FEATURE
Executive Hire Show 2020: It’s electric
THIS year’s Executive Hire Show has been deemed a big success all round – visitor numbers are up, orders are up and the 160 exhibitors have given a thumbs up to a steady stream of visitors who seemed confident and interested in investing in new technologies that will transform the hire industry in the UK more quickly than was thought. Markets obviously move more quickly than governments.
The show is an ideal time to launch new products and there were a record number of launches. Many of these involved the use of green energy, energy efficiency measures and sustainable resources to make them happen.
Morris Site Machinery’s prototype SMC TL55 Solar H2 Lighting Tower This story is all about how much innovation you can pack into one piece of equipment. With power from a hydrogen fuel cell, whose only emission is water, the MSM designers have also included two solar panels and a five-armed wind turbine to ensure a constant power supply to the 24v LED lights.
Sophisticated monitoring is also built-in. Sensors tell the lights to turn on when it gets darker, while other sensors monitor security surveillance. Remote monitoring is used to control performance and refuelling. As I said – lots of really futuristic stuff.
To underline the green theme, the SMC TL90 Evolve and compact SMC TL60 Solar Trolley were also featured on the stand. They are totally solar powered, energy efficient and easily deployable units that produce no noise and no emissions. Innovation like this makes me feel that a zero-emissions future is possible.
Going to ground I have a builder friend in Brighton who has already invested in an electric mini- excavator. Small enough to fit through a standard doorframe, being zero-emissions also means that it can be used indoors in safety.
The widespread adoption of electric mini- diggers, whether hired or purchased, would seem to be high on the agenda because I spotted a couple at the show from JCB and
By PETER BRETT
Bobcat that are safely at the ‘practically usable’ stage with dedicated fast charging units and back-up.
Smaller, but just as important One way of removing noise, dust and petrol fumes in one hit is to adopt the new cordless Husqvarna diamond disc cutter. Battery development has clearly got to the point where the power required for cutting paving slabs and such like can be better done with a cordless machine. No loud two-stroke motor belching fumes; just the relative quiet of an electric motor. With dust extraction or dust damping attached, the safety advantages for users and passersby are obvious.
Welfare units are a requirement now on anything but the smallest building sites and the greener and cheaper they are to run, the happier building contractors are. Looking impressive in its spacious cleanliness, the AJC Easy Cabin is a hybrid welfare unit that can be powered via big PV panels where possible. More competition is on the way because demand is only going to grow in the future.
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