Highlands & Islands Airports Install Stertil Earthlifts

A total of 44 Stertil Koni Earthlift wireless mobile column vehicle lifts are used to support a wide range of workshop activities at 11 sites operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL). At the same time, the unique features of the Earthlifts are helping the company to reduce its carbon footprint.

THE COMPANY

HIAL is a private limited company wholly owned by Scottish Ministers and is responsible for 11 regional airports located at Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick John O’Groats.

Working with its stakeholders, it is committed to supporting the essential socio-economic role of aviation in Scotland by maintaining and developing its airports and the connections they provide for some of the country’s more remote communities.   HIAL’s airports provide lifeline and emergency services and act as regional travel hubs for their communities.

THE EQUIPMENT

The heavy duty Earthlifts are used to raise various types of vehicles including fire appliances, water tenders, trucks, tractors, vans and cars.  The flexibility of the Earthlifts allows the 44 lifts to be used in different configurations within HIAL’s modern workshop. Typically, the equipment is used in sets of six or four columns, depending on the weight and wheelbase of the vehicles to be raised.

HIAL is committed to decarbonising its operations in line with the Scottish Government's target to create the world's first net-zero aviation region by 2040, with the long-term vision to become a ‘net-zero carbon’ regional airport group. As a result of this commitment, the environmentally-friendly Earthlift heavy duty lifts, which are widely acclaimed for setting the revolutionary ‘green’ standard for the industry were selected for use within HIAL’s workshops. This was following a stringent procurement process, where Stertil Koni received the highest score on the evaluation. The Earthlifts are in operation most days of the week in HIAL’s workshops and are often utilised by other companies operating on the airfield.

During several years of design and development, Stertil Koni set out to produce an ergonomically efficient, economically productive and user-friendly model, which would contribute towards the reduction of a business’ carbon footprint. An important element of this work was the incorporation of a unique Active Energy Retrieval System.

The principle of the Active Energy Retrieval System is as brilliant as it is simple - to use the energy generated by the raised vehicle as it comes back down to recharge the batteries: in other words, to regain the gravitational energy. The new system increases the number of lifting cycles by about 35%, compared to a fully-charged set of wireless mobiles under maximum load. In addition to the reduction in power consumption, the Earthlift’s batteries need less recharging, thus increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Featuring full-colour touch screen control consoles, the Earthlift’s eBright smart control system has been designed and developed to simplify operation by providing intuitive ease of use with maximum visual information about every lifting operation – all at the fingertips of the technician.

For added safety and performance, the eBright Smart Control System also shows how many columns in the set are being used, the battery status of each column and when the mechanical locks are engaged.

Those who know Stertil Koni won’t be surprised to discover the Earthlift’s reassuringly high performance - it works seamlessly with a wireless-mesh connectivity system specially developed for industrial applications which are not susceptible to the high volumes of radio traffic typically found at airport, police, fire and ambulance sites. The absence of cables provides maximum access to the vehicle, with no risk of tripping and also makes the installation of the columns quicker and simpler. The Earthlift’s variable raising and lowering speeds mean that vehicles can be positioned extremely accurately and safely.

Thanks to the Earthlift’s special characteristics, including bio-degradable hydraulic oil, 98% of it can be recycled at the end of its long life. The combination of this, plus the Earthlift’s energy-saving features and Stertil Koni’s high production values, make it the most advanced and sophisticated wireless mobile column lift on the planet.

As with all models in the Stertil Koni range, the Earthlift is supported by comprehensive after sales service options. These options have been designed to ensure that lifts are inspected and properly maintained and all required certificates are renewed annually in accordance with customer requirements. A nationwide network of factory-trained engineers operating from a fleet of fully-equipped vans, achieves a first-fix rate of over 90% utilising genuine Stertil Koni spare parts.

WEBSITE LINK: www.hial.co.uk