AUSTRALIA

Kobilke . “ Many crane companies work with man baskets lifting people up to work at height but our platforms are much more highly customised .” A primary market is rail maintenance , for which ACM produces a range of specially designed , truckmounted vehicles for measuring and rigging overhead wires . As electrification grows , there has been an expanding need for EWPs like the 16-ton 105SP which has a working height of up to 10m above the rails and a generous 2x2.5m working platform .

These platforms are fully insulated , allowing trained engineers to work on live overhead lines where needed . The truck drives to a level crossing point , aligns with the rails and then lifts itself up onto its built-in bogies , on which it can drive itself along the track at up to 35kmph . If it needs to stop on a cambered curve , it will level itself . Among the customers to which these units have been supplied are Sydney Trains , the

Melbourne Metro , Yarra Trams and Queensland Rail . “ We think this is an important sector for our products ,” says Kobilke . “ Over the next five years , Australia will spend about AU $ 50bn on rail expansion and infrastructure including electrification .” While long haul trains will still be dieselpowered , some mid-range services , for example a proposed system linking Melbourne , Sydney Brisbane , will be electric .

Apart from rail infrastructure , other fast-growing sectors will provide a demand for specialised EWPs . He quotes telecoms as an example . “ As the mobile service providers move from 3G to 4G and 5G , all the towers have to be adapted to suit these systems . We have platforms with a jib crane so you can hoist the 150kg antenna up , and the engineer can work from a basket to install it .” The standard procedure has been to use a jib crane to hoist the antenna and then have a man basket on the

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