Lifting with a difference

Italian OEM Magni Telescopic Handlers has built a reputation for innovation, which includes the development of full-rotation telehandlers with a reach extending up to 51 m. Alastair Currie speaks to Lindsay Shankland, CEO, Magni SA, about gains in the local market.

Established in 2013, Magni Telescopic Handlers was found by Riccardo Magni with a vision of creating a pioneering brand with world-class solutions for the global market. Manufactured in Italy, the OEM now fields the broadest range of telehandlers with the highest lifting capacities.

These comprise the RTH rotary series, the HTH fixed-boom heavy-duty range, and the TH fixed-boom series, which are sold and supported worldwide via more than 300 dealers. These machines meet the demands of diverse sectors that include construction, mining, rental companies and general industry.

In South Africa, Eazi Access was appointed as the first distributor and served in this role for five years up until 2018 – the year that Magni opened a South African subsidiary. Eazi Access continues to serve as a strategic South African dealer within the locally expanding network in South Africa and Africa. So far, Magni SA has appointed dealerships established in the DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and Zambia.

“Magni’s products are designed for bestin-class utilisation in terms of maximum safe lifting capacity, lifting heights and driver comfort,” says Shankland. “In developed markets like Asia, Europe and North America, they are a common sight

A specialist Magni attachment for bridge maintenance inspections

Magni’s success has always been based on out-of-the-box thinking, and its research and development team continues to push the boundaries of conventional design.”

on construction and mining projects, and this trend is gaining increasing traction in South Africa and Africa, as customers and contractors gain an appreciation for their versatility.”

This versatility throughout the Magni range is borne out by the extensive range of more than 150 Magni attachments. These include buckets, concrete skips, drilling attachments, forks, jibs, winches, platforms, as well as tyre and cylinder handlers.

Safety is in-built across the board. Magni’s attachment recognition system, for example, resets all the safety parameters when changing to a new attachment. All telehandlers also come out of the factory platform-ready for safe remote operation, where a personnel cage/platform is required.

The fixed-boom champions

The heavy-duty design of the Magni HTH series makes them well suited for rugged materials handling applications. Lift capacities on HTH models start at 10 t and extend up to 50 t with the 50.14 model, which has a lifting height of 14 m and a capacity at maximum height of some 22 t.

For the general construction and maintenance market, Magni recently added smaller machines to the TH line-up with maximum lifting heights of between 10 m and 19 m, and a lifting capacity for these units of 5 t to 6 t.

“Where the lifting capacity and height in the market is 4 t to 14 m, and 4 t to 18 m, Magni has extended that versatility by fielding TH machines of 5.5 t to 15 m, and 5.5 t to 19 m,” Shankland explains. “These latest-generation TH units have now arrived in South Africa with a number of units sold to date.”

Low-profile-designed underground mining machine

A recent innovation is the development of a low-profile machine with an overall height of 2 m for the underground mining and tunnelling market. This machine has a 5 t capacity and 8 m lift, and is certified to SANS 1589 braking standards. “In South Africa, the first unit was recently delivered to a local mine and is performing incredibly well,” says Shankland.

Full-rotation machines

Within the RTH series, capabilities extend from 4 t/18 m up to 6 t/51 m – a tremendous height that sets the benchmark for telehandlers in this class. The first 51 m unit has been sold in the USA.

“Magni’s success has always been based on ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, and its research and development team continues to push the boundaries of conventional design. This includes launching the world’s highest liftingheight rotating telehandler models, and the RTH13.26 model with a payload of 13 t and lift height of 26 m,” says Shankland.

The key advantage of RTH units is that they can work in a static position within confined spaces, while the rotating boom (with attachment) can turn to any point surrounding their 360-degree axis. As an aside, Magni units are also working on numerous tunnel installations and projects globally.

Market movements

“Our largest market currently is in mining, followed by construction, where the most popular machines tend to be the 15 m and 19 m fixed-boom units. However, fullrotation machines are receiving growing interest within the construction sector. For example, with a platform attachment folding out from 2.3 m to 4.7 m this greatly reduces the need for scaffolding,” adds Shankland.

“Across the board, we’re pleased with our expanding footprint across the world and in Africa. Going forward, we continue to work closely with our customers to meet their multifaceted materials handing requirements, backed by comprehensive after-sales service and the unique Magni experience,” says Shankland.

Reaching new heights with the Magni RTH6.51 telehandler

Magni’s new THU5.8 telehandler. This low-profile machine has an overall height of 2 m and has been purpose-built for the underground mining and tunnelling market