GET, LLC's Blog: Terex/Genie

Showing posts with label Terex/Genie. Show all posts

Terex Completes the Sale of Its Material Handling and Port Solutions Business

Some news from our friends at Terex. The Terex Corporation has announced that it has completed the sale of its Material Handling and Port Solutions business to Finland-based Konecranes Plc for $595 million, €200 million in cash and 19.6 million newly issued class B shares representing a 25% interest in Konecranes.

“We believe that the Konecranes-MHPS combination represents compelling industrial logic that will deliver significant value to Konecranes customers, team members and shareholders, including Terex” said John L. Garrison, Terex President and CEO. “The sale of our MHPS business is a major milestone on our journey to become a more focused, high performance enterprise. We are committed to delivering improved profitability and return on capital across Terex as we implement our strategy of focus, simplify, and execute to win. Also, we will move forward over the coming weeks with our planned debt reduction, significantly reducing our interest expense and leverage as we enter 2017.”

The final transaction consideration is subject to post-closing adjustments for cash, debt, working capital, MHPS actual 2016 EBITDA and the closing of the sale of the Stahl CraneSystems business.

A great step for Terex-we do believe 2017 will be good for business for the entire Terex family.

If you have any aerial lift needs and would like to discuss potential solutions, please drop GET, LLC a line via our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-797-0789-your authorized Terex/Genie Representative for Guam and Micronesia.

Taking Time for Preventive Maintenance: An Update for Genie Scissor Lift and Telehandler Owners and Users

I came across this handy piece of advice from the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based on-line magazine Utility Products. While their respective focus is power, telecom and cable tv product solutions, they recently came out with updated guidance on aerial lift safety-specifically Genie Scissor and Telehandlers. The writer noted that maintenance time and costs are being reduced with a consolidated maintenance protocol for all Genie GS-scissor lift models and Genie GTH-telehandler models in North America. It appears that following updated procedures and simplified intervals, new Genie maintenance instructions now provide rental companies, including those here in the Western Pacific, the flexibility needed to keep their equipment on rent longer while making routine tasks a priority.

With rental equipment constantly going out and coming in, the streamlined maintenance procedures reduces the number of visits a Genie scissor lift or telehandler needs to make to the shop for preventive care. That means that less time in a lift shop translates to more time out on rent, lowering customers’ total cost of ownership and driving a higher rental return on invested capital.

With this maintenance protocol, Genie has condensed six separate maintenance manuals into one easy-to-use manual. This one-stop maintenance manual contains complete performance specifications, as well as a streamlined list of maintenance tasks to complete. And it is available in hard copy or digital format for easy integration into custom electronic systems.

Designed to save and simplify, the protocol also includes recommendations for extended service intervals opportunities; for example, many periodic procedures for scissor lifts have moved from quarterly and semi-annually to annually.

Commissioning has changed, too. Rather than perform some of the tasks at the 30-hour mark and some at 50 hours or longer, now all of the commissioning assignments for scissor lifts and telehandlers sold in 2016 and beyond are set for 50 hours and 150 hours.

If you have any aerial lift needs and would like to discuss potential solutions, please drop GET, LLC a line via our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-797-0789-your authorized Terex/Genie Representative for Guam and Micronesia.

Revised Standards for Aerial Work Platforms on the Horizon

Interesting news from the 99-year old Engineering News-Record that will soon have some impact on construction job sites in the Western Pacific. The Troy, Michigan-based publication earlier this month reported that the use of aerial work platforms is on the rise citing a recent study by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) which found that AWPs continue to grow as a percentage of rental fleets.

We have heard concerns from island specialty rental firms and construction companies that is in line with a growing nationwide effort to revise ANSI safety standards and curb the number of potential operators calling for quotes and renting out our collective gear that not highly experienced using an aerial work platform.

“In these new standards, we’re looking at what we know today that we didn’t know when we wrote the last standard,” said IPAF North America Development Manager and ANSI committee member Tony Groat. “We’re looking at new equipment in the marketplace, as well as new technology available to us.”

The proposed draft standards from IPAF and the Scaffold & Access Industry Association are A92.20 Design, Calculations, Safety Requirements and Test Methods for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs); A92.22 Safe Use of MEWPs; and A92.24 Training Requirements for the Use, Operation, Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of MEWPs. These will replace the existing A92.2, A92.22 and A92.24 standards.

Aerial work platforms, referred to in the new standard as “mobile elevating work platforms,” or MEWPs, have been reclassified in the new A92.2 as either vertical- or boom-based lifts. The categories now also include truck-mounted lifts, which were not addressed in the previous edition of the standard.

One of the biggest changes in the draft standard is the requirement for load-sensing alarms and cutouts to be built into new work platforms.

In addition to design changes, the new ANSI standards will include new guidelines for operators, passengers and supervisors. Fall-protection gear will be required on all boom-type lifts, and the new standard will discourage the use of MEWPs to transport workers from one level to another. The standards will also make it the responsibility of a supervisor to prepare a risk assessment for any use of the platform, placing the onus not just on the worker at the controls but also on site managers and contractors.

2014 A YEAR OF IMPROVEMENTS FOR TEREX AWP

Call 2014 a year of progress for the Aerial Work Platform business of Terex. In its annual report released recently, 32% of its net sales were from the AWP sector. Cranes and material handling & port solutions segments both tied at 24%.

By product segment, 53% of Terex AWP sales were from boom lifts, 23% from scissor lifts, 17% from telehandlers, and 7% from trailer-mounted and other products. Sixty-four percent of sales were made in the United States and Canada.

“Terex continued to improve in 2014 despite a more challenging operating environment than anticipated entering the year,” said Terex Chairman and CEO Ron DeFeo. “We have streamlined our business portfolio, reduced our cost structure, introduced innovative new products, and simplified operations."

According to the company's report, Terex increased sales by 3% in 2014, and it was able to generate $329 million in free cash flow. For the year, adjusted operating profit was flat with 2013.

While the material handling & port solutions and construction segments showed profit improvements, the cranes, materials processing, and aerial work platform segments were below 2013 levels due to unpredictable markets for cranes and materials processing and operating inefficiencies and increased investments for AWPs.

"There is more work to do, but overall we are pleased with the progress we have made and the momentum of our internal improvement initiatives," said DeFeo.

2015 a breakout year? Stay tuned.

British-Made Scissor Lift Attachment to Help On Job Sites

GET, LLC is always on the look-out for the latest technologies to assist on the aerial lift job site. Taking items to height is challenging, especially when the limits of the scissor, boom or other aerial work platforms are already pushed to the limit with on-board operators and their respective tools of the trade. From the other side of the pond, there is a new accessory for scissor lifts that may change the way professionals work at height and shorten those hours getting supplies to that challenging area on a project site.

South East England's Aerial and Handling Services has launched its new DRXmulti materials handling attachment for scissor lifts. The Small Dole, UK-based sales and rental company rolled out the DRXmulti, which can be installed on every make and model of scissor lift, including low level access platforms such as Pop-Ups or Power Towers.

“Naturally we’re hoping this will be a very successful product, having taken us almost a year and a large investment to design and finish it ready for commercial sale," said Director of Aerial and Handling Services Ian Harding. "Everyone at AHS has been involved with the project, whether it was hands on design or a group collective when troubleshooting, and together we have all been responsible for the final product - it’s been much more than just blood sweat and tears!”

Weighting just 31 pounds, the fully CE approved (European Conformity) DRXmulti device can be setup in under five minutes and removed in less than a minute. It requires no drilling and can be singularly, dual or triple mounted if required.

Once installed it can also be quickly reconfigured as pipe/rebar rack or a board carrier by simply swapping the jaws for clamps and adding board cups.

A number of London based construction firms are already using them on projects-including one that is using the DRXmulti to support concrete reinforcing bars with help of a scissor lift to provide a safe and efficient method of positioning the rebar during the building of a curtain wall. Let's see if this innovative product will make it out to the Pacific Rim on the complex projects that are taking place here over the course of the next decade or so.

Innovative Boom Lift Alarm Introduced by Genie

As an owner of the Genie TZ-50, GET, LLC has been impressed by the safety features of this particular aerial lift. Safety should always be paramount when using this piece of equipment with work up to 50 feet from the ground. Alarms do help give operators some level of comfort knowing when trouble arises either working at height or simply setting up on a job site. Genie has rolled out yet another bit of innovation for boom lifts.

Genie announced recently that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Lavendon Group plc. for its "electronic secondary guarding solution" also known as the SkySiren. This system is designed to alert ground personnel when an operator makes contact with the platform control panel. The system interrupts boom movement, sounds an alarm and causes a light to flash.

Based on Lavendon's SkySiren technology, the Genie operator protective alarm (OPA) system can be retrofitted to any Genie articulating or telescopic boom lift manufactured after 2002. It is now available as an aftermarket option but will soon be offered as a factory-installed option.

"Our customers requested an additional option for operator overhead protection and we are responding by offering the Genie operator protective alarm," said Terex Booms Product Manager Frank Schneider. "By offering the OPA along with the Genie operator protective structure, our customers will be able to configure the machine as appropriate to the job site conditions."

The system is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to operators and features a pressure sensitive horizontal bar that is fitted at around waist height below the boom lift's control panel. When pressure is placed on the bar, as may be the case if an operator makes contact with an overhead obstacle, the system is activated. The system also features a reset button that can be pressed if the system is inadvertently activated. Genie also will continue to offer the operator protective structure (OPS).

"We are incredibly pleased to reach this agreement and hope the global availability of this secondary guarding technology can aid the working at height experience of many end users worldwide," said Lavendon Group Chief Executive Officer Don Kenny.

The SkySiren system has been named the 2012 IOSH Innovation of the Year, the 2012 Construction Health and Safety Group Beaumont Safety Trophy and the 2012 IAPA Contribution to Safe Working at Height and most recently the US Leadership in Lifting Equipment and Access Platforms Platinum Award.

Mobile Harbor Crane Product Launched by Terex

GET, LLC is amazed each day by the capability of our partner Terex Inc. The technology that they are coming up with to support the lift needs of the world's construction and services industry was kicked up a notch recently with the introduction of the Quaymate M50.

Adapting the design and technology from the Gottwald Model 2 harbor crane, the 50 tonne diesel-electric Quaymate M50 has a 36 meter (118 Feet) maximum radius with 50 meter a minute hoisting speeds. Designed as an entry model for small maritime and river ports the new crane will be manufactured at Terex Port Solution’s plant in Xiamen, China using components both from Asia and Europe.

“When we launched the mobile harbour crane around 60 years ago, we were responding to changing requirements in many terminals," said Vice President of Terex Port Solutions Mathias Dobner, "Throughout the world new terminals are appearing and existing terminals are continuing to develop. This means that many operators are looking for their first harbor cranes or harbor cranes to replace non-port equipment, while others would like to add to their existing fleet.”

Terex says the M50 provides operators of smaller ports with an economical as well as user and environmentally friendly machine designed for light to medium-duty applications. Additional features include a cable reel and electric hook rotator for operation with automatic spreaders for container handling and motor grabs for bulk and scrap handling.

“In many regions of the world, we are dealing with economies that are at the start of a growth period. These markets demand functional solutions with cost-effective and rugged machines which firstly work reliably and secondly allow the terminal in question to grow." said Dobner.

We are convinced, along with Terex, that the Quaymate M50 crane can help many operators to modernize their cargo handling including those here in Micronesia and the North Pacific. It is perfectly clear that together we can build small entry-level products as well as large, heavy-duty cranes for developed ports in this region and beyond.

2014 A Strong Year for Terex

GET, LLC is encouraged by words recently by Terex Chairman and CEO Rob DeFeo who speaking to Great Britain-based International Construction Magazine recently said that the company's 2014 prospects will be strong led by its lifting division Genie.

“From a financial point of view, fleets are old and there is high utilization today," said DeFeo. "Used equipment values are strong, and ultimately the customer base is planning well when it comes to replacing fleet.”

DeFeo said the company would leverage its Genie aerial platform business to increase sales to the rental channel and further adapt its products – which include excavators and backhoe loaders – to the rental market.

“Our construction products are still too expensive and too traditional”, he said, “Give us some time to adapt them and work with Genie [for the rental channel]…I’d rather grow the business than walk away from the business.”

Terex announced that the company would develop a range of ‘channel specific’ backhoes and material handling products during 2014 and 2015 and as part of the rental growth strategy, Terex launched a ‘Direct to Rental’ (D2R) program-that will see Genie to sell selected Terex Construction products to its rental customers in North America, including backhoe loaders and boom truck cranes from Terex Cranes.

We are going to be a part of Terex's 2014 growth and we want you to come help us make it a successful year.

Maintain Safe Distance from Power Lines When Using and Aerial Work Platforms

GET, LLC currently has for rent a Genie TZ-50. We have been proud to be able to put this specialty lift into the Guam and Micronesia marketplace and spend much time with our customers going over the safety features of this trailer-mounted lift when delivered to a respective job site. We can never forget that safety is key in using all aerial work platforms (AWP)-including the TZ-50. More importantly we should pay close attention when using an aerial lift outdoors, especially around overhead power lines.

This important issue was highlighted recently by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) who called on aerial work platform operators and managers to always be aware of and keep safe distances when working near power lines. The IPAF used the CONEXPO in Las Vegas, Nevada earlier this month to highlight this important safety message.

The IPAF says that a fully extended boom should always be at least 50 feet from electrical pylons, and 30 feet from cables on wooden poles. These recommended safe distances meet or exceed those specified in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requirements.

IPAF reiterated that electrocutions are one of the largest causes of AWP-related fatalities in the United States.

“Operators or supervisors are often not in a position to know the voltage in the power source,” said IPAF North America Manager Tony Groat. “it is possible to work closer to power lines than the IPAF-recommended safe distances, but this should only be undertaken after seeking expert advice from the power supplier and implementing extra safety precautions.”

The IPAF's Accident Reporting Project and Powered Access Rental Market Reports found that in 2013, all seven reported cases of electrocution worldwide occurred in the U.S., where the AWP rental fleet is estimated at 510,000, which is 54 percent of the world rental fleet.

“AWPs are probably the safest way of doing temporary work at height, so the onus is on managers and operators to stay safe when working near to power lines/conductors," said IPAF Technical Officer Chris Wraith. "Electrocutions can be prevented through proper planning, risk assessment and management of work at height, including thorough operator training and familiarization."

Bottom line: Be safe when using an aerial work platform.

If you have any aerial lift needs and would like to discuss potential solutions, including the rental of our TZ-50 or the purchase of equipment or parts for any of Terex or Genie's AWP Products, please drop GET, LLC a line via our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-797-0789-your authorized Terex/Genie Representative for Guam and Micronesia.

Genie SX-180 Begins Production-Tall is an Understatement

GET, LLC bragged on this Blog about this unit last year-it is finally here. Terex Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) in Redmond, Washington has begin full production of its new Genie SX-180 telescopic boom lift, the world’s tallest self-propelled aerial work platform. Terex unveiled a prototype in April 2013 at the Bauma trade show in Munich, Germany. It then spent nine months field testing and making improvements before beginning full-on manufacturing.

The SX-180’s 180-ft. maximum platform height, 80-ft. maximum horizontal reach, unrestricted 750-lb. lifting capacity, and ability to travel at full height make it productive in a wide variety of applications, from commercial and infrastructure construction, to oil and gas work, industrial construction, general maintenance, and ship care.

"The SX-180 can do some work now being done by big truck-mounted aerials or cranes, while costing one-half to one-quarter the purchase price of those kinds of equipment," said Frank Schneider, super booms product manager for Terex AWP in a recent interview with Fort Dodge, Iowa-based Lift and Access Magazine.

“Buildings and other structures keep getting taller in all kinds of construction-There are all kinds of applications in wind farm work, cell tower installation, bridges, buildings, stadiums, refineries, mining structures, and electrical transmission tower construction," said Schneider.

In addition to high vertical reach and long horizontal outreach, the SX-180 is mobile on a job site. It can travel at up to 2.5 mph and climb a 35% grade with the boom stowed. With the platform raised to 125 ft. or less, it can travel at 0.4 mph, and with the platform at 180-ft. maximum height and the turret swung to any position, the SX-180 can still travel at 0.1 mph. The chassis has 1'3" of ground clearance.

Although Genie recommends using a spotter, the SX-180 can be set up and operated by one person in less than 10 minutes from arriving on a job site.

The five-section, fully proportional, telescopic boom is designed for strength, stiffness, smooth operation, and easy maintenance. Each of its five 39-ft. sections is a welded box-section structure. The four extending sections slide smoothly on ultra-high density composite slider pads that never need lubricating. Mounted to the end of the jib, the platform is self leveling and articulates 160° horizontally for precise placement. The single front entrance is standard; a tri-entry platform, optional.

If you have any aerial lift needs and would like to discuss potential solutions, including the SX-180, please drop GET, LLC a line via our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-797-0789-your authorized Terex/Genie Representative for Guam and Micronesia.

Two Groups Combine Forces to Reduce Scaffold and Aerial Lift Fall Hazards

Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the renewal of an alliance with the unified voice of the scaffold and access industry-the Scaffold and Access Industry Association (SAIA). American and foreign small businesses, like GET, LLC, scaffold builders, erectors, and equipment CEO’s will again benefit from the two groups advocacy efforts to reduce and prevent fall hazards and issues related to frame, mast climbing and suspended scaffolds and aerial lift equipment.

The re-birth is in line with the SAIA's mission to providing resources and programs that promote safety, training and education while advancing the interests of its 1000 member companies and 200,000 workers worldwide. In a release from the U.S. Department of Labor, Assistant Secretary of Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels said that worker injuries and deaths from scaffolding hazards can be prevented when employers provide training on safe set up and use of equipment.

“By renewing our alliance with SAIA we will expand our outreach to employers and workers and provide important training to protect workers in the scaffold and access industry,” said Dr. Michaels.

As part of the alliance, OSHA and SAIA will also use injury and illness data in selected industries to help identify areas of emphasis for alliance awareness and outreach activities.

We stand with all advocates to work with local agencies to develop more effective safety standards while using scaffolding and or aerial lift equipment. By taking an active role in policing the industry, we can do much to reduce accidents which has a corresponding reduction in overall insurance costs. In the long run it means a more efficient and profitable business.

Fall Protection Equipment-Technology that Could Save Your Life

Aerial lifts are a necessary part of a contractor's proverbial "tool kit". An aerial lift can make or break a project. What can impact it further, is ensuring that contractors and their workers are safe when using lifts in and around job sites.

I heard a recent story of a contracting team which was asked by a installation supervisor if anyone had any experience working a lift. The group of 10 workers all exclaimed to the super that they knew how to operate the piece of machinery. One steps forward and jumps into the bucket. No PPE. No fall protection. Fires up the machine with no regard to his co-workers nearby. Without hesitation, the installation supervisor took action and rightly turned off the machine and counseled the laborer and immediately advised the respective workers boss of the lack of knowledge of basic aerial lift safety.

This is a story heard on job sites all over the world. It is very important that as a community, the construction trades should take just an extra moment to review their operations plans, workers certifications and at the minimum-check their people's basic knowledge of the lift by simply asking if they looked at the manual that came delivered with the lift. Such basic inquires and requirements on the job protects that employee and the health and welfare of the others around them.

Back to fall protection.

There are literally dozens of great solutions to ensure safety on an aerial lift and ways to keep workers or lineman out of harms way.

Did you know that the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued more than 8,500 citations in the last three years associated with improper use, or lack of use of fall protection equipment?

To bring that number down, there is a product on the streets that would do much to improve operator safety and OSHA compliance and is a great innovation in fall protection.

The Hi-Line Utility Supply’s Vert-Alert is the world's only aerial lift lanyard safety attachment warning system. It does a couple of thing good. First, if the safety harness is not attached to the provided anchorage, a high decibel verbal message states, "Warning, attach safety harness lanyard!" whenever the "UP" control is activated. When the "DOWN" control is activated, a high decibel verbal message alerts, "Warning, lift descending!" The system is also a "smart device". It analyzes safety performance which the system records when the alarm activates, as well as the date and time of connect and disconnects of the lanyard, and the number of up and down motions. The Vert-Alert is easily installed on new and existing equipment.

It is a pretty cool device that when coupled with the safety features of that your respective lift can protect the operator when doing work on your job site.

GET,LLC is very conscious of lift safety and encourages you to do the same. Our Genie TZ-50 is available for rent and ready to hit your job site. This "sustainable" unit is battery powered and is ideal for your interior and exterior aerial lift needs. And yes-we can provide fall protection gear too.Give us a call at 671-797-0789 or check out our website at www.get-guam.com for more detailed information on the lift (the spec sheet is in our gallery!!!) and the services we provide.

Need to get to 180 Feet? Genie Rolls Out SX-180-the World's Biggest Boom

GET, LLC is so very proud to be a part of the Terex/Genie Family. While our TZ-50 has been pretty busy as of late, the news of a product almost three-and-a-half times that of ours has us pretty excited for the future of the aerial lift industry and our place in it.

The latest announcement on the world's largest boom seem to show that business is growing and if your job requires to get to a certain height, then Terex can get you there.

In Munich, Germany Terex unveiled the SX-180. The Genie SX-180 is a self-propelled telescopic boom for use in the oil and gas industries, commercial construction, industrial construction and maintenance, and general maintenance.

“Customers are always looking for new and innovative ways to carry out their work more efficiently and more effectively," said Terex AWP Senior Product Manager Scott Krieger. "In concert with customer input, our engineers have been able to reach new heights for this next generation of Genie telescopic boom lifts."

With its 54.9 m (180 ft) vertical reach and 24.4 m (80 ft) horizontal reach, the Genie SX-180 provides a 2.44 m (8 ft) x 0.91 m (3 ft) platform and has an unrestricted capacity of 340 kg (750 lb).

Take it one step furhter, the SX-180 is designed to be driven at full height. The speeds range from .4 mph open at 125 feet to fully stowed at 2.5 mph-I say be safer that sorry!

More importantly, why GET LLC like it is the newly designed X-chassis that extends and retracts to provide stability on the job and a narrow profile for transport. The boom lift’s stowed dimensions are 3.05m (10 ft) height and 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide. With a stowed length of 12.98 m (42 ft, 7 in). It is a machine that weighs 54,000 lbs and requires no over width or over height permits allowing it to be easily transported on a truck.

Worldwide availability will begin in the second half of 2013.

If this is something you need on your next jobsite, give GET, LLC a call or drop us a line to discuss further.

Genie Safety Notice 120016-Z80

The timing of this Genie Safety Notice came at an interesting time for us. On the day that our Genie Trailer-Mounted TZ-50 came into the Port of Guam after a long journey direct from the factory in North Carolina, the Guam Contractors Association (GCA) sent this message out to all of its members regarding the Genie Z-80 Articulating Boom Lift.

We applaud the GCA for being an advocate for safety in the construction industry. It was the first Safety Notice we had received since becoming an Associate Member. For small businesses, it is commendable that such guidance is given from responsible trade associations like the GCA. Our hats off to James Martinez and the team at the GCA.

Not soon after the notice was issued, our friends from Terex/Genie were on island to commission our trailer mounted boom lift. We discussed in detail the Safety Notice and the policies from Terex/Genie that guide such actions.

For the manufacturer, they believe that such notices not only bring attention to operational issues with their machines, but also to reassure the end users that safety notices are as important a part of the services Terex/Genie provides like their extensive equipment training and worldwide parts support.

This brings up a great point about the use of articulating boom lifts like the one in the safety notice and the one GET, LLC recently purchased: they can be of great benefit on the job site. They can help a contractor reach places the traditional ladder cant or transport project materials. Also the lift helps electrical and utility workers gain access to places they need to when scaffolding is cost and time prohibitive.

But articulating lifts can be dangerous. All operators need to take proper precautions when using them.

There is nothing more important that ensuring that these types of lifts are operated safely.