Capital Equipment News

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS OCTOBER 2015 26
According to the United Nations, by
2030, almost five billion people,
or 60 percent of the world’s popu-
lation will live in cities. This accelerated
urbanisation trend is the key indicator for
significant growth in urban and industrial
development.
In the context of mega-cities, expansion is
no longer outward, it’s upward.
Brett Fleming, CEO of Africa’s
market leader in work-at-height solutions
comments, “This industrial growth under-
pins the need for a shift in the trend of work-
at-height solutions, where safety, efficiency
and cost are key.”
Recently, Eazi Access Rental landed south-
ern Africa’s first JLG 1850 telescopic boom
lift that reaches 58.5 m in height, in lay-
man’s terms that equates to 17 stories. This
colossus is the shape of things to come and
reflects the rising volume of projects and
tasks being performed at height.
With cities booming across Africa, con-
struction and infrastructure opportunities
continue to thrive and legacy equipment like
traditional mobile or tower cranes will be
seen for many years. But with technologi-
cal advancements, Eazi Access Rental has
seen the need for smaller nimbler cranes,
like the Maeda Mini Crane. With expansion
trend being upwards, space becomes in-
creasingly constricted, and this is where this
mini crane has no equal. Its specialist lifting
capability is unsurpassed, and sports a cost
and time performance that’s the envy of the
industry.
The drive for flexibility and efficiency on site
increases demand for mechanical hybrids
that would not be out of place in a Trans-
former movie. Machines like the 3-in-1
Magni telehandler operate as three different
solutions: as a rotating telehandler for on-
site offloads, as a crane and as an access
platform at height.
Another major trend is the demand for in-
creasingly environmentally friendly ma-
chines that reduce the risk of hydraulic spills
and run on electric supply or low-emission
diesel engines.
According to Marcus Green, National Asset
Manager for Eazi Access Rental, powering
machines with Lithium ion batteries has now
become standard, owing to their efficiency
and environmental performance. For these
reasons, Green also opts for ac rather than
dc drive motors.
The urbanisation push allied with the con-
tinued pressure to drive down cost and drive
up productivity, has made flexible, mobile el-
evated work solutions the next generation in
construction development, leapfrogging the
yester year of scaffolding.
“While traditional work-at-height solutions
still remain relevant in many industries,
powered access machines and mobile ele-
vated work platforms should be considered
as the modern alternative – being more than
just a trend, they offer the latest technology
with safety, flexibility and efficiency in mind,”
says Fleming. b
CITY SURGE IS THE TRUE RENAISSANCE
of the work-at-height industry
Brett Fleming - CEO Eazi Group