Hire and Rental News - February 2019

SUSTAINABILITY Ever lower emission values are good for the environment but a growing technical challenge for engine manufacturers. The work the MSM Engineering Team and Engine supply chain have put in to the development of new increasingly fuel efficient and green is significant, and the Australian market can benefit from this... Australian standards are not as stringent as those required for the United States, Canada, the European Union, China or India,” Matthew said. Setting emissions standards “Emissions from certain products can be a significant source of air pollution, particularly in urban areas. The regulations controlling the emissions help improve our air quality to protect human health and the environment,” Chris Morris said. “By setting emissions standards and stopping high-emitting products from entering into countries, pollutants in our air are reduced. Australian Product Emission Standards reference the standards of other countries. “Compliance with emissions standards is the responsibility of the engine manufacturers and they work to offer different levels of emission- controlled engines to meet the requirements of different countries, in some instances being able to offer a lower specification so as not to be commercially disadvantaged. “However, it can have cost implications for engine manufacturers complying with new and higher specifications. For OEMs like MSM, it is important we plan engine stock so production can have equipment available to meet the requirements of current or new legislation, without having an over stock situation of engines that are found to be out of regulation. “Emission standards are extremely important and increasingly being sought by customers in pockets around the world especially in Europe with new exhaust gas standard EU Stage V being introduced in 2019 for mobile machinery including lighting towers. “Ever lower emission values are good for the environment but a growing technical challenge for engine manufacturers. The work the MSM Engineering Team and Engine supply chain have put in to the development of new increasingly fuel efficient and green is significant, and the Australian market can benefit from this at a time when the ‘topic’ moves up the agenda and the Australian market is only officially required to meet EPA Tier 4 Final emission regulations,” Chris said. Matthew Elvin from Snorkel agrees. “The biggest difficulty we face as an OEM, rather than an engine manufacturer, in regards to changing regulations is the impact on our engineering teams, who need to install, test, and document all newly complaint engines, along with maintaining older versions that are necessary for high-sulfur countries, while still remaining cost competitive in international markets,” Matthew said. “Compliance with these differing international standards affects the OEM in several ways. It increases the cost of components and the final product, increases potential warranty issues and increased customer frustrations and complaints, and diverts our engineering to focus on engine compliance rather than product innovation. “Most customers view these standards as less than favourable from a business perspective. They increase the complexity for their operators, increase the amount of training and potential technical problems, and ultimately, they increase the operating and purchase cost of equipment which is, in turn, passed on to their customers. In the same regard, customers value efforts to reduce pollution and improve the environment, however crave a solution that delivers the environmental results, without being overly detrimental to their ongoing business operations,” Matthew said. Changing technology “As a manufacturer and supplier of British lighting towers we observed the Australian market reacting and changing from metal halide to LED lamps far quicker than in the UK. Australian hire companies have been specifying LED on diesel light towers for the past four to five years, which in the case of SMC product now offers close to 300 hours runtime versus 85hrs from the previous metal halide equivalents. “There is a growing interest in hybrid products with both end users and their hire suppliers seeking to find effective engine/battery combinations comparable in performance and light provision to standard diesel equivalents. The engineering team at Morris Site Machinery went one step forward a few years ago in developing the SMC TL55 Solar/Battery Lighting Towers which offer zero emissions, zero noise and zero fuel costs, with up to 500 hour run time on the SMC TL55 Battery alone and potentially an ‘indefinite runtime’ on Solar Power. Matthew Elvin at Snorkel said we are seeing the attitude towards sustainability changing in Australia. “Larger companies are starting to look more favourably at partnering with suppliers who share a commitment to cleaner air, by demonstrating an ability to meet minimum emission standards even where there is no regulatory requirement. To some extent this is being driven by Work Health and Safety requirements on major commercial and infrastructure developments, where principal contractors are looking to reduce the impact of particulate pollution on the health of workers and the surrounding area population. “Emissions standards in access equipment is a consideration in the Australian domestic market and Australian customers are actually looking more towards the pure electric and hybrid electric/diesel powered equipment as an alternative to traditional diesel power, as this technology continues to develop quickly, and the efficiencies and duty cycles improve. “Noise is also a consideration; the impact of noise on the health of workers and the surrounding areas is another key driver behind the push towards electric and hybrid technology,” Matthew said. Chris Morris said: “Some manufacturers and end users are really keen to find such sustainable and environmental Light solutions and when ‘Green solutions’ combine with ‘Commercial savings/benefits’ it’s a win win situation for both the environment and profitability. “We are living in really exciting time of technological advancement with regards to LED, battery and solar technology. These innovations, combined with telemetry and even longer engine service intervals, offer customers the opportunity to work smarter not harder while reducing environmental impact. “Stringent health and safety standards in Australia drive the requirement for supplementary lighting to create safe working or entertaining environments, selecting quality and cost-efficient products are crucial when companies plan projects or events. MSM is committed to embracing all the technological advancements and customer specific needs, which is why we now have one of the largest lighting tower ranges in the market today. “MSM support the emissions levels and sustainability on their lighting towers by the fitment of timers and/or dusk to dawn monitoring to allow the user ease of use whilst reducing carbon emissions and fuel usage. Remote monitoring of the unit is an option where machines can be remotely stopped and started, fuel can be monitored, lights can be turned on and off and location/movement can be identified.” Continued on p66... P64 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS FEBRUARY 2019