I hope you all check out our gallery of this year’s Innovative Product Award, which has very exciting new products. A panel of more than a dozen rental industry judges had some tough decisions to make. This year the top awards went to companies you already know well – JCB, Genie and Point of Rental – all of which have exceptional histories as innovators and have done well in IPA competitions in the past. Many of the other categories were won by companies that have been there before such as JLG, which captured two categories, Atlas Copco, Makinex, Perkins, Toro and others.
But there were some fascinating items turned it by companies a bit outside the mainsteam of the North American equipment rental industry. One was Magni, an Italian company that has made some inroads into European markets in recent years and has been knocking on doors here in the U.S. In fact, Magni was the No. 4 overall vote-getter with its 150-foot telehandler. The RTH 6.46SH has a lifting height of 150 feet, a lifting capacity of 13,200 pounds and a 110-foot reach. A variety of attachments allow operation as a crane, aerial work platform or telescopic forklift. Magni made its debut at ICUUE this year; it would be interesting to hear from any of you that might have seen its interesting range of products.
Speaking of products from outside the U.S., Canadian companies have made unique entries to the IPA almost every year and this year was no exception as WesternOne, also a rental company, offered its new Wedge, which offers users access to critical construction site information such as temperature and humidity levels in multiple locations. Contractors can access the information by using an online dashboard wherever they are on their phone, tablet or computer. The Wedge allows users to optimize and control curing conditions for concrete and other materials, get instant alerts based on pre-set thresholds and take advantage of in-slab concrete sensors.
Hilti’s “Connect App” provides instant access to unique tool information that helps users make informed decisions right on the jobsite.
JLG’s impressive SmartLoad Technology attracted a lot of attention.
SmartLoad is an advanced bundle of three integrated technologies that work together to deliver a greater level of operator confidence. It is offered as optional equipment on the 1644 and 1732 telehandlers. The first component is attachment recognition, which allows a telehandler to identify an attachment and display the appropriate load chart to the operator. The second, a load management information system (LMIS), graphically depicts the location of the load within the load chart, provides the operator with an indication of compliance and prevents the operator from violating the boundaries of the chart. The third, a load stability indicator works in conjunction with the LMIS to limit operation when a load becomes non-compliant.
Airtow Trailers entered two terrific innovations. Its DH Dock-Height Trailer is a multi-purpose trailer that allows users to load equipment at ground level and raise it to dock height. Its Drop-Deck & Dump model is a multi-purpose trailer that lets the user load equipment at ground level as a full dump trailer. It’s a ground level loading equipment trailer, a utility trailer, and a dump trailer all wrapped into one.
Ardco’s articulating multi-purpose truck is a modular back-end platform that offers the flexibility to customize the vehicle to suit any work environment. Superior Material Handling’s mobile dock lift is a towable loading dock lift that provides the capability of loading and unloading trucks in the absence of docks or lift gates – such as on construction sites or in disaster zones.
Aerial manufacturer Haulotte entered three products in the technology enhancements category. One is the Stop Emission System, a controller that automatically stops the engine of the machine after 90 seconds of machine inactivity and restarts it automatically when it moves. Another is the Haulotte ACTIV’Lighting System, a high-performance lighting system. With a minimum of 10 lighting points, the operator can safely access, accurately control and identify obstacles and edges clearly in the working area. All headlights and lighting points have been installed on the machine in such a way as to avoid risk of operator glare. Also its Haulotte Activ' Shield Bar system provides safety for aerial platform operators. In an entrapment situation, the operator is pushed towards the bar and the machine stops automatically.
There is more, and we will be profiling all of the nearly 50 entries in the months to come.
