HoistHub

and there is no signing off or safety documentation requirements like with scaffolding.”

Personal lifts With a variety of configurations, personal lifts replace ladders for all intents and purposes, says Harper. They can be pushed or driven around. Traditionally used for low-level access within interior environments they are easily transportable and very popular.

Trailer Mounts Mounted on a trailer these lifts are growing in popularity thanks to the extreme mobility of the equipment. Trailers also have the benefit of low weight and high heights for applications where weight is restricted but working height is needed. They are also an obvious choice when there is a need for moving between work sites.

Benefits of MEWPS According to Harper, there are several benefits to using MEWPS including that they are convenient and safe. With the ability to access restricted areas, working both inside and outdoors, they are also incredibly cost-effective, flexible and easy to move around. MEWPS also reduce time spent on risk assessments and setting up equipment. According to Harper a debate over compliance to regulations and standards of local MEWPS recently came to the forefront when an American trailer mount built to US standards was failed by a local LMI. “The reason given was that there was no overload system in the basket,” he says.

“One LMI applies the standard that it was built to and the equipment passes, but the next LMI applies Section 44.1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and according to the SANS he uses then determined it must have an overload system.”

According to Harper the manufacturer of this particular trailer mount, however, does not allow the option for an overload system.

“It can’t be fitted afterwards. It begs the question of who is wrong and who is right?”

He says going forward this problem will, however, no longer exist as the US was working towards complying with ISO standards and the equipment would meet local standards.

Alpha Load Testing and Services, +27 (0) 11 704 2718, www.alphaloadtesting.co.za

Eazi Access partners with Linde Material Handling

Linde Material Handling has appointed Eazi Access as their exclusive distributor for South Africa.

The products of this premium brand allow Eazi Access to close some gaps in its existing offerings, bringing in complementary ranges that set Eazi Access on a one-stopshop path.

“Eazi Access is a premium brand distributor that offers a differentiated service offering to our customers and Linde Material Handling is known worldwide as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of forklifts. Partnering with this brand is an extension of what we’ve done previously with industry leaders like JLG, Magni and JCB,” Marcus Green, general manager for rental & sales explains.

What the new partnership entails According to Green, the partnership with Linde Material Handling will help Eazi Access reach new heights in four areas:

Their fleet: “We’ll be making over 50 new product offerings available to our customers. Forklifts are only one of Linde Material Handling’s areas of expertise and the warehousing opportunities we can tap into (such as lithium-ion and robotic options) can further differentiate our technical abilities.”

Their growth: “Leveraging the forklift market in South Africa gives us the chance to grow our range of rental, sales, training and service options to our customers.”

14 Lifting Africa - Jan/Feb 2020 great synergies we can explore in the light industrial industry, while the safety aspects of these products could open more doors in the heavy industrial and mining industries.”

Their innovation: “As a brand, we are always looking at new ways to be at the forefront of technology so that we can provide safer and more customer-focused solutions – something Linde Material Handling’s team strongly believes in.” “The opportunity for us to extend our product offering in the mining, heavy and light industries strengthen our resolve to be a single point of contact – a onestop-shop for our customers, across various sectors. This will help us become an even more customerfocused household brand,” Green says.

With regards to the Linde Material Handling offers, Karl Thorington, chief operating officer explains that Eazi Access will bring in a total of 59 models.

The range comprises counterbalance forklifts (whether electrical, diesel or gas), reach trucks, pallet trucks, pallet stackers, very narrow aisle trucks, order pickers and tow trucks. “The new range gives us a footprint into completely new territories. We are now able to offer a complete solution for warehouses and distribution centres,” says Thorington.

Why Linde? According to Green, this premium brand offers Eazi Access an opportunity to expand the product offering and add real value to its customers. “It’s an opportunity for us to serve our customers better. Customers are looking for a onestop-shop for all their access and material handling needs. They can now come to a single provider and we make it easy for them by providing that full-service offering,” explains Green.

Green says there was a real push in the market from customers asking for Eazi Access to expand the equipment range to include products of this nature. “The feedback we got from the market is that our customers were asking us to serve them on a broader scale. It stems from our service regime, which has been a key strength of our business. Anybody else can provide a machine, but it’s the uptime, ease of transaction and the aftersales service that matters,” adds Green.

“Service is what we pride ourselves in as a business – how we measure success and failure, as well as customer experience. It’s something that we have been working hard on and we get it right most of the time. Where we don’t get it right,