Access International push-around products access feature

From Ben Sly, Pop Up Products sales director and Hire Association Europe supply committee board member. 

1: What are your latest push-around products and when were they launched? 

Our latest push around product is the IQ Lift Pro 7 Active which was launched earlier this year. It is the latest in our IQ range which also includes the IQ Lift Pro 10 the current model of which came to the market in 2015. Our award-winning POP UP lifts were launched in the 2000’s. 

2: What are the main features for the user? 

• Our Pro 7 Active is a hydraulic and battery free low level access push-around mobile elevating lift for indoor use. Compared to other products it has a smaller base footprint and a lighter weight of 274 kilos supporting a platform height of 2.1 metres and a working height of 4.1 metres. 
• The lighter weight gives users the ability to have more machines on one concrete slab than other products in the market. 
• Over a five year period the Pro 7 Active can be used for 150,000 lifts – that’s 125 lifts a day – without having to replace the gas spring struts.
• The manual operation of the Pro 7 Active means there is no downtime for battery recharging or maintenance. 
• The transport and inspection lock means the Pro 7 Active cannot accidentally lift whilst being moved and can be locked off during maintenance procedures. 

3: What models will you launch in the future and what will be their main features? If not, what areas are you concentrating on? 

Pop Up Products Ltd is constantly working on different alternatives, additions and solutions with the aim of increasing and further improving our access range. 

We will be guided by the demands of the industry in our future research and development with safety at the centre of everything we do. 

Most recently we have been doing some work around the challenges of working in confined spaces which has been highlighted as an issue in some of our customer feedback.  

4: What equipment and accessory design requirements are being sought by existing and new customers? 

Our developments in equipment and accessory design are informed by our customers’ feedback.  The key requirements we have identified are ease of use, lighter weight, low maintenance, durability and longevity.  

Customers are also looking for extended height with 6 metre and 8 metre scissor lifts and 12 metre booms. 

5: Is push-around equipment being adopted more widely? Please explain and describe the opportunities that exist for this product type.  

Our experience is that push-around equipment is being adopted more widely and becoming increasingly popular in the construction and hire industries. Access equipment that can be used by a single operative is a key feature as companies look to reduce costs where possible while staying within safety regulations. 

However, there is still a market for aluminium low level access products such as the Alphadeck and Deltadeck particularly in the hire industry because of their lighter weight and lower cost. 

6: What other trends are there in the push-around access platform sector? 

UK manufacturers are facing increased international competition. The sector must capitalise on the fact that the standards in the UK for push-around access platform equipment are probably the highest in the world giving them a real advantage on quality, longevity and maintenance costs.