Haulotte’s latest telescopic boom lift, the HT16 RTJ (named the HT46 RTJ in the US) provides a 16-m working height. The machine was recently unveiled at Conexpo 2020 in the US, and is planned to be launched in Europe and Asia Pacific over the next few months.
The HT16 RTJ features an updated design utilising mechanical axles, which allows for a smaller engine while still maintaining the rough terrain performance of a larger engine. For optimal safety, the boom lift is equipped with Haulotte innovations: Haulotte Activ’Shield Bar to prevent crushing risks; Haulotte Activ’Lighting System to ensure safety during night-time loading and unloading operations; Haulotte Stop Emission System to limit pollution and noise; and Haulotte Activ’Screen to provide key information about the machine in real time.
Speaking on the direction that Haulotte is taking in the market, Carlos Hernandez, the company’s executive managing director for the Americas explained, “We launched the Pulseo Generation in 2018, a new generation of all-electric off-road machines as part of our ‘Blue Strategy’. All our thermal energy machines will gradually integrate the technologies developed on Pulseo. In fact, the new HT46 (HT16) telescopic boom that we are showing today will be the last internal combustion machine from Haulotte as we complete our telescopic range.”
He further mentioned that Haulotte machines are mainly used in urban or peri-urban areas. “We are seeing more and more ‘low emission zones’ appear, with more than 200 major cities in the world already prohibiting the use of polluting or noisy equipment. The future belongs to zero emission machines.”
According to Haulotte, the company is building a strategy of providing a full solution portfolio that includes machines but focuses on the customer and the network of services around the machines that make the customer successful. It also revealed that the development of new service offers using fleet management solutions will be coming soon, and is expected to take centre stage in the coming years.
“Haulotte services are essential for all our customers, especially rental companies,” stressed Mr Hernandez. “We support them in the growth of their business model: through advice on product offerings, financing solutions, training, quality technical support, etc.
“Whether directly or through our distributor networks, we closely collaborate with our customers throughout the life cycle of our machines. From pre-sales to after-sales advice, we are in a relational approach, much more than transactional.
“That close relationship is also a key step in our development of new products. Most of the users of our equipment are not experts in driving aerial work platforms, so we must think about use around safety, simplicity and comfort of use to allow the productivity benefits expected by the operator. This is why close relations with our rental partners, we create specifications that meet both application expectations and fleet management requirements.”
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is known as one of the essential guidelines for managing the development of a new machine. Thus, the new HT16 RTJ (HT46 RTJ) is designed from the ground up with TCO in mind, said Mr Hernandez. Built with an eye on the reduction and optimisation of maintenance costs, it is ready for new technologies such as IoT to make it possible to move from curative maintenance to preventive maintenance, which will then lead Haulotte to the goal of predictive maintenance.
Today, Haulotte generates 85% of its business internationally compared to 15% in France, where the company is based. Its main area of activity, Europe, accounts for nearly 55% of total activity; Asia for nearly 30% and America for 15%. The company said it is counting on China’s strong potential, which alone will in the medium term, represent the equivalent of the European market.
