HI-LIFTS & LOADERS
Up, up, up…
There are well over a dozen manufacturers of this
technology around the world; Alwyn Brice brings an
update on a sector that is simply booming.
Chinese market moving
Chinese manufacturer Weihai Guangtai’s
container and pallet loaders have been
designed for ease of maintenance, high
reliability and e ciency, something
evidenced by many examples of positive
feedback from its overseas customers, says
the manufacturer.
Best-selling equipment has always been
the 7 tonne and 14 tonne ULD loaders,
reports the company spokesperson: to
be speci c, the WGSJT7, WGSJT7W,
WGSJT7WH and WGSJT14 models. e
WGSJT7W is actually a widened version
based on the standard WGSJT7 model
and the WGSJT7WH is a taller version
of the WGSJT7W. ese popular loader
types are echoed elsewhere amongst the
manufacturing community.
Weihai Guangtai relates that for some
years it has been selling electric loaders
to Hong Kong, where in all around 20
loaders have been delivered. During
2019 it also received a few more orders
from mainland China, with overseas
sales starting to make progress. In short,
it has been witnessing a growing market
demand for electric powered GSE.
Battery autonomy a key
feature of the latest electric
hi-lifts from TLD
with the development and production
of an electric 14 tonne hi-li , which
initially at any rate will be targeted at the
Chinese market, where electric power is
fast becoming the ramp standard, in line
with government pressure. A lithium-ion
battery lies at the heart of the new loader.
“Seven tonne loaders continue to be our
best sellers,” notes Schimkat, “but the 14
tonne version is catching up. China is also
turning out to be a major customer for our
loaders.”
He adds that, little by little, the entire
Trepel loader range is going through the
electri cation process: the 35, the 70 and
the 140 can now all be speci ed with this
green technology.
Looking ahead, he foresees increased
capacity on the horizon, which is surely
a measure of the success of this German
company’s output.
(For a more in-depth look at Trepel’s hili
s, see the report on pages 31-32).
Spotlight on the US
During 2019, demand from airlines and
ground handlers for the JBT Commander
30i main deck cargo loader was very
In common with other suppliers, this
manufacturer has also been addressing
safety concerns. A er several years of
improvement, its approach alarm system
(the ADPS) has been honed and has
proven to be extremely dependable. In
addition to this, the loader structure has
recently been re-engineered to achieve a
steadier operation and higher e ciency.
Finally, the loader’s power system has
been upgraded: the emission bar on diesel
models has been raised from Stage 3 to
Stage 5 while the battery system of the
electric models has been upgraded from
lead-acid to lithium-ion.
As an interesting update, all the Weihai
Guangtai electric loaders sold to Hong
Kong until recently were powered by
lead-acid batteries. Last year one unit
with lithium batteries went to Hong Kong
on trial, and this could well open up the
market there for lithium.
Looking good for Trepel
For Trepel’s Carsten Schimkat, arguably
the most signi cant news of late has been
in the realm of pushbacks; but having
said that, the company has also been busy
54 February 2020 Ground Handling International