UK's first CTE ZED21 goes to Rapid Platforms
By Maria Hadlow30 July 2009
The UK's first CTE ZED21 truck mounted platform has been delivered to Rapid Platforms, Bishop Stortford.
The Italian built 21 m maximum working height boom can be installed on a 3.5 t light commercial vehicle chassis. This eliminates the need for a special driving license which is important for self-drive hire operations. Rapid Platforms has operated the smaller CTE ZED20 model with 20 m maximum working height for many years but the ZED21 offers additional benefits.
Alistair Jordan, managing director of Rapid Platforms said, "We'd been asking for a fly boom version of the ZED20 for some time and as soon as CTE developed the existing model to create the ZED21 we had one. It has all the qualities of the ZED20 but the fly boom gives it even more flexibility."
Rapid Platforms is a family owned business operating throughout London and the South East. The company currently has over 100 different access platforms, with up to 53 m maximum working height, including a number supplied by CTE over the past five years.
"The ZED20 has been our most profitable machine for the past three years," says Mr Jordan. "It has proved to be very successful for the business with good rental returns on the investment and popular with customers."
Rapid Platforms pride itself on identifying and exploiting niche and emerging trends in the market and recognised the potential benefits of the ZED21. The sigma boom allows a straight extension for maximum working height and can also fold back downwards and into other configurations so that the platform can be positioned "up-and-over" any obstacles between the vehicle and the working area. This also allows the platform to be positioned more precisely and is ideal for many cleaning, maintenance and roofing applications that are typical among Rapid Platforms' customers.