Dennis Eagle Specify Stertil Koni Lifts

Following the successful use of a set of Stertil Koni cabled lifts, Dennis Eagle specified a set of eBright wireless mobile column lifts to support pre-delivery inspections and production operations.

As a member company of Terberg RosRoca Group, a division of the Terberg Group BV, Dennis Eagle is the UK’s leading supplier of precision-made refuse collection vehicles. Operating from its head office and manufacturing complex in Warwick, Dennis Eagle is widely acclaimed by leading specialists within the recycling and waste disposal industry for innovation and product quality. Increasing demand for its extensive range of vehicles led to further investment in the company’s manufacturing facilities which included a set of four Stertil Koni wireless mobile column lifts, type ST1075FWF.

Offering smooth, accurate and controlled lifting, Stertil Koni’s ST1075FWF mobile column lifts are specially designed to lift commercial vehicles such as heavy trucks, trailers and buses. With each lift providing a lifting capacity of 7.5 tonnes, when used as a set of four, the combined lifting capacity is increased to 30 tonnes which easily and safely copes with the 20 tonne maximum unladen weight of the Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles.

The ST1075FWF provides an impressive maximum lifting height of 1.85 metres which is reached in just 75 seconds, making it one of the fastest commercial vehicle lifts available. Also, each column is fitted with the eBright smart control system which enables workshop staff to operate the columns individually, in pairs or all at once from a single location.

Incorporating full-colour touch screen consoles, the eBright smart control system has been designed and developed to simplify operation by providing maximum visual information about every lifting operation - all at the fingertips of the technician. For added safety and performance, the eBright smart control system also shows how many columns in the set are being used, the battery status of each column and when the independent mechanical locking system is engaged.

Long-life deep cycle batteries will power the lifts for at least a week on average before recharging is necessary. The batteries can then be charged overnight via a 230v single phase supply. With no cables on the workshop floor, the risk of tripping is removed, providing valuable health and safety benefits and, with no power supply necessary, the system can be used safely inside or outdoors.

Positioning of the wireless columns is flexible: they can be used in any configuration around a vehicle. Also, the absence of power and communication cables means that set-up time is drastically reduced thereby making the system fully operational much more quickly. Significantly, the lift’s unique synchronisation system ensures a smooth lifting and lowering cycle, even in the event of extremely uneven load distribution.

Every vehicle manufactured at the Dennis Eagle production facility undergoes a stringent pre-delivery inspection and the Stertil Koni mobile column lifts are used to ensure that this procedure is completed safely and efficiently. In addition, the lifts are relied upon within the manufacturing cycle to simplify the changing of chassis components when required.

“The Stertil Koni lifts are vital to our operation,” says Terry New, Head of Manufacturing Plants at Dennis Eagle. “We produce around 100 vehicles a month and our flexibility has been improved because the lifts are mobile and we can use them for different tasks within our plant. We had used Stertil Koni cabled lifts for a number of years and were impressed by their excellent reliability so it was a natural choice to use the same brand for our mobile column lifts.”