08.09.2020

France Elévateur ramps up production

Vehicle mounted lift manufacturer France Elévateur is expanding production of 12 metre van mounted lifts in order to keep pace with a rapidly growing demand from the telecoms sector in France.

Since Lockdown began France has been rushing to upgrade its broadband and mobile phone network to cope with the increased usage and in preparation for future growth, while taking advantage of the reduced road traffic. This has driven demand for more aerial work platforms as companies set up more installation and repair teams.

In order to cope with the growing demand since Lockdown restrictions eased, France Elévateur has been working two eight hour shifts at its plant in Flavigny sur Moselle - on the south side of Nancy - and has now set up a second production line for its 12 metre van mounts, and in particular the 121 FT, which it claims is well suited to the telecoms market. It is ramping production up to reach an additional 20 platforms a month during the fourth quarter. The company says that it has already hired an additional eight production staff and plans to add a further 13 over the coming months.
Please register to see all images

The two 12m production lines

The 121 FT is mounted on a 3.5 tonne van, has a one person fibreglass basket with an unrestricted capacity of 120kg and up to seven metres outreach. It can also be used with or without stabilisers while a hybrid version is also available.
Please register to see all images

The 121 FT

Director Charles Goffin said: “We are positioned in a premium market with a strong relationship of trust with our customers. The market is buoyant, driven as a whole by telecoms and fibre. So today there is a lot of tension on deadlines and unfortunately we are unable to offer short enough deadlines. To overcome this we opened a new production assembly line over the Lockdown period for 12 metre vans. The buoyant telecoms and fibre market allows us to approach the coming months with optimism. For other markets, innovation is at the heart of our approach, a large number of new products are being studied and will be released soon."
Please register to see all images

Charles Goffin

“The additional employees is part of a bigger plan for the Flavigny site, with the aim to recruit nearly 40 new people on fixed term contracts, including electrical technicians, mechanics, hydraulics and fitter finishers that will allow us to cope with a strong increase in activity while reducing delivery times.”