MARKET REPORT HEATING & LIGHTING
The machine’s four legs are all deployed from the main control panel.
Bright ideas
Alan Guthrie visits the Lincolnshire headquarters of Heimdall (UK), which has developed an innovative lighting tower range.
Patented electronic technology lies at the heart of new lighting towers that have been developed by Heimdall (UK) to offer safer and efficient operation. The Bourne-based company is a sister business to the Boss Cabins site welfare unit manufacturer, and was established to meet what it identified as a particular niche in the market.
“With Boss Cabins having moved to a larger facility in January 2014, we had the space and production capacity to develop additional products for different markets,” said Heimdall (UK) MD Niall Wordsworth. “One idea had come from a conversation with a Boss customer in Scotland, who had been working on a site where two lighting towers had blown over in high winds. No-one had been injured, but an argument had ensued between the user and the hirer about whose responsibility it was.
Heimdall lighting towers are supplied as standard in stainless steel.
“We asked around and heard more stories of similar incidents of
machines falling over due to windy conditions, or because they had been erected on soft ground. Others had not been set up correctly in the first place. Given the on-going importance of site Health & Safety, we saw potential for a product that addressed these issues.” Having identified the opportunity, the new business was established, and named after the Norse god of light, security and surveillance.
After more than a year’s research and development, the HD-S and HD-E lighting tower models were developed, receiving their first public showing at Plantworx. The legs and masts are integrated with an electronic system called Smart Stability, which is designed to detect any change in base stability and to automatically lower the mast to 3.5m from its maximum 9m. The mast can only be raised again after the machine has been checked and re-set by an operator.
The four hydraulic legs are all deployed by using one lever in the central control panel, and the electronic system is designed to check
the ground pressure at each stabiliser every one-thousandth of a second. Telemetry is fitted as standard, alerting the operator about machine status, as well as providing GPS tracking, theft alarms and remote diagnostics capability. The HD-S model has four 1000W metal halide lamps, while the HD-E is fitted with four 160W LED heads and is powered by a battery with a hybrid generator system.
“Many lighting towers used on construction sites, highway maintenance projects and utilities contracts can be left is position for several weeks or months, and the Smart System enables a site manager to be sure that they will remain in safe condition over the long term, in high winds or in situations where ground conditions can change,” said Niall Wordsworth.
“The machines are powered by generators derived from the RedBox system that has been developed by Boss Cabins for use in its welfare units. It gives service intervals of 1,000 hours, which is the equivalent of up to three months of typical usage and will cover the length of many hire contracts. This will cut down on the number of site service visits that hirers will need to make, with reductions in associated costs such as fuel usage and carbon emissions.”
Both lighting tower models are supplied in standard with stainless steel canopies for greater strength and rust resistance compared against mild steel. This can also resist damage caused by knocks and paint scrapes, prolonging the appearance of the unit and maintaining residual value.
Heimdall (UK) reports that interest has been very strong since the products were launched, and the company has recently acquired
The Smart Stability display shows the status of the machine.
additional premises directly opposite the Bourne headquarters as an extra production facility to meet anticipated demand. And, given the importance of Health & Safety both in the UK and in many overseas markets, the operation’s future looks bright.
• 0843 855 0068
www.heimdalluk.co.uk
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