Going green at the EHS
11 February 2019
This year’s Executive Hire Show (EHS), held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, UK, had a distinctly ‘green’ flavour, with electric and hybrid solutions everywhere.
For the first time, a piece of construction equipment was allowed to operate inside one of the halls because it was JCB’s fully-electric 19C E-Tec mini excavator, which produces no emissions. The excavator will be going into full production in April of this year.
Atlas Copco presented its new electric portable compressor, the E-Air 250, which was said to offer up to 40% more flow for the same power consumption as a conventional compressor.
Hendrik Timmermans, Vice-President of Atlas Copco’s Portable Air division, said, “From enhanced efficiency to improved noise levels and no diesel engine emissions; the benefits of going electric within specific applications cannot be overstated.”
The 13th edition of the EHS was held on 6 and 7 February and had 190 exhibitors. Visitor number have yet to be released.
Another example was the SMC TL60 Solar Trolley lighting tower on Morris Site Machinery’s stand. The unit is entirely solar powered and therefore produces no noise or emissions. Allan Binstead, the company’s Managing Director, said, “The solar solution was designed to work efficiently in UK winter time.”
Also from Morris Site Machinery, Phil Winnington, International Business Director, spoke about Brexit. He said, “It has been an opportunity to expand exports into other areas,” citing the close relationship the company has with overseas customers and the strong presence that SMC – one of Morris Site Machinery’s brands – has in the Australian market.
Of course, Brexit has taken its toll on the value of the Pound, but this has made exports from the UK relatively cheaper, which has been good for business at Tufftruk. The mini dumper manufacturer exports 90% of its products, with key markets including Germany, France and the Benelux region.
The company has also begun to branch out into the US market by partnering up with Multiquip recently. It is also interesting to note that 90% of the company’s output is fully-electric equipment, according to Andrew Simpson, General Manager of Tufftruk.
Relating to engine emissions, Stage V is of course on the mind of many a rental company and equipment manufacturer. Kohler-SDMO is one example of a company that is working to help rental firms make the transition. At the show, the company introduced its new EU Stage V compliant portable and rental-specific generators. However, the company said it would continue to offer its EU Stage III products for up to 18 months after the Stage V regulation came into effect – which was on 1 January 2019.
