Interview with Genie’s Ben Bradshaw and Scott Owyen: Educating the Industry
Genie’s Ben Bradshaw, executive vice president, North American sales and Scott Owyen, director of training, talk about technology that improves safety and efficiency; the benefits of safe use plans, risk assessments and rescue planning; accessories designed to improve safety and productivity; improvements in charging electric units, and more.
RER: What do you see as some of the new trends in mobile elevating work platforms and telehandlers (not just with your company’s products). What are customers particularly looking for?
Bradshaw: Taking the second part of the question first, customers are really looking for some of the same things that have always been important in our industry. They want equipment that is cost-effective to own and maintain, ready to rent when their customers need it, reliable and productive on the jobsite. That segues into trends, because right now, some of the biggest trends—or at least some of the hottest topics—relate to technology. As we’ve seen equipment owners exploring how technology can benefit their businesses, like they’ve done with telematics, which has become a larger focus over the last few years. We’re at the point where we’re getting a glimpse of some of the things that are coming. And the industry as a whole is looking at how it can help make MEWPs and telehandlers safer, more productive, and more cost-effective.
So, circling back to what our customers are looking for, I think one of the things rental equipment owners are looking for in a manufacturer is a partner who is thinking about where things are going, and how technology can be implemented in a thoughtful, purposeful, cost-effective way that helps them better serve their customer’s jobsite needs while also adding value for their business through things like reduced service and maintenance and fewer replaceable parts to purchase and stock.
How much have rental companies improved in regard to safety practices and training their customers in safety in recent years? How would you like to see improvement in this area?
Owyen: I believe that the most impactful improvement recently has been the release of the latest ANSI A92 and CSA B354 standards. The requirements for the creation of safe use plans, including risk assessments and rescue planning, the need for MEWP supervisor training and upgraded operator training should have a positive impact on safety, as should the new design changes (platform load sense, dynamic terrain sensors, etc.). The challenge is getting the word out that the standards have changed and educating the industry on how to comply with the standards.
The introduction of accessories designed to improve productivity, such as elevated access decks and traveling fall arrest systems, material carriers and panel cradles are also a great improvement, providing operators with a safe more efficient means of performing a specific task.
While there haven’t been a lot of changes in terms of telehandlers, arguably the most impactful recently has been the ANSI/ITSDF B56.6 2021 Safety Standards requiring that a written safe use program specific to RTFL trucks be developed by the user. Meeting this requirement should have a positive impact on the safe use of telehandlers.
Beyond that, in my experience, it’s important that the operator knows how much they’re lifting and how to use a load chart.
The best way to ensure safe operation of MEWPs and Telehandlers is by ensuring that only properly trained and authorized operators, directed by informed and knowledgeable supervisors, are running the machine.
It also is essential that the operation, maintenance, and service of MEWPS and telehandlers is performed only by competent, careful people trained in the intended use, safe operation, maintenance and service of this type of equipment.
My training team travels extensively all over the country and the majority of men and women that we train have been operating MEWPs and telehandlers safely for years. Well-trained operators take care of the MEWPs they use, read the operator’s manual, perform proper maintenance and inspections, leading to a longer machine life and fewer accidents.
We continually ask manufacturers and rental companies about electric and hybrid aerial machines, and we find demand and acceptance is increasing each year, along with improved charging infrastructure on jobsites. Do you agree with this? What are your expectations for this market in the foreseeable future, particularly in rental?
Bradshaw: The answer here, is it really depends. There are some jobsites and locations where adoption of electrified equipment (hybrid and electric) is higher, and there are other jobs, applications, types of equipment, etc., that aren’t ready, or fully ready, yet.
As equipment owners and operators discover the benefits that electrified equipment can offer in terms of performance, reliability, and reduced maintenance, we’re seeing increased adoption. That is true for both electrified equipment and hybrid equipment. And, as I mentioned above, technology is changing and evolving rapidly. This is one of the benefits of, and one of the reasons why, Genie is partnering with experts in these emerging technologies, like Acculon Energy. The next generation of battery technology will only improve the performance of electrified equipment. Again, the challenge is to make sure that, as a manufacturer, Genie is implementing these emerging technologies in a manner that delivers the quality and value our customers and the industry are looking for.
Genie’s FE hybrid system is a good example of this philosophy. Genie’s FE hybrid booms can work more than full, standard work week on a single tank of fuel in hybrid mode, or a full work day on a single battery charge in electric mode. Additionally, FE’s intelligent control system keeps the batteries charged and the machine ready to work by using both regenerative braking technology and automatic engine start and stop. By charging the batteries while the boom works, jobsites can almost entirely eliminate downtime usually caused by plug-in charging.
