Severe gale adaption for BMS

The wind can be a costly opponent for the likes of wind turbines and mobile antenna that need maintenance sometimes up to 10m above street level. Until now, the major crane and lift solutions have not been approved for use at wind speeds of more than 12 m/sec, equivalent to a wind force of 6 on the Beaufort Wind Scale or ‘strong breeze’.

Now Danish crane and lift rental company BMS, together with Palfinger, has developed and commissioned a lift authorised to operate at up to 20.8 m/sec, corresponding to a wind force of 9, or severe gale. In this kind of weather roof tiles loosen and branches break off.

Ib Steffensen, BMS’s division manager of truck mounted Lifts, said, “In a world that expects more and more efficiency, the weather still has a significant impact on the equipment. The less the weather can affect our robust truck mounted lifts’ ability and possibility to work, the happier our customers will be. Less time wasted means money saved for our customers, and this is an important competitive parameter for BMS. We’re glad that Palfinger’s skilled engineers have listened to our wishes and experiences.”

Ericsson, for example, which services masts, chimneys and silos, and whose operators’ mobile antennas are often mounted high up in the countryside throughout Europe, is very satisfied with the upgraded lift, said BMS. It matches the company’s E-24 concept guaranteeing maximum 24-hour response time on any customer enquiry, no matter where in Europe they are located

“The increased robustness that BMS can now offer is super relevant and meaningful for Ericsson regardless of where we operate in Europe. It’s expensive for us when lifts and cranes that we rent by the hour have to stand still because of the weather. In a fairly big setup, it also costs us many hours of wasted labour charges for workers who can’t get started. With this improved lift service, we expect to save on costly emergency solutions in future, so that our own mobile customers are inconvenienced as little as possible by our necessary maintenance and error correction work,” explains Tonny Laustsen, Implementation Manager, Ericsson, Field Service Operation Center, Denmark. Ericsson collaborates with BMS in many countries.

In addition, all BMS’s truck mounted lifts are equipped with satellite connections to allow BMS’s European centres to monitor whether the mechanics and electronics are running at peak performance. This also allows the software to be updated no matter where in Europe the vehicle is working, and even if the vehicle doesn’t have a sufficient local mobile connection.

BMS Group’s overall business has seen solid progress in recent years and today has more than 650 employees and approximately 400 vehicles of all sizes. In 2015 the group had a turnover of DKK 1,248 million (€166 million).