It sounds like the result of the common New Year's resolution to slim down in time for spring, but light and low are key words in a fast-growing segment of low-level, lightweight aerial work platforms, offering safe and convenient access in some very specific applications, and a worthy alternative to ladders and scaffolding in many more.

Low-level access equipment is generally considered anything under 19 feet, and the segment has exploded over the past two years as the recession was pummeling utilization and rental rates in the mid- and high-level access segments. Low-level access applications are everywhere and the opportunity for rental businesses to expand their fleet into this emerging niche are growing, with more new product offerings in this category being introduced early this year.

“We believe that low-level access will undergo major growth in North America as more and more people swap podiums and stepladders for lightweight, compact aerial lifts,” says David Smith, president of Snorkel North America. “The market is still in its infancy, but there is huge potential for this type of product.”

According to the manufacturers interviewed by RER, reasons for this growth are many. This new segment of machines provides a safer and more ergonomic alternative to ladders and scaffolding, offering lower step heights, time savings from repeated climbing up and down to and from height, as well as a means to differentiate rental equipment providers from their competitors that may not offer these low-level AWPs. In addition, these lighter weight lifts are well suited for use in areas with weight-sensitive floor panels such as computer server rooms and hospitals.

“Architects are increasingly under pressure to take out concrete and this usually means floors with less load-bearing capabilities,” Smith says. “Virtually all self-propelled scissorlifts are just too heavy to work on many of the new suspended flooring systems used to cover ducts for computer network cables, so it's either back to the old school with stepladders or use a more lightweight product like Pop-Up.”

Absolute E-Z Up's managing partner Mike Buley also points to the evolution of commercial building and remodeling as a factor in the fast growth of the low-level access market. “First of all, because of [the nature of] construction growth, pressure on architects and engineers to design higher buildings, floor space becomes critical and more expensive,” Buley says. “Floors are being made out of special composite; covered with different material; mezzanines; computer floors that allow only certain floor loads; and more.”

“We experienced tremendous year-over-year growth on our entire Genie Runabout family in 2010,” says Jeff Weido, senior product manager, Terex AWP. “Feedback from our customers has been that they wanted to differentiate themselves in the aerial rental marketplace, especially with such competitive rates on 19-foot scissorlifts. We also have heard from our customers that the demand for lighter floor- loading aerial work platforms has been a growing trend in certain commercial construction applications such as hospitals and office buildings.”

Because this is a relatively new segment of access equipment, the potential for rental businesses that add them to their fleet mix is still growing and developing. As evidence, several manufacturers pointed to the number of new low-level AWP introductions to the market just in the past year.

The compact nature of the low-level machines make them small enough to fit several on a jobsite, allowing multiple contractors to work simultaneously side by side, and applications include everything from HVAC installation and maintenance, plumbing, fire sprinkler work, suspended ceiling and AV systems installation, drywall, painters, electricians, and other maintenance work.

“The boom and scissor market is where everyone is competing with each other, offering the same products, running the rates down, creating more supply than demand,” says Buley. “But what rental companies should be looking for are ‘nicheଁ and ‘specialization’ applications to replace the lightweight scaffold tower and the small to medium stepladder, which will mean less competition and new areas to explore for higher revenues.”

Additionally, these units provide a significant productivity and safety advantage over scaffolding and ladders. Unlike scaffolding, which requires advance set-up and assembly and offers zero maneuverability, low-level access equipment arrives onsite ready to work and is generally compact enough to fit through narrow doorways, into elevators and even to make tight turns around sharp bends in hallways. In addition, there are no parts to get misplaced and lost from jobsite to jobsite. These units offer a safer alternative to ladders by providing the comfort and security of a fully guarded work area and the convenience of being able to easily lift tools and equipment precisely to the working height required from ground level.

“Powered low-level access is especially beneficial where there is repetitive work at height,” says Paul Kreutzwiser, senior product marketing manager, Skyjack Inc. “The SJ12 is drivable at full height, allowing the operator to quickly reposition to continue work without having to lower, reposition, then lift/climb.”

An independent time and motion study conducted in the United Kingdom by Laing O'Rourke, a major construction contractor in Europe and the Middle East, and cited by Snorkel's Smith, showed that low-level AWPs were up to three times more productive than ladders or podiums, and that the rental rate for a low-level AWP was more than balanced by the reduction in accident claims and worker hours lost from injury, plus the costs of replacing lost pieces of scaffolding.