Entrepreneur Brian Barclay has told how investing in a Hinowa spider lift has triggered the growth of a thriving group of businesses offering services from tree surgery to construction.
Access Platform Sales first supplied the businessman with a Hinowa Lightlift 17.75 Performance IIIS in 2016, as he developed his platform hire business, Wight Access Hire, on the Isle of Wight.
Since then, operating Hinowa spider lifts has led to the creation of a tree services business, Wight Tree Surgery, and a property maintenance and construction company, Wight Contractors.
APS service ‘critical’
Brian Barclay explained: “Buying that first Hinowa spider lift allowed us to diversify our offer. It’s a very versatile platform. For us, that’s also meant versatility in realising new business opportunities.
““It was a natural progression to launch a tree surgery service. Customers hiring our Hinowa spiders were also asking us if we could carry out property maintenance for them, so we started that business as well.”
His latest investment has been a new Hinowa Lightlift 20.10 Performance IIIS, which has a maximum working height of 20.1m and a maximum outreach of 9.7m.
A combination of exceptional performance, which is appreciated by his operational teams, and first class after-sales service provided by APS, has instilled confidence in Hinowa spider lifts, said Brian Barclay.
“APS’s service is a critical element of my investment choices,” he explained. “Its technical support is excellent. There is always someone on the end of the phone to help resolve an issue at short notice, which helps us maximise utilization rates and keep our customers very happy.”
Niche income opportunities
Jonathan Wiseman, Regional Sales Manager at APS, the UK and Ireland authorised distributor for all Hinowa products, said: “Brian is certainly doing a brilliant job of maximising the potential of his Hinowa spider lifts in terms of service delivery and income potential.
“His experience demonstrates the clear commercial advantages of Hinowa as the market-leading spider lift in the UK. They offer premium rental prices and a wide range of strong niche income opportunities.
“Hinowa platforms also have a lower whole life cost than rival machines. It’s an advantage we support through ongoing technical advice, plus our highly-responsive parts and maintenance service.
“We help ensure our customers can use their Hinowa platforms safely and to their full potential while maintaining them to the highest standard, which maximises their resale value.”
Highly constrained space
The Hinowa Lightlift 20.10 is part of a range of Performance IIIS spider lifts with maximum working heights that start at 13.3m (Hinowa LL 13.70, go past 25.5m (Hinowa LL 26.14) and do not stop until 40.2m (Hinowa LL 40.18).
Key performance attributes of Hinowa Performance IIIS spider lifts appreciated by Wight Contractors’ teams include their 230kg unrestricted basket capacity, which minimises the need for platform repositioning.
Their ability to track vertically up the side of buildings without having to adjust boom controls makes it easier and safer to reach position the basket.
Also, at just 790mm wide when stowed for tracking, the Hinowa Lightlift 20.10 can be moved through narrow access points and operated in highly constrained spaces, including back gardens.
The spider lift can also be towed on a 3.5t trailer by a van or 4x4 vehicle, so it can be delivered to hard-to-reach locations and operated by someone with a standard driving licence.
Find out more
Talk to APS about the many and varied opportunities for generating healthy rental incomes with Hinowa spider platforms.
Telephone: 01480 891251. Email: sales@accessplatforms.co.uk.
