Stertil Koni wireless lifts for major transport group

Stertil Koni is supplying ST1082W wireless mobile column lifts to the Go-Ahead Group, a major force in the UK public transport industry. After successful demonstrations of the equipment, the group has purchased four sets of Stertil's 8.2 tonne mobile lifts for its bus operations in the North East.

Go-Ahead has a pro-active equipment replacement plan in place and its vehicle lifts had come up for renewal. The company had previously used other Stertil equipment, but was particularly impressed by the state-of-the-art wireless technology of the new mobile lifts and the safety benefits it offered. "Our decision to go with Stertil Koni was greatly influenced by the health and safety benefits of the wireless lift," says Neil Robinson of Go-Ahead. "Being cable-free means there is a much-reduced risk of accidents at the depot and that has a positive impact both on efficiency and operator safety." The new vehicle lifts will be installed at the company's sites in Sunderland and Chester-le-Street and will be in permanent use.

Stertil's mobile column lifts are unique in that they are equipped with a wireless control system which provides maximum access underneath a raised vehicle. With no cables on the workshop floor, the risk of tripping is removed and, with no power supply necessary, the system can be used inside or out. Each of the mobile columns is equipped with two long-life deep cycle batteries which, when fully charged, will power the fully-laden column for more than 20 lifting cycles - easily a full week's use. The batteries can then be charged overnight via a 230v single phase supply.

The wireless columns can be used in any combination around the vehicle and set-up time is drastically reduced because there are no power or communication cables to connect the columns. Each column has its own control box and a lifting capacity of 8200 kg; to increase lifting capacity, users may simply add more columns, up to a maximum of 28. Total lifting height is 1.85 metres - this can be reached in a swift 89 seconds - and the lowering speed is selectable. Columns can be lowered manually in the event of a power failure.

With approximately six per cent of the UK public transport market, the Go-Ahead Group carries over 800 million passengers a year. An award-winner for environmental best practice, its combined bus and rail fleet travels a total of 330 million kilometres every year. The company runs more than 3500 buses nationwide and also operates Southeastern and Southern train services.

Stertil Koni specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of hydraulic vehicle lifts and was the first lifting system manufacturer to be awarded ISO 9001. The company is part of the Stertil Group, a market leader in the development and production of dock equipment with headquarters in Northampton.