Lift & Loft was among the first to buy a Genie Z-60 FE

Genie distributors in Europe report strong interest in the new Z-45 FE hybrid boom lift with sales to rental and end-user customers.

In Denmark, rental business Lift & Loft was among the first to take delivery of the new model. "As the first in Scandinavia to buy a hybrid Genie Z-60 FE articulating aerial work platform, and committed to giving its company a green image, Lift & Loft has since placed an order with us for an additional two hybrid Genie Z-45 FE and Z- 60 FE models," says Jorgen Martinsen, managing director of distributor Joma.

"Generally speaking, the Danish market is very attentive to environment-related issues like pollution and greenhouse gas emissions," he says, adding that rental companies are asking for fuel/electric machines that offer emissions-free, noiseless operation that are ideal for indoor and outdoor work, as well as in city centres and use at night, even on sites where electricity is not available.

In the Netherlands, environmental regulations are getting much stricter, says Jan-Willem Glaubitz, marketing manager for Genie distributor HDW.

"Our rental customer Doornbos Equipment, who ordered four Genie Z-45 FE booms, has a strong sustainable approach and, as such, owns a lot of electric and hybrid machines which are part of this government plan. We also delivered their first Genie Z-45 FE boom to Kok Verhuur in August. "

Anders Astrom, sales manager for Liftexperten, says the characteristics of the Genie Z-45 FE articulating hybrid boom make it an extremely versatile machine, "a key reason for the choice of our rental customers".

"Hirers see this machine as a product that will increase their rental returns on invested capital due to a good rental rate, while for end-users, it represents a rental saving since, instead of renting a diesel plus an electric-powered machine, a single hybrid unit allows them to perform a wide variety of (activities), indoors and out."

Christian Wienold, sales director of German Genie distributor Wienold Lifte, explains that his customer, Pernes Hebesysteme GmbH, appreciates the productivity of the new hybrid Genie Z-45 FE boom lift and its smart technology. "In addition to its hybrid technology that makes it more environmentally-friendly, our customer appreciates its performance at all levels, as well as its low cost of ownership."

Meanwhile Didier Descamps, owner of French rental company Sofranel, says the acquisition of two hybrid Genie Z-45 FE models is "the start of a new 'green' product group that we intend to market separately".

"Over the coming years, we are expecting this new 'green' category to grow rapidly to represent a much larger proportion of our fleet. In the meantime, we are confident that it will not be long before these models will be in strong demand in the landscaping and tree-pruning sector that we are developing in our region."