11.03.2006

Nationwide re-launch Skylift

Over the past eight months Nationwide has been quietly restructuring its Skylift truck mounted aerial lift division. Skylift is by far the largest truck mounted aerial lift rental company in the UK, with a fleet of over 175 units. The business was established in late 1995 becoming fully operational by May 1996.

It was purposely set up as a separate entity, with its own staff and depots; however in 2004, in a bid to avoid duplication and reduce overheads, the division was merged into the Nationwide self propelled business.
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The New Skylift branding

It did not exactly thrive, becoming lost within the 6,000 unit self propelled fleet, so last July the business was separated again operationally.

Peter Douglas, a Nationwide and Skylift veteran, took on the responsibility for rebuilding the Skylift business in July and assumed the role of general manager-Skylift in January, along with the training and accessories divisions.
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Peter Douglas is the new general manager of Skylift

Douglas joined Nationwide with the Access Rentals acquisition in 1992, teaming up with Mike Evans in 1995 when he set up Skylift for Nationwide.

Skylift now operates from six stand-alone depots in, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Luton/St Albans, Cardiff and Birmingham, while its fleet in Northern Ireland is fully integrated into Nationwide’s Belfast branch for obvious practical reasons.

The division employs 85 full time drivers, and 15 engineers among its 110 or so staff. Skylift also employ a few industry specific sales specialists, while the day to day sales are handled by the Nationwide sales team.

The Skylift re-launch includes new branding and a new image, the business will in future be known as “Skylift from Nationwide”, the lifts will be painted in the Nationwide blue livery, out go the pastel blues of the Old Skylift, as the older lifts are repainted or sold.
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The new Skylift logo

Douglas told Vertikal that in the truck mounted market requires a specialist approach and needs operations staff that are fully tuned into the different demands that truck mounted lift rental imposes. These range from the fact that most go out with drivers, to the short duration of most jobs.

He also acknowledges that Skylift has largely missed out on the recent rapid growth of the self drive truck mounted market but now aims to catch up and then some.

As part of this plan to target the self drive business, the company has ordered its first batch of 15 CTE Z-20, sigma style up and over booms on 3.5 tonne Nissan trucks.
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Lorrenzo Cippriani (L) hands over the keys for the first CTE Z-20 to Peter Douglas

When asked why these units were selected over the more usual straight telescopic boomed models, Douglas admitted that when Skylift first looked at its 3.5 tonne machines, it looked at telescopics.
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CTE Z-20 3.5 tonne truck mounts.

After polling its customers however and checking out specifications it changed over to the CTE model. Douglas said that the Z-20 offers a good working height, over nine metres outreach, and a narrow base combined with zero tailswing. In addition many customers appreciate the up and over capability and the ability to do a parallel descent or lift.
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The Z-20 offers zero tailswing up and over reach

Other units ordered so far this year include six 14 metre Bizzocchi, (now part of CTE) which will be badged as CTE and use the CTE control panels. Two CTE Z32 and a 37 metre Bronto XDT with 750 kg platform capacity.

Skylift will also consider longer term contract hire, and is prepared to purchase a lift to a customer’s specification for a long term contract. In addition to the truck mounts, Skylift has also taken on a few specialist lifts, such as three large Teupen Leo, spider booms.