During bauma 2022, Italy-based AlmaCrawler premiered two new products now available in Australia, while also displaying the latest advances to its existing product range.
Bob Mules, general manager, Almac Pacific – the Italian manufacturer’s Australian division – was at the show and provided further detail on the company’s latest product developments.
AlmaCrawler launched a new self-propelled tracked boom lift, the JIBBI 1890 PRiMO. Featuring a telescopic boom and advanced self-levelling technology, this model is fully electric with electric drive and is the first 18-metre working-height product in the JIBBI line.
“We are really excited about the JIBBI 1890 PRiMO, it is another game-changer that we have released to the industry.
AlmaCrawler prides itself on disrupting conventional MEWP functionality and design by challenging the status quo. This machine is certainly raising the challenge as the only fully electric, self-levelling 18-metre boom lift in the industry”, said Bob.
Equipped with AlmaCrawler’s patented, automatic bi-levelling system, this model can travel and level on slopes up to 22-degrees. Self-propelled functionality up to 14-metres allows the operator to safely work in a wide range of job site conditions, without sacrificing efficiency. With a 10-metre outreach and a maximum basket capacity of 250kg, the JIBBI 1890 Primo provides several industry-first new features, including:
• Electric Drive – the fully electric JIBBI 1890 PRiMO can be driven at a max speed of 4.5 km/h thanks to its electric drive, essentially bridging the gap between standard flat surface mobility and tracked machinery.
• Fully removable power pack designed to ensure infinite autonomy and be easily transported for off-site charging. With a choice between interchangeable lead acid or lithium power packs, and two critical options for recharging: the standard 110/220 VAC input or via the industry-first EV Type 2 input, the PRiMO is designed for flexibility.
• Completely reimagined controller for a streamlined user experience based on industry-accepted standards and rental sector needs. Two USB recharging stations available on each controller.
• Anti-Entrapment System as a standard feature – a safety system designed to prevent serious injury by stopping the unit while allowing space for the operator to safely remove themself.
• Automatic Tensioner System – the first JIBBI in the range to feature our automatic track tensioner system, the technology that creates zero maintenance for the tracks.
The available extras were designed to enhance the operator visibility and safety on the job site:
• Ultrasonic Anti-Collision System, monitors the area above and below the basket, preventing collisions with obstacles during aerial operations, and detects the presence of possible potholes or unevenness of the ground during movement at height.
• New work lights as a helpful tool both for night work as well as job sites with limited visibility.
Bauma also saw the arrival of the first self-levelling, self-propelled telescopic crane, the T-CRANE 1060. This new product will enrich an already impressive material handling product range available from Almac Pacific.
“Another exciting launch, the T-Crane 1060 was certainly very popular with visitors to the stand. It is the first pick-and-carry mini crane with self-propelled and self-levelling technology. It can pick and carry a capacity of 990kg, and it can travel 15-degrees longitudinally and 15-degrees laterally. The impressive part about the T-Crane 1060, is that it went from concept drawings to reality in 100 days,” said Bob.
Highly flexible, the T-Crane 1060 can be used in variety of lifting situations from internal to outdoor lifting, on slopes and uneven terrain up to 22-degrees.
Equipped with our innovative levelling technology, the T-Crane 1060 easily travels and carries loads up to 990kg, featuring a 7.7-metre lifting height with a 6.1-metre maximum working radius. The counterweight is removable which lowers the overall weight to 2,850kg for easy transportation.
Also on display was Almac’s ML3.0BL and ML6.0 Multi Loaders. The ML 3.0BL has all the features of the popular ML2.5 bi-levelling Multi Loader, however, has an increased load capacity of 3-tonne due to its new electric drive. The ML6.0 also show cased the new electric drive system as well as a number of new attachments.
Attendees were also able to view the world-class Billennium 15-metre and 18-metre spider booms, the JIBBI 1250 and 1670 boom lifts, and the Athena 1090 BL EVO scissor lift.
Almac Pacific also exhibited at the recent CICA National Conference and Exhibition in Adelaide. Bob explains how visitors to the stand responded to the products on display.
“It’s the first time we’ve been to a CICA event with our range of multi loaders. We had three products on display, our 3-tonne capacity multi loader which features our standard track and our 2.5-tonne and 6-tonne bi-levelling models. The 2.5-tonne is electric-drive, capable of working longitudinally on inclines up to 20 degrees, and laterally up to 15-degrees. The 6-tonne is our bi-energy unit, which has an impressive 990kg-capacity crane attachment available.
“You can use this model as an all-electric unit through the batteries, or you can use it with diesel. So, there are several options on this model,” said Bob.
“The engagement at the conference was fantastic. We spoke with many contractors and crane hire businesses, and most if not all of them were really impressed with the capability of the bi-levelling units. They were interested in the dynamic capability of the machines and the proactive levelling, which means we keep the load level the whole time it is travelling. We’re really pleased with the engagement of our customers, and the experience for us being there for the first time was certainly well worth it.
“We’ve just welcomed Pace Cranes as the national distributor of our multi loader products, and we are aware that Pace Cranes is a very well-respected name in the industry. When we mention to our customers that Pace are our national distributor, most, if not all, were aware of Pace Cranes, and/or had dealt with them over the years. Having this partnership with Pace Cranes is going to be mutually, very valuable,” said Bob.
Bob goes on to introduce Almac Pacific technical manager Josh Coulson.
“Josh has been with Almac Pacific for two and a half years. He was the service manager with a previous distributor, so he has been involved with the AlmaCrawler range of products since they were introduced to our market in 2016/2017,” Bob said.
“From a technical point of view, no one locally knows as much about our products as Josh does. Our customers enjoy dealing with Josh because nothing is too much trouble for him and he is very knowledgeable with any technical questions customers might ask.”
Josh says he has been working with AlmaCrawler products since 2017, when he first started with the original Australian importer.
“I deal with all areas of aftersales support be it breakdowns or warranty, and I provide the technical training for both our dealer mechanics and our customers. I now also oversee the spare parts department since we began in-house parts supply too – I’m wearing a few hats within the business, which I really enjoy,” he said.
Josh explains how critical product support and parts availability is at Almac Pacific.
“Obviously product support is critical to any equipment supplier. Our stock and spare parts are held in our facility in Pakenham, south-east of Melbourne. The spare parts warehouse is quite comprehensive, and we have an advantage in that many of our parts are compatible across both the multi loader and EWP ranges.
“With the multi loader range exhibited at the CICA Conference, a lot of that design has been created from the original EWP foundation, so all of our fast-moving parts and other key components, such as rubber tracks, are all shelved in-house at Pakenham”, said Josh.
“We’re able to effectively support our dealer, Pace Cranes, to sell our multi loader products and provide continued support to customers. I’ll be providing them with a list of recommended spare parts that they’re going to hold in their support locations”, he said.
“I’ll also be training Pace Crane’s Head of Service, and he will then filter this knowledge through to the technicians and the service team”, he said.
Josh goes on to explain why the Almac range of products is proving to be so popular with the local market.
“The whole AlmacCrawler product range including EWPs and multi loaders are seen as being very innovative. These products are designed to tackle those niche areas and those ‘hard to reach’ places.
“The EWPs and the multi loaders are tackling the complications of working on steep gradients safely and the main feedback I receive from customers is the satisfaction that there is now a product that can service these difficult applications”, said Josh.
“Reliability and quality of build are other features that customers mention. Being designed, engineered, and manufactured in Italy, with just about every component made in Italy, means the style of the machine is sort of unique. A lot of machines from competitors have gone with the basic square box design, whereas the design of all AlmacCrawler equipment is quite unique and it’s easy to look at. A lot of people appreciate that Italian flair,” he said.
Visit www.almacpacific.com.au to learn more.