Hire and Rental News - August 2019

ACCESS IN ACTION Moving away from the map Since launching its mobile-first telematics solution, Elevate in 2018, Skyjack has been working with customers to ensure Elevate identifies critical data points to help create better processes. T he top issues identified by service techs included on- site battery management, battery management at the branch and operator familiarity and has led Skyjack to help customers eliminate unnecessary costs. “It’s been our mission from the start to incorporate our customers’ goals for telematics into our own, and that’s what we’re doing with the products within Elevate’s digital suite,” David Swan, Product Manager of Technology and Innovation at Skyjack said. “We spoke with service technicians and rental companies to identify the top service issues they see, and determine which data points could help them eliminate unnecessary service calls and maximise uptime for our customers.” “Regarding the battery issues, Elevate’s ready to operate indicator gives service technicians the ability to remotely see whether or not the operator has the controls configured properly to function the machine. This allows service technicians to resolve the most commonly seen issues without unnecessary onsite visits. “These are data points the service technician can see while still on the phone with the operator, which gives them more remote troubleshooting power than ever before,” David said. “This means issues that used to lead to an on-site service call can be solved through a single phone call. That’s eliminating unnecessary costs and most importantly, delivering a better customer experience.” Elevate On, a product within Elevate’s digital suite of services recently won an International Award for Powered Access (IAPA) for Innovative Technology at IPAF’s annual meeting. The app is designed for MEWP operators and their supervisors as an efficient way of guiding and tracking safety pre-checks and flagging maintenance items in advance. Elevate On streamlines processes and contributes to a safer job site. Brad Boehler, President at Skyjacksaid the next item Skyjack is working on for Elevate is a shift away from the map and moving towards an analytic dashboard through Elevate Tiles. “It’s a dashboard style analysis that gives Elevate customers an overview of their entire fleet’s charge history, battery life percentage, and problematic charging behaviors,” Brad said. “We knew from the beginning telematics has to be more than pinpoints on a map; it needs to provide real data that can positively impact business processes.” Skyjack announced its advanced battery management system that drives these insights will launch with updated Skycoded machines in 2019. n Visit: www.skyjack.com Elevate On recently won an International Award for Powered Access (IAPA) for Innovative Technology The Manitou group plans to transport more than 1,000 machines by sailing ships from Europe to the US in 2019 via the Neoline maritime project. The Neoline ro-ro cargo project, powered mainly by sails, plans to use 100% clean, free, and renewable energy: the wind. By showing its support for this economical and responsible solution, the Manitou Group is continuing its innovative approach and objective of reducing its environmental impact. With 80% of its revenues earned internationally, the new shipping solution will optimise the dynamics of its international transport flows: efficiently distributing all of its machines and components around the world more efficiently with less environmental impact. Augustin Merle, Transport and Logistics Manager at the Manitou group, said: “It is essential for the Manitou group we have access to transport solutions that are both efficient and responsible. Neoline’s proposal is a perfect fit for our operational needs. It is also viable in terms of energy consumption, saving an estimated more than 4,000 tons (Ademe database on the consumption of ro-ro cargo ships of 0.103 kgCO 2 / ton.km ) of CO 2 per year. With this service, we will maintain similar delivery times, while optimising pre-routing.” Neoline is developing a highly-fuel efficient transatlantic transport line, thanks to innovative sailing vessels that will specialize in rolling and oversized goods. With start-up expected in 2021, this line will connect St-Nazaire with the American east coast and Saint-Pierre & Miquelon. Neoline is developing industrial-scale sailing freight services that are clean, customized, and competitive and meet the logistical needs of shippers. Led by a team of maritime professionals, this shipowner project is making it possible to design vessels capable of reducing up to 90% of CO 2 emissions, compared to traditional cargo on an equivalent route. The Neoline vessel will use primary wind propulsion, in conjunction with economical speed and optimisation of the energy mix. This 136m long ro-ro vessel with 4,200m² of sails combines technical maritime transport solutions with solutions from sport sailing in an innovative way. This type of transport is efficient both logistically and economically, with exemplary energy savings. The development plan expects to build two ships of this model, with a commissioning goal of 2021. * Founded in 2015 by a group of maritime professionals convinced of the necessary evolution of shipping towards more responsible maritime transport, Neoline aims to become the first shipowner to focus on energy efficiency, based on a main propulsion system under sail. Visit: www.neoline.eu and www.manitou-group.com Manitou to transport equipment to US via sailing ship Manitou will access efficient and responsible transport solutions P42 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS AUGUST 2019