4 minute read
Local lighting
LOCALLY-MADE LIGHTING
JLG AUSTRALIA IS ABLE TO LEVERAGE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN MANUFACTURING ITS LIGHTING TOWERS IN AUSTRALIA, GIVING IT A POINT OF DIFFERENCE.
The global market for construction equipment is expected to grow to $112 billion by 2025, according to a report from Grand View Research.
With an increasingly competitive global market for access equipment, the Reserve Bank of Australia reported in 2016 numerous manufacturers either closing or shifting production to overseas economies.
Shifting to lower-cost economies can diversify businesses but can sometimes result in the loss of local knowledge and experience, including in the lighting tower market.
Since 1991, JLG Australia has manufactured a range of lighting towers at its Port Macquarie facility in Australia, drawing on local expertise.
JLG Australia design and manufacture equipment for the Australian market and the company prides itself in delivering the benefits of tailored knowledge to its customers.
Jarrad Smith, Operations Manager at the Port Macquarie facility, says the company employs around 35 people at the facility with manufacturing and engineering teams on site.
JLG’s range of lighting tower equipment includes the Metro Series, designed for use in built up areas, and the mining and heavy construction LED series, suited to worksites.
The Metro Series includes three different types of towers, best used for roadworks, special events and construction.
Mr. Smith says with a choice between LED, metal halide or LED-POD lights, the company’s portable lighting towers deliver value for money without sacrificing on performance or quality.
“They’re so easy to handle that they are suitable to be set up by one person.
JLG Australia has manufactured a range of lighting towers at its Port Macquarie facility in Australia since 1991.
The equipment includes a user-friendly controller which can be used to turn the lights on manually, or alternatively, there’s an automatic set on-off function,” Mr. Smith says.
The LED Lighting Tower Series has been locally designed for rugged applications such as mining or heavy construction sites and large infrastructure projects.
This series includes two different lighting towers that can pan and tilt to ensure optimal lighting coverage.
The towers also feature a hydraulic articulated tilt jib enabling the lights to be positioned horizontally and vertically, a hydraulic articulated main boom lift and a hydraulic telescope mast to increase outreach and height to eight metres.
The series also features long extension wind down outriggers which can be stowed away for transport alongside a retractable draw bar to enable multiple side-by-side loading on the truck tray.
“The LED series is actually based on a design that we’ve been using since 2002. We’ve completely upgraded the technology included with LED lighting and efficient diesel engines, but structurally it hasn’t needed much alteration. We value what we have as a tried and tested design,” Mr. Smith says.
He says the local design of JLG’s products is what sets the company apart from others.
“These products have always been made locally and we’ve got people at JLG who have been with us for over 30 years. Whenever we design something, we are able to draw on that wealth of experience and local knowledge.”
Components in the towers are also locally produced. For example, the engines used in the Metro Series are supplied by Kubota Australia, a company that works with stringent testing protocols based on Australian conditions. Similarly, the tower’s generator and lights are supplied by an Australian company.
“Our people live and breathe this stuff. They know the type of conditions these units are going to be subjected to,” Mr. Smith says.
The ability to support local communities in Australia is also an important aspect of the business.
JLG extends its support to remote rural and regional areas to ensure it is not limited to capital cities and metropolitan areas.
“If a customer has a problem, the first line of assistance is our technical service department, here in Port Macquarie,” Mr. Smith says. “The department will have a highlyqualified person on the line, ready to help.”
In cases where the issue cannot be solved over the phone, JLG has more than 75 field service technicians dedicated to paying visits to customers.
Each of these technicians have the expertise to cover JLG’s entire product range.
“JLG is firm in its commitment to the entire Australian community and will continue to service the local market in the future.”
