Work at height under pressure, new falch multi worker 250 & Genie

With their high lift capacity of 300 kg (660 lb) unrestricted and 454 kg (1,000 lb) restricted, Genie^® Xtra Capacity^™(XC^™)boom lifts offer the ability to work at height with heavier tools and materials. Thanks to this prerequisite, as a result of collaboration with German manufacturer falch gmbh*, the falch multi worker 250 – a patent-pending, semi-automatic, high-pressure tool and water-jetting accessory — has received the conditional approval of Terex AWP for use with Genie SX™-135 XC boom lifts, meeting the needs of high-pressure cleaning at height.

Equipped with the falch multi worker 250 tool, with its maximum working height of 43 m (141 ft) and industry-leading 27.43 m (89 ft 9 in) of horizontal reach, the Genie SX-135 XC boom lift becomes especially well-suited for shipyard applications (cleaning and paint removal), among a wide range of other tasks, that involve accessing large surface areas at height. Examples include cleaning façades, walls and ceilings, and removing concrete, plaster, paint, graffiti and corrosion at height.

“Genie prides itself in offering purposeful innovations that both support our rental customers’ business success, as well as make work faster and easier for end-users. By offering customers the means of acquiring or renting a multi worker 250 tool from falch to equip their Genie SX-135 XC boom lifts, this relationship is a perfect example that opens the door to a broad field of new business opportunities — including the large shipyard market,” says Jacco de Kluijver, Genie Vice President Sales & Marketing, Terex AWP EMEAR. He continues, “The reasons are twofold: For fleet owners, this new tool is a solution that will enable them to do even more using their Genie SX-135 boom lifts, further increasing its utilization, return of investment and subsequent profitability. For end-users, since the multi worker 250 is more efficient and easier to work with than hand-held devices, they will find that they will save time, benefiting from significant reductions in labour costs. Depending on the kind of application, working speed can be up to four times faster based on the same pump power. This means that total costs and time requirement can be cut down significantly — less manpower, less fuel consumption and less machinery costs. For shipyards, this is a winning argument. Therefore, for falch and Genie, it’s a win-win solution with great potential.”

In spite of the high pressure of up to 3,000 bars and the pump power of up to 250 kW per unit, the multi worker 250 reduces recoil force on the operator to practically zero. This increases the operator’s efficiency and comfort. With a 30° vertical and horizontal range of swing, operators can set vertical and horizontal movements, via an automatic electric controller, directly from the boom platform. Safe to use and up to four times more efficient than a handheld lance, this innovative tool reduces labour costs by up to 70% and is easy to install on the Genie SX-135 XC boom lift in less than 10 minutes.

For Dr. Markus Bux, Director Strategic Projects, at falch: “We were delighted when we saw the introduction of Genie Xtra Capacity technology, with its increased lift capacity and smooth envelope, making applications with the multi worker 250 possible because it weighs only around 100 kg (220 lb), including the necessary accessories. We are convinced that the combination of both innovations is the future of cleaning at height for Genie customers as well as for ours.”

He concludes: “At bauma 2019, our joint presence was met with strong interest followed by many inquiries from existing and potential new customer. Focussing on specific needs, our falch multi worker 250 is available for sale or for rent, which is especially attractive to Genie customers and distributors. Among other aspects of business that we have in common, like Genie, falch also believes in putting safety first. Therefore, the safe application of both devices together is paramount for us. We hope to extend our business relationship together to include more falch cleaning devices and more Genie XC machines in the near future.”