33
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013
access
INTERNATIONAL
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companies do not offer this level of service,
they are little more hands off.There is less of
a relationship with the customer than a small
father and son business. So we are targeting
activity to small rental companies, but the
problem is small rental companies have more of
Palfinger Platforms Italy has launched a new 13.5
m working height truck mount. It was on show for
the first time at the GIS exhibition in Piacenza, Italy.
The P140T is the second model in the compact
Smart range and follows the 3.5 tonne, 19.8 m
working height P200A Smart launched at bauma
in April.
It was developed and designed in Modena in Italy
by Palfinger Platforms Italy S.r.l. The joint venture
between Palfinger Group and Italy-based Sky Aces
was set up in February this year to produce ‘mid-
market’ platforms and truck bodies. Palfinger holds
a majority share.
As Palfinger Platforms’ Marco Guerra explained
to AI at the GIS exhibition in Piacenza, an important
feature of the range is that it is fully hydraulic,
with the only electronic offering being a start/stop
function.
He said the range would be extended further
with a 24 m working height model later this year,
making a range of three telescopic models. To buck
the trend, Mr Guerra said the joint venture would
then work on an 18 m articulated model.
TRUCK LAUNCHES
Cela’s DT24 tracked platform at
September’s GIS show in Italy.
Heads above
water
W
ith more than 3200 visitors, an
increase of 46% on the 2011
edition, the GIS show in Piacenza,
Italy at the end of September, organised by
Mediapoint, was hailed a great success.
AI
was there to enjoy the exhibition and find
out how manufacturers in one of the world’s
most developed access equipment markets are
coping with the prolonged economic slump.
President of CTE Lorenzo Cipriani sums up
the situation in Italy. “The Italian market has
changed significantly over the last four years.
The crisis in the construction sector has been
felt quite strongly. CTE has looked beyond
national boundaries, focusing in export markets
thanks to a dealer network created in recent
years.”
A spokesman at Co.me.t goes further. “Due
to the crises there is no money. Italians are
looking to make small steps day-by-day, they
are not looking long term.They will buy new
products if they have work, if there is no work,
they will not buy. And work has been going
down for three or four years.”
This frank assessment of equipment sales
in Italy is echoed by most manufacturers in
the country, combined with the belief that
the situation can only improve. However,
powered access has experienced a smaller drop
throughout the recession than other sectors.
The consensus is that sales of general
construction equipment dropped by about 80%
flowing the beginning of the crises in 2009,
slightly later than in other western markets.
ITALY
Italian manufacturers of access equipment were not hit
as hard by the economic crises as some might think.
Nevertheless, it has hurried their export plans and
grown the rental market.
Euan Youdale
reports.
Powered access equipment saw less dramatic
declines of 20% to 30%.
“For access it hasn’t been a disaster. Users
of platforms are not just working on new
construction but also utilities, maintenance,
painting, among others. A company may decide
it will not carry out maintenance four times a
year, and only do it two times a year, but at least
they are doing it two times,” added the Co.me.t
spokesman.
Rental switch
In addition, the crises brought about a switch in
trends. Sales to end users went down 20 to 30%
but sales to rental companies went up by about
10%.This was a result of end users preferring to
rent as work came in rather than investing in a
new machine.
At Bluelift, Gianpiero Marti says it is the
small rental companies in Italy that are doing
particularly well. “Their main offering is service
– they help specify equipment for the worksite
and provide good customer care.The big rental
The Hinowa
LL2010 tracked
platform was
launched at
Bauma 2013.
Here it is
working at
20 m.
