Interview with Genie’s Simon Meester and Chad Hislop: Higher-Capacity Booms and Lower-Height Scissors

RER: What impacts did COVID-19 have on your company as an aerial equipment manufacturer and on your customers?

Meester: COVID-19 had a significant impact on our industry and our customers in 2020, as it did on many industries, and on our personal lives and daily routines. This year, even as our industry is beginning to recover, we are continuing to face challenges, such as supply chain shortages and freight. But that isn’t unique to Genie, or even our industry. Throughout all of these challenges, the Genie team has come together to solve problems and find ways to continue delivering the quality equipment and parts, and reliable support our customers expect and need from us — I am particularly proud of our team for that.

What new equipment enhancements or developments has your company come up with in the past year?

Meester: This is an area where Genie, as a team, has a lot to be excited about and proud of. Over the last year, we have introduced new boom and scissor lifts and a new 10k telehandler that lower the total cost of ownership, while delivering on performance, quality and reliability.

In early 2020, we introduced our S-60 and S-80 J boom lifts, which have the capacity and reach for nearly all work-at-height jobs and provided the added benefits of a simplified design for easier maintenance and fewer replaceable parts, which lowers the total cost of ownership. The J booms are the perfect complement for our Xtra Capacity (XC) booms, which are the go-to equipment for heavier-lifting applications, and our FE hybrid booms, which offer versatility and high utilization because they can work indoors and outdoors, and in all-electric mode deliver quiet and emissions-free operation.

And then last November, we introduced our new electric drive on all of Genie slab scissor lifts. These new scissor lifts have been extremely well received by our customers because they are ultra-efficient, performance-oriented with improved gradeability, and need less maintenance when you compare them with hydraulic drive scissor lifts. We followed up this launch by introducing two new micro scissors, the GS-1432m and GS-1932m, in May. Our new micro scissors use the same E-Drive technology, and are shorter and lighter, which means they can reach jobsites other bigger scissor lifts can’t access.

We also introduced a new telehandler for the North America market. The GTH-1056 is our biggest, strongest telehandler yet. The design has been optimized to provide more lifting capacity at max height and a stronger boom and chassis design while also improving serviceability and reducing lowering the total cost of ownership. When we launched the GTH-1056 in February, we also introduced our new, long-life Enduro A/T tires, which are a hybrid all-terrain tire exclusive to Genie. These tires deliver one-third longer wear before replacement is needed, reducing ownership costs.

Any new safety enhancements or new safety products or accessories?

Hislop: Genie has always led the industry when it came to putting people at height safely. Some past examples include our Lift Guard Contact Alarm or added time-outs on our lift/drive choice for our scissor controls. We also were the first to offer an easy-to-bolt-on Fall Arrest Bar and the Lift Tools Access Deck, which provide safe alternatives for performing work outside of the platform, or in hard-to-reach areas that require access above or beyond the platform floor. Going forward, you can expect Genie to continue delivering machines, options and accessories that allow our end users to continue working more efficiently, safely. 

There is more interest and growing in electric, battery-operated machines and other alternatives to diesel these days. What is your company’s strategy in regard to electric machines, electric drives, hybrids and alternative fuels?

Meester:  As we look ahead, certainly there is a strong trend toward electric and hybrid machines as the technology continues to become more advanced and cost-effective, and as increasingly stringent jobsite requirements demand a shift away from more traditional diesel machines.

I mentioned above that just last November, we launched E-Drive on our entire lineup of slab scissor lifts and on our two new micro scissors, and over the past five years or so, the number of FE hybrid lifts we offer also has increased five-fold. Electric and hybrid are already an important part of our strategy, and it will be an increasingly important part of it as the need for quality clean, quiet, efficient equipment continues to increase globally.

Leak protection systems have been a positive development in recent years? Do you expect other similar safety features?

Meester: Leak protection and hydraulic containment has been an increasing focus on jobsites globally, especially on “clean” jobsites like data farms or slab buildings where the concrete floor is the finished floor. This is one of the benefits to the E-Drive scissor lifts that I mentioned above. These scissor lifts contain 70 percent fewer hydraulic hoses and fittings. This not only reduces the number of replaceable parts, which saves money, it also drastically reduces the potential for hydraulic leaks. Anytime we can find a solution like this that improves safety while also improving reliability and lowering the total cost of ownership, it’s a win for the equipment operators and the equipment owners. This also is the type of quality solution that the Genie team is working to deliver as we develop new products and make improvements to our existing, tried-and-true equipment.

New ANSI standards have allowed larger loads on boom lifts. What other trends do you expect to see in the near future?

Hislop: Interestingly enough, while we have seen a push in the industry toward high-capacity booms, at the other side of the spectrum, we are seeing a major shift in scissors toward smaller, more compact footprints. With their short wheelbases, low weight, tight turning radius and E-Drive motors, Genie micro scissors will continue to become a more popular option in the lower-height classes of scissor lifts over the next few years. 

Widespread usage of telematics has been a positive development. What are some of enhancements your company has made in telematics and similar technology?

Meester:  In March, we announced Access Manager, a new, add-on feature for our Genie Lift Connect telematics. Access Manager expands the benefits of our Lift Connect system by giving rental companies the ability to remotely manage access to their fleets. When equipped with Access Manager, an operator must enter a code before they can start a unit. This provides greater security for equipment and can help ensure that only trained operators can operate a machine.

At the same time, we launched Access Manager, we also announced that any machine with a current Lift Connect system and a CAN control system had the ability to use the new Remote Disable functionality. This functionality is separate from Access Manager and gives the equipment owner the ability to remotely disable or enable operation of their equipment through the Lift Connect portal. Again, this gives greater opportunity for equipment owners to remotely manage and secure their fleets.

Are there particular features that customers are asking for in the evolution of aerial equipment?

Meester: Our customers are looking for quality, reliable, versatile equipment that meets the needs of today’s jobsites, and helps them achieve their business goals. This understanding of what our customers are looking for is reflected in the products we’ve launched over the last year. What all of these products have in common, from our J booms to the E-Drive scissor lifts to our new telehandler, we’ve focused on optimizing the design so that we are offering quality and durability, jobsite productivity, along with a total cost of ownership that makes business sense.