Last week, the Manitou Group rolled out the red carpet to more than 1,200 customers, dealers, suppliers, analysts, and journalists at “The Festival” in Punto Umbria, Spain, a unique event that embraced the theme of a film festival to present ideas, share information, and gather thoughts from all facets of the industry. The Festival was designed to outline the plurality of genres and audiences in the movie industry, and the need to bring together talented and often unique people throughout the design, direction, and production stages of a film.
"The diversity of the guests, the tone and style of this event make it the first of its kind, but the message is intended for everyone,” said Jean-Christophe Giroux, president and CEO of the Manitou Group. “After three very difficult years, it's time to share our convictions and our view of the future…This "Festival" aims to give us a real platform where we can exchange ideas and subscribe to a shared goal."
The Festival included conferences, roundtable discussions, exhibitions from Manitou and suppliers, one-on-one meetings, and networking events. The company said it hoped to take away ideas for improvements and new applications for its products.
Manitou also showed its attendees future machine concepts, including a masted lift truck, a telehandler with a fixed chassis, and a self-propelled boom lift, which anticipate trends in design and product development that meet customer requirements and offer innovative, optimized ergonomics. These innovations include a rotating operator’s seat that positions the seat toward the operator and turns as the cab door is closed; rounded glass cabs for better visibility; booms and masts that re-energize the battery as they are lifted and lowered; and anti-crushing devices on personnel lift platforms. Many concepts will be introduced on models beginning in 2015.
The company never shies away from bringing innovative concepts to market. On its Festival Lane, the 600-meter exhibition area, advanced machine designs currently in production were displayed. These included green, environmentally friendly solutions and performance-enhancing components.
For example, the Stop & Go hydraulic starter provides twice as fast startup of the engine when compared to an electric starter. Stop & Go automatically stops the engine when it is not being used, which also stops the hour-meter, and restarts the engine quickly when an operator demand is detected. Manitou estimates that 30 percent of the telehandler’s time is spent idling without any activity, which is about 800 hours per year. This feature reduces fuel consumption, pollution, and noise, and optimizes the life cycle.
Another innovative product on display was the fan speed control feature on the MLT 840 telehandler, which is produced in a partnership with Casappa. On telehandlers, the maximum fan speed is used at all times, but in many instances, the maximum speed is unnecessary. With this feature, the fan speed is adjusted to correspond exactly to cooling requirements, and the engine works in its optimal temperature range for the application. This feature reduces fuel consumption, pollution, and noise.
Other products on the Festival Lane ranged from the Gehl and Mustang earth-moving equipment, Manitou aerial lifts (which are not sold in North America, although the company has supply partnerships with Genie and Snorkel), attachments like tire and cylinder handlers and material handling hooks, and historical products including the first telehandler built by Manitou.
Stay tuned to LiftandAccess.com for more details from Manitou’s Festival.
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