NEWS INBRIEF
It has been 40 years since
the firstManitou rough terrain
forklift hit theground in
Australia.
TheoldestMB20C found in
Australiawasmanufactured in
France andpurchasednewby
the TrottaBrother’s Building
Company in 1974. Itwas the
first forklift inKapunda (South
Australia) at that time. In the
early ’80s, TrottaBros Building
Company shut down andone
of thebrothers, Vic Trotta,
took theManitouand started
Trotta’s Hardware Store. There
itwas used as a yard fork and
put out for hireuntil the store
was sold tonewowners in
1999.When the storewas sold,
theManitou stayedonwith
the family and is still being
used today for theirmaterial
handlingneeds.
Manitouhas built its
reputation in rough terrain
handling through anetwork
of historical importers and
distributors: NTP Forklifts
(SA, QLD, VIC), Tutt Bryant
Equipment (NSW) and Liftrite
(WA). Itwas in 2006 the
subsidiaryManitouAustralia
was created in Sydney tobring
more support to thegrowing
distributor network andoffer
material handling solutions
tonew areas inOceania.
TodayManitouproducts are
distributed and servicedby
more than40 regional dealers.
Manitou startedwith rough
terrain and semi-industrial
forklifts, followedby the
telescopic handler.
LaterManitou integrated
a full rangeof rough terrain
and industrial access platforms
and in2008 it integrated a
lineof compact equipment
from a sister company: Gehl,
aUS brand thatmanufactures
skid steer, track loaders
and compact articulated
loaders. In2013,Manitou
introduced its new range
of IC trucks and launched a
new telehandler: theMLT840
awarded Telehandler of the
Year by PowerFarming for its
performance, comfort and fuel
efficiency.
ManitouOfficial Lifting andRecoveryVehicle at
theV8 Supercars
Manitou celebrating 40 years in Australia
TheMLT840
is now also
used in the
V8 Supercars
Championship
as theOfficial
Lifting and
Recovery
Vehicle.
TheManitou
Groupwill
release the
biggest
telehandler
evermade
in theworld
this year. This
super-sized telehandler is said
tobe a40 tonnes capacity
machine. Formore information
contact: 02 9517 3174or visit:
HR
Nifty has launched two
new redesigned andupdated
versions of its popular narrow
HR15NandHR17Nbooms.
Bothare still 1.5mwidebut
now featurea reduced stowed
height of less than 2m.
Theoriginal narrow
machineswere launched
almost 15 years agobut
their overall stowedheights
had crept up tomore than
2.1m. Althougha relatively
small reductionNifty said it
is important for applications
such as accessing andworking
in shopping centres.
According toNifty’s John
King, a lot of thought had
tobeput into thedesign to
reduce theheight andweight
has goneup slightlywith
thenewmachinesweighing
7,250kg for theHR15N and
7,400kg for theHR17N.
However Nifty has also taken
theopportunity to add the
latest features from the larger
machines in its range.
“Amore efficient power
control systemwill triple
battery lifeandwill be
gradually introducedonother
Niftymodels. Themuch slicker,
better laid-out platform
has fullymultifunctional
proportional controls aswell
Relaunch of redesigned
narrowbooms
as SiOPs ‘secondary guarding’
and, for the first timeona
Narrowmachine, aTough
Cage is fitted as standard,”
John said.
Workingheights are15.5m
and 17m respectivelywith
9.7moutreachonboth.
Other features include225kg
platform capacity, amore
rugged 180degreeplatform
rotator and 150degree
articulated jib.
Contact: 0249649765or
visit:www.niftylift.com.au
HR
ThenewHR17Nhas anoverall
height of less than 2m
30 | ACCESS
in
ACTION | MAY 2014
ACCESS inACTION
PPSA
A lot has happened in recentmonths
includingmeetingswith relevant
Ministers anddepartment heads
inCanberra.A lobbyist has been
employed by both the EWPA andHRIA
and a full submissionwas submitted to
parliament on10December. Progress
is beingmade and there has been a
very strong commitment for change.
This has been a joint projectwith the
HRIA and theTask Force of TimNuttall
andGary Kerr has certainly represented
the industry excellently and the EWPA
andHRIAhave offeredmuch thanks
for their efforts anddetermination in
continuing topush for change.
YELLOWCARD TRAINING
PROGRAM
The EWPA introduced the newYellow
CardTrainingProgramon 1 July
2013.The trainingprogramby design
requires the EWPA seeks feedback from
stake holders such asmanufacturers,
regulators, service technicians,
operators/members and trainers.
According toPhil Newby, Executive
Director of the EWPA:“The EWPAgoal
is toprovide themost relevant up to
date trainingprogram. Exercisingour
due diligence in thismanner sets us
apart from any other EWP training
that is available.We are confident our
program is second tonone.
“We are asking all interestedparties to
assess our current trainingmaterial and
identify any gaps createdby industry,
technological or legislative changes,”
Phil said.
“For example,WorkCover NSWhas
been addressing the issue of operating
scissor lifts andother similar EWPs on
outriggers on ramps and slopes.As this
project of operator awareness gains
momentum the EWPAunderstands
the importance of operators tobe fully
conversed in the hazard and control
methods.Hence this area of knowledge
will be clearly and specifically covered
in the revised trainingprogram.
“Another issue is attachment points
on scissor lifts and the relevance of fall
arrest and fall restraint ratings.
“The ParticipantWorkbook and the
Assessment Document canbe viewed
on the EWPAwebpage. It should also
be noted Industry CompliantTraining
Ltd (ICT) – awholly owned company
of EWPA Inc – is now aRegistered
TrainingOrganisation (RTO-40825).”
