As the health crisis swept across Europe last quarter causing a general lockdown, many men and women were still busy ensuring activities that could not be interrupted. Such was the challenge for equipment providers CGT Edilizia (Genoa branch) and its end-user customer Pavimental S.p.A., backed by a small army of 32 Genie® GS™-series scissor lifts.
The mission was to restore the A12 (Genoa-Chiavari section) and A26 (Genoa Voltri-Masone section) motorway flyovers, and complete finishing work at height in the Morandi Tunnel leading to the newly rebuilt Morandi Bridge.
In addition to 12 Genie GS-3369 RT rough terrain scissor lifts, CGT Edilizia notably recommended 20 larger Genie GS-4390 RT models – ten of which were dedicated to the installation of lighting, signage and ventilation on the Morandi Tunnel section. Offering the ability to maintain a high level of productivity while allowing operators to respect the appropriate social distance, the Genie GS-4390 RT played a key role helping to ensure the motorways’ rapid reopening.
According to Rudj Rocchi, Manager, CGT Edilizia: “There are several things about the Genie GS-4390 RT scissor lift that made it ideal for the job. In addition to its working height of almost 15 m, its double extension deck, that adds 1.52 m at the front and 1.22 m at the rear of the platform, is a real benefit for workers in terms of space. In addition to a high lift capacity of up to 680 kg, this superdeck option offers a total length of 7.38 m when fully extended. For operators this implied being able to work together comfortably at the appropriate social distance and maintain the level of productivity needed to meet a tight completion deadline.”
Today, most companies are back to work, but as Rocchi explains: “We must all keep in mind that we are still working under strict Covid-19 restrictions. For operators, who could normally be up to seven on this Genie platform, under current conditions the extra space that it provides is a real advantage. Together with all the other necessary protective precautions we employ, this solution allows a sufficient number of operators to work productively at the right distance with all their tools and materials.”
In the Morandi Tunnel, much of the work had to be carried out before tarmac had been laid. “The ground conditions were pretty rough, but thanks to its 4WD capabilities, the Genie GS4390 RT made it easy to drive over slopes and uneven areas that had not yet been finished,” says Rocchi.
Offering the benefits of 4WD drive, positive traction control and a drive speed in stowed position of 8 km/h (5 mph), all models of the Genie GS-90 RT scissor lift family come equipped as standard with the exclusive Genie Active Oscillating axle system and offer a gradeability of 50% to take on rough terrain with ease with. Proportional controls ensure precision and flexibility of movement. For operator safety, a tilt level sensor with audible alarm, descent alarm and platform load sensing system are standard. Featuring a factory installed telematics connector and an onboard diagnostics system, operators are able to troubleshoot on the fly and make adjustments in the field to optimise uptime.
Due to the tight schedule, teams were working on day and night shifts. To help its customer maintain the pace, in addition to supplying the machines, CGT Edilizia guaranteed the 24-hour assistance of its qualified technicians when needed.
According to Rocchi: “As well as offering great rough terrain performance, the Genie GS-4390 RT model’s on-board diagnostics system proved a big help in enabling operators to guide our technicians by means of error codes that are simple and easy to follow. This allowed teams to target any problems clearly and provide assistance quickly,” says Rocchi.
