JLG has been in the access industry for more than 50 years, during which time there have been a lot of changes. And in the last 10 years, the focus on safety has become increasingly important, and now we can use technology and innovation to address a lot of those issues.
In a recent interview, Rob Messina, JLG’s Global Senior Vice President of Product Development and Product Management, shared his thoughts on how safety consciousness is driving innovation the access industry. Below are his thoughts…
Why has the focus on safety in the lifting industry increased so much in the last 10 years?
Safety consciousness is so much greater than 10 years ago, and that is evident in our everyday lives with the standard safety devices fitted in today’s cars, such as airbags, ABS and proximity sensors, to name a few.
The same holds true for the lifting industry. Safety objectives are not only paramount in North America and the more heavily regulated countries, where the trajectory is obvious as rules must be followed. Similar objectives are also gaining importance in less regulated areas, too, as MEWP operators are becoming more safety-aware and employee safety has become a core principle of businesses. Everyone should go home in the same condition they went to work.
How has JLG responded?
Recently the new ANSI A92.20 & CSA B354.6 standards gave impetus for redesign and machine modification resulting in safety enhancements, as well as productivity improvements. Greater stability, higher platform capacities and the inclusion of personal protection devices are always important considerations and have been revisited to improve machine safety and efficiency.
An excellent example of this is the JLG® 670SJ self-levelling boom lift equipped with JLG’s exclusive and patented self-levelling technology.
Our company was founded with the passion to provide people with a safer way to work at height by John L. Grove. In 1969, he did just that with the introduction of the world’s first boom lift, and more than 52 years later, we did it again with the launch of the JLG 670SJ self-leveling model. It is engineered to automatically adapt to terrain on slopes up to 10 degrees in any direction, while driving with full functionality at a class-leading 67 ft platform height. It also features JLG’s automatic, single sensor load sensing system with zero-load calibration. This functionality keeps the machine within the allowable work envelope by limiting the range depending on the platform load.
The term innovation is thrown around so frequently in today’s day and age; however, true, game-changing innovation that improves safety and productivity like the JLG 670SJ self-leveling boom lift are few and far between. This product represents thinking outside of the box to solve real customer pain points, combined with years of fine-tuning and discovery alongside customers to bring to market a solution that will change the way people work at height for the better.
The self-leveling machine is a transformative development, like moving from a black and white to color television — operators will not want to go back.
Beyond safety innovations, what other technologies do you think will be influential in the access industry in the next 5+ years?
Connectivity is important, and as sensing suites continue to evolve, companies will move from one-way connectivity found in today’s telematics to fully integrated two-way interactivity. By making the data available to users, managers, rental companies and manufacturers, we improve worksite safety and efficiency, maximize uptime and the development of equipment can move towards better solutions for real-life job site demands.
Electrification is a very trending topic, and the technology is already there for when customers are ready for full conversion. However, it is not a one-size-fits-all scenario and looking further into the future JLG is working on hydrogen fuel cell technology. Customers will need a failsafe power source solution that suits their worksite while addressing the need to become carbon neutral.
Beyond the 5-year mark, we will see the integration of robotics with MEWPs — automation and robotics are maturing in other industries and, while they won’t replace humans, they might be used to complete repetitive tasks and particularly hazardous environments where we don’t want to put people.
For more insights into future technologies will impact the access industry, click here.
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