CIWM Plant and Equipment of the year award for Penny Hydraulics

The innovative MiniCrane HS400/V12 and TP2000/FV1200 mobile tracked cranes developed by Penny Hydraulics in partnership with Hinowa have won the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management’s (CIWM) Plant & Equipment of the Year Award for 2009. The mobile cranes are designed to handle items in areas that conventional equipment cannot easily access, including roadside verges and waste ground, where they can handle items such as scrap metal or concrete blocks that are too heavy to be lifted safely by hand. They were shortlisted from an extensive selection of entrants and beat off competition from two other finalists to win the award, which was presented at the CIWM Awards for Environmental Excellence in London in November.

"When it comes to reducing environmental impact, the waste industry must lead by example," says Steve Lee, chief executive of CIWM. "These winners demonstrate the innovation in design and manufacturing of the vehicles, plant and equipment that can play such an important role in improving the efficiency and environmental footprint of our industry."

The MiniCrane HS400/V12 is a unique battery powered mobile crane designed for handling items weighing up to 630kg in a variety of applications. It is based on the Hinowa HS400 electric chassis designed for use with a wide range of attachments and whose compact dimensions and low centre of gravity make it an ideal platform for a crane. The Penny Hydraulics V12 is a fully hydraulic crane with a proven design that is widely used to handle a variety of loads on and off light commercial vehicles. Mounted on the HS400 it can lift a wide range of waste and other items. Battery power ensures the unit can be used indoors and in confined spaces without risk of fumes affecting users or contamination to loads. For larger applications the MiniCrane TP2000/FV1200 is a petrol engine powered mobile crane for loads up to 1200kg. This unit incorporates the fully hydraulic Penny Hydraulics FV1200 crane that has three stage extension to provide a maximum reach of 4.3m. One of the main advantages of this larger design is that the unit can travel while lifting its load, enabling it to carry items across rough and uneven terrain and position them where needed with precision.

"Our mobile tracked cranes are ideal for waste retrieval and removal applications because they can operate in places where conventional equipment cannot easily go and eliminate the need for manual handling," says Richard Short, sales director at Penny Hydraulics. "This award is a great endorsement from the waste management industry for these unique products."

Penny Hydraulics (www.pennyhydraulics.com) designs, manufactures and services lifting and load handling equipment for use in a wide range of applications. Products include the Swing Lift range of medium duty cranes for use on pick-ups, drop-sides and flat-beds and the Step Lift, Load Lift and Tail Lift lifting platform ranges for use on pick-ups, drop-sides and vans. The company also manufactures the Mezz Lift for handling loads between ground floor and mezzanines and specialist equipment for handling wheels, tyres and barrels in vehicles and at customers’ premises.