East Haven, Conn., June 2004 - A construction worker repairing a highway overpass above railroad tracks was killed when the boom lift he was operating was struck by an unscheduled train. > more

Lift and Access 360 eMagazine Features New Archive Section!

Welcome to Lift and Access 360 eMagazine! Our new, improved Archive section available on our website, powers your search for past articles that originally appeared in any section of Lift and Access 360 or at www.liftandaccess.com. Articles are sorted by date for Accident Alert, Equipment Review, Top Stories, and more. Missed an issue of the eMagazine? You can also link to previous complete issues of our online magazine. So click and go—research is at your fingertips.




Millennium Park's Crown Fountain Perfected by Boom Lifts

July 7, 2004 - Featured in Chicago 's new 6,000 square-foot Millennium Park , the Crown Fountain is a $10 million gift from the Crown and Goodman families to the residents of the Windy City . The two glass towers making up the fountain encase large LED screens that project a montage of 1,000 Chicago residents' faces. But before its official unveiling this month, some of the glass bricks used to build the towers showed minor imperfections. Walsh Construction was called in to replace the bricks with access to the job was provided by Illini Hi-Reach, Lemont, Ill...Read Full Story




Upright to Close Madera Plant

July 7, 2004 - Upright, Inc., has announced it will close its Madera, Calif., manufacturing plant in August. According to the Fresno Bee, closing this plant will eliminate about 50 jobs.

In a press release issued June 30, Upright products will continue to be manufactured by Dublin, Ireland-based UpRight International, and Ui Distribution North America, Inc., will distribute the aerial work platforms and aluminum scaffolding as well as provide parts and technical support out of its Fresno, Calif., facility...Read Full Story

Maxim Crane Works Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

July 7, 2004 - Once determined to become the largest crane rental company in the United States, Pittsburgh-based Maxim Crane Works spent the late 1990s and early 2000s expanding its territory with a series of acquisitions and unifying its various properties under the same name. But as its balance sheet became highly leveraged and the economic slowdown further added to its financial troubles, Maxim Crane Works announced in mid-June it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of an agreement reached with its lenders to restructure its financial statement...Read Full Story

Shuttlelift to build Grove-branded Industrial Cranes for Manitowoc Crane Group

July 7, 2004 - Manitowoc Crane Group and Shuttlelift announced late last month that they have reached an agreement for supply of Shuttlelift's industrial cranes on an OEM-basis to Manitowoc Crane Group, Manitowoc, Wis. The industrial cranes, which include seven models, will be sold under the Grove brand name and will be sold worldwide exclusively by Manitowoc Crane Group...Read Full Story

First-ever North American Perkins Plant Plans Summer Production

July 7, 2004 - Meeting a demand created by North American equipment manufacturers, Perkins Engines and long-time business partner for sub-60-hp engines Ishikawajima Shibaura Machinery Ltd. of Japan recently announced they will begin producing compact engines in its Perkins Shibaura Engines assembly plant in Griffin, Ga. The 55,000 square-foot facility is the first-ever Perkins plant in North America...Read Full Story

AEM Reports Increase in 1Q Construction Equipment Exports

July 7, 2004 - Construction equipment manufacturers shipped more than $1.94 billion worth of machinery to global markets in the first quarter of 2004, an increase of almost 10% compared to the previous quarter and an 18% gain over first-quarter 2003, according to data released in May by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Milwaukee, Wis...Read Full Story

Manitowoc Adds Self-erecting Tower Crane Dealers

July 7, 2004 - Manitowoc Crane Group (MCG), Manitowoc, Wis., announced in June the latest crane dealers to take on the company's line of self-erecting tower cranes. Nebraska Machinery and Southeastern Crane join eight others serving the United States and Canada. MCG is actively marketing two models of self-erecting tower cranes to North America —the HDT80 and the Igo MA13...Read Full Story

National Boom Trucks Hit the Streets

July 7, 2004 - Two new boom trucks from National Crane, manufactured by Manitowoc Cranes, Manitowoc, Wis., are hitting the streets with large capacities and longer booms. The National Series 500E, which became available in May, provides an 18-ton capacity and a 71-foot, three-section boom. The National Series 600E has a 20-ton capacity and a 90-foot, four-section boom...Read Full Story

AEM's President Named to U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee 

July 7, 2004 - Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has been named to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's “Committee of 100.” The committee includes a cross-section of U.S. associations and recommends Chamber policy and programs related to associations...Read Full Story

Three Scholarships Awarded to Students Seeking Construction Careers

July 7, 2004 - Three scholarships, up from one in 2003, have been awarded to students seeking careers in the construction field. The workforce-development scholarship program is sponsored by ConstructMyFuture.com, a construction careers website organized by the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and the Associated General Contractors of America...Read Full Story

RSC Sells Fall-Protection Kit at Reduced Price 

July 7, 2004 - Rental Service Corp., Scottsdale, Ariz., will now offer a harness and lanyard safety kit for use with aerial work platforms. Through an agreement with Elk River Inc., the kit will be made available at rental stores nationwide for $69.99, which is $30 less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price...Read Full Story

Priced for Performance
I-R's new modified tool carrier also delivers pick-and-place capability
Part Two
By Guy Ramsey

The VR-638, new this month from Ingersoll-Rand, Shippensburg, Pa., is part of that company's growing line of low-pivot boom mount telescopic handlers. The VR-638 (called the 35120 in Europe ) was developed as a modified tool carrier. Intended primarily for use with a variety of attachments, the VR-638 also has the ability to pick and place loads at 38 feet.

Replacing the VR-636B, the VR-638 is much more cost-effective to build, due in part, to its design and parts commonality—including chassis, engine, drive train, and boom-assembly parts—with existing and forthcoming VR models. To learn more about how the VR-638 is being positioned in the market, go to...Read Full Story

To read Part One of this story go to www.liftandaccess.com/360/7/pe_2004-06-16_vr.html.




Re-rental Solutions
Aerial specialist shares insight for rental companies
By Woody Weld

July 7, 2004 - In an exclusive interview, Woody Weld, president of Acme Lift Company, Phoenix, Ariz., recently shared insight into the high-reach aerial lift re-rental business with Lift and Access 360 Editor Tracy Bennett. Acme Lift's fleet, available nationwide, includes 80- to 150-foot self-propelled aerial work platforms and truck-mounted units with platform heights from 170 to 236 feet. Over the years, Weld has been involved in both sales and rental of aerial and crane equipment, spending most of the 1990s representing ICM/ACM in New Mexico and Arizona . Prior to joining Acme Lift in 2001, Weld was the general manager for a Link-Belt and Manitex crane dealer...Read Full Story





Abandoning the North American Market
Can UpRight survive elsewhere in the world?
By Guy Ramsey

July 7, 2004 - Last week I was left scratching my head wondering what UpRight is up to now. This one-time worldwide force in aerial work platform and aluminum scaffolding products continues to die on the vine here in North America —once its biggest market. A recent press release and a subsequent discussion with UpRight's President John Coughlan answered some questions, but raised a few new ones. In August the company plans to cease manufacturing at its plant in Madera, Calif. Certainly, its tumultuous existence since emerging from Chapter 11 has left the company changing directions as often as a politician running in a tight election... Read Full Article





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