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From a manufacturer’s perspective, here’s what your rental store, and your customers, needs to know about the new ANSI and CSA standards to be introduced soon:

• You should be prepared for changes to the design of all aerial work platforms — or mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) as they will now be called — that were introduced in 2017 and beyond. All aerial lift manufacturers, including Genie, must comply with these new standards.
• The new standards more closely align North American standards (ANSI – United States, CSA – Canada) requirements with current ISO standards.  These new standards will dictate how aerial equipment manufacturers serving the North American market, including Genie and its competitors, address wind ratings, chassis angle and load capacity on MEWPs.

You will begin to see MEWPs introduced that feature load sensors and higher load capacity ratings. In many applications, the standard 500-lb capacity will be increased. At Genie, we expect to see boom load capacities go up and more secondary envelopes incorporated into the design of new machines. The development of these new systems will result in more sophisticated control systems and dual capacity load ratings, such as the Genie^® Xtra Capacity™ (XC) solution with 660-lb (300 kg) capacity at the full outreach and 1,000-lb (454 kg) capacity with a reduced working envelope. Our new load cell technology on Genie XC™ machines will monitor the weight on the platform and select the appropriate working envelope for that load. The overload sense functionalities allow all Genie XC boom models to offer increased platform load capacity, enhancing these booms’ utilization and performance in heavy-load applications compared to units with more restrictive platform load limits.

In addition to the load sensing features, a chassis tilt sensor incorporated into the aerial’s function will automatically cut-out lift and drive functions of the machine if the rated tilt angle is exceeded. Thanks to new technology incorporated into the design, Genie XC booms will not only carry more load than ever before, but on some models, these new MEWPs will be able to work on slopes, giving our machines the unparalleled ability to complete higher capacity jobs in a wider range of applications. Our new tilt sensor technology will give operators access to different ranges of motion based on the ground angle, even on extreme angles, maximizing the ability to access previously hard-to-reach work areas.

To adhere to the wind rating requirements in the new standards, you will see MEWPs categorized as either indoor or outdoor machines. This requirement will have the most effect on small portable products and scissor lifts. While indoor-only aerials may be lighter weight, they will be limited to work in areas not impacted by wind. Machines rated for outdoor use will be designed and manufactured for use in wind as limited by the new standards and as specified on Genie machines. All Genie booms are designed to meet the outdoor requirements. The ramifications of these new requirements mean that you will need to make decisions about the mix of indoor-only versus outdoor-use machines in your fleet

Genie has been proactively working on a response to implementing the new requirements across its entire MEWPs product range to offer effective, robust and reliable solutions worldwide. Our recent announcement on the introduction of the new generation of Genie XC booms is just the first of many. Stay tuned for us to announce more and more new products and technologies in the coming months!