Interview with Skyjack’s Ken McDougall: Trend Towards Sustainability

Ken McDougall, president, Skyjack, talks with RER about the growing benefits of electric units, demand growth, supply chain improvements, telematics, training and more.

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

McDougall: Skyjack recently announced the launch of a new range of DC electric scissors, featuring AC brushless electric drive motors among other significant design changes. Launching globally with availability in all regions throughout 2024, the “simply electric” range will be replacing the current hydraulic drive models.

Providing exceptional duty cycles and fully proportional controls, the innovative drive system offers a superior drive experience. The new range offers improved efficiency, controllability, and torque, with up to 20 percent more runtime per charge when compared to previous models. Excellent all-around job site performance is achieved with consistent power, traction, and torque, with over 25 percent gradeability.

Earlier this year Skyjack also updated our award-winning ELEVATE Live telematics system with the launch of ELEVATE Live 2.0. Originally launched in 2018, the mobile-first solution provides operators straightforward access to key machine information such as the machine’s current state of health, pre-use inspection guides, and familiarization materials. Accessed through a simple QR code, ELEVATE Live 2.0 allows straightforward access to features, including live metrics as they pertain to the machines, such as battery details, engine faults, and controller alarms. The updated user interface also includes an additional two screens so that live metrics, documentation, and technical information feeds are available.

Obviously, the trend towards electrification of equipment has accelerated in the past year. Are you finding greater interest and acceptance among your rental company customers? How about among end users?

McDougall: Interest is certainly rising and the trend towards sustainability is undeniable. We have found interest is particularly high in Europe, although engagement in North America is also starting to increase as of late.

The drivers originate at a government level through policies in reaction to environmental and sustainability concerns. As governments are often the major sponsor of construction projects, they can use this leverage as sponsors to enforce these policies that contractors are obliged to conform to. Thus, rental companies with contractors as their main customer group are similarly obliged to offer machines that meet these sustainability demands.

Continuing on the topic of electrification and battery-powered equipment, there is still a perception among many that they don’t perform as well as diesel-powered machines. Any thoughts on that?

McDougall: In many senses, the rental industry is faced with some of the same questions that face the electric car buyer – charging opportunities, range anxiety, etc. Speak to any electric car owner and they will tell you you have to change the way you drive. So, the question is, “how does the rental industry best change the way it does things to take full advantage of the technology?” The industry may have to change some of the ways they work with their fleet, and some expectations may have to change along with that. However, there are operational benefits to be explored and here rental companies are the experts. At a glance, you will see savings on resources that are escalating in cost. There will be savings on lifetime costs such as engine maintenance.

Has the charging infrastructure improved for electric equipment on job sites?

McDougall: I am reminded of a social media post of guys excitedly around an all-electric mini excavator that has completed its duty cycle with no emissions. Great! Except that the charge cable is shown winding across site to a diesel generator that is more than making up for the machines’ lack of emissions.

While improving, progress has arguably been slow. That is part of the reason for the two approaches with battery electric and hybrid electric Vehicles. The way this type of mix will play out is largely dependent on site infrastructure and improvements in battery technology that may allow longer (daily or weekly) operational capacity.

It appears that the coming year should be strong for aerial equipment sales. Do you expect to see a lot of opportunities in infrastructure spending? Increased industrial and/or non-residential work? An onshoring trend in North America?

McDougall: Like in many industries, COVID and other geopolitical events have created unprecedented supply chain issues and increased costs. Global fleet aging has increased during the COVID years, and the rental industry is keen to improve that situation. In North America, the recent tariff changes exacerbated supply chain issues and decreased rental company choice in a time of high demand. They also increased North American prices. While the market grew in 2022 there were some supply constraints that held back that fleet age improvement objective. In 2023 and 2024 we expect those constraints to lessen and for the fleet age renewal progress to grow the market.

Are the supply chain issues still a major problem for your company and are lead times still long or are things more normal?

McDougall: Apart from occasional surprises, it has been relatively quiet as of late in terms of supply chain issues. However, part of that solution is changes that we are making in our operational approach to support an “in market for the market” strategy. Taking the number of manufacturing plants worldwide from two in Canada to five globally with additional plants in Hungary, Mexico and China, will bring our potential global unit capacity up 235 percent when compared to 2022.

Any other trends in aerial equipment you expect to see in the near future?

McDougall: Over the last few years, AWPs have changed substantially. Even veteran operators have something to learn, particularly as advancements such as electrification and telematics become more commonplace. As a direct result of this, training will continue to be important. We saw that many of the questions and issues our service and support teams are fielding could have been prevented with training and/or familiarity with the manual. Our recent campaign with Manny the Manual and the development of our QuickStart guides are examples of this.

Furthermore, we see an increased use of mobile devices and telematics deliver operational improvements for both rental companies and customers. In the same vein is our ELEVATE Live offering, which is now in its second generation.