack. Access Rental Gulf (ARG) has ordered a total of 55 machines, comprising 35 articulating boom lifts and 20 telescopic boom lifts. ARG, which was established in 2008, has a rental fleet of over 1,000 powered access machines operating across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. Managing director Chris Light said: “Skyjack is a key strategic partner to ARG. They have a solid and well-proven reputation for providing quality engineered, simple and reliable access equipment which is easy to service and maintain.  We have worked closely with Skyjack since we established in 2008. Skyjack has proven to be an excellent investment and we value the first-clas...

Powered access rental company Nationwide Platforms has opened a new depot in Didcot, Oxfordshire. With the addition of Didcot, Nationwide Platforms now has 35 depots across the UK with this number set to increase as the company look to expand their service offering throughout the Midlands in 2020 and beyond. Owned by French rental group Loxam, Nationwide runs the UK’s largest fleet of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) with more than 13,000 machines. The Didcot depot, on Hawksworth Industrial Estate, has capacity to hold stock of over 400 MEWPs and will also host operator training programmes. Managing director Colin Hotchkiss said: “Great powered access hire service depends on being close to our customers and delivering the right equipment just when they need it. This ...

Powered access hire company AFI-Uplift has taken over competitor Facelift after a £60m injection of new private equity capital. Facelift was founded by Gordon Leicester in Hickstead, Sussex in 1986 when he was just 21 years old and bought a Simon D50 truck-mounted platform to help with building maintenance work. From this, a hire business grew to a fleet of more than 700 machines and annual revenues of £12m. It is a top 20 player in the general UK powered access rental market and particularly prominent for its high-reach truck-mounted platforms. Now aged 54, Gordon Leicester is cashing in. AFI’s fleet of 7,500 platforms in the UK and Middle East make it much larger than Facelift but the acquisition substantially strengthens AFI’s offering in the self-drive truck and van mounted p...

Trailer and bodywork specialist Sterling GP has developed a beavertail plant body specifically for transporting powered access machinery. The Sterling body supplied to Upward Powered Access provides both greater carrying capacity and faster loading. Payload has been maximised by using high-tensile steels and folded steel sections. Full composite gridlock deck and Expamet mesh welded to the durbar toe sections of the ramp give maximum grip assisting efficient loading.  In addition, the Sterling beavertail slope and ramps are designed to achieve optimum loading angles and shallowest initial point of impact. Sterling is an approved supplier of the Access Alliance, of which Upward Powered Access is a member.  Sterling GP sales executive Grant Owen said: “This project is another ex...

UK-based manufacturer of cherry pickers Niftylift has appointed a distributor for Finland. JS-Multi, which is owned by Jani Myllymäki and Sami Tainio has workshops in Helsinki and Joensuu, with new locations planned. As well as service and repair booms, JS-Multi Service can also work on generators, compressors and other motorised equipment. Jani Myllymäki and Sami Tainio said: “Our strengths in the industry are flexibility, know-how and co-operation with customer’s needs, to ensure machine availability. In the end, the rental companies only need to focus on renting their machines, not repairing and servicing their machines. Mark van Oosten, export sales manager for Niftylift added: “We’re very pleased to be working with Jani and Sami and are looking forward to developing our p...

Essex-based Cannon Access has taken delivery of six new electric Genie GS-1330m scissor lifts. Cannon Access is the first UK customer for this emissions-free machine, launched at the 2019 Bauma trade show in Munich in April. Marketed as a ‘micro-sized’ machine, the Genie GS-1330m is 1.4 metres long and 78cm wide, with a raised platform height of 3.9 metres (12 ft 8 in). Director Tom Cannon said: “We decided to pre-order a batch of Genie GS-1330m scissor lifts the second we saw the model announcement. For years, the industry standard has been to use six-metre (19 ft) scissor lifts, even if the customer is only working at half that height. And whilst this is not an issue, it is great to see a leading manufacturer producing a smaller conventional machine that will fill in the gap...