Morandi mission for Genie scissors

As the Covid-19 crisis swept across Europe, causing general lockdown, many people were still busy carrying out activities that could not be interrupted.

Such was the challenge for equipment provider CGT Edilizia’s Genoa branch, and its end-user customer Pavimental, an Atlantia group company, backed by a small army of 32 Genie GS-series scissor lifts. The mission; to restore the A12 (Genoa-Chiavari) and A26 (Genoa Voltri-Masone) motorway flyovers, and complete finishing work at height in the Morandi Tunnel, leading to the newly rebuilt Morandi Bridge, in Italy. 

In addition to 12 Genie GS-3369 RT rough terrain scissor lifts, CGT Edilizia recommended 20 larger Genie GS-4390 RT models – ten of which were dedicated to the installation of lighting, signage and ventilation on the Morandi Tunnel section. Offering the ability to maintain a high level of productivity while allowing operators to respect the appropriate social distance, the Genie GS-4390 RT played a key role helping to ensure the motorways’ rapid reopening.

According to Rudj Rocchi, manager, CGT Edilizia, said the Genie GS-4390 RT scissor lift was ideal for the job. In addition to its working height of almost 15 m, it has a double extension deck, that adds 1.52m at the front and 1.22m at the rear of the platform, a real benefit for workers in terms of space. In addition, the lift capacity of up to 680kg, means this superdeck option offers a total length of 7.38m when fully extended.

Today, most companies are back to work, but as Rocchi explains, “We must all keep in mind that we are still working under strict Covid-19 restrictions. For operators, who could normally be up to seven on this Genie platform, under current conditions the extra space that it provides is a real advantage. Together with all the other necessary protective precautions we employ, this solution allows a sufficient number of operators to work productively at the right distance with all their tools and materials.”

In the Morandi Tunnel, much of the work had to be carried out before tarmac had been laid. “The ground conditions were pretty rough, but thanks to its 4WD capabilities, the Genie GS-4390 RT made it easy to drive over slopes and uneven areas that had not yet been finished,” said Rocchi.

All models of the Genie GS-90 RT scissor lift family come equipped as standard with the exclusive Genie Active Oscillating axle system and offer a gradeability of 50% to take on rough terrain with ease with. Proportional controls ensure precision and flexibility of movement.

Due to the tight schedule, teams were working on day and night shifts. To help its customer maintain the pace, in addition to supplying the machines, CGT Edilizia guaranteed the 24-hour assistance of its qualified technicians when needed. According to Rocchi, “The on-board diagnostics system proved a big help in enabling operators to guide our technicians by means of error codes that are simple and easy to follow.

The motorway connections re-opened in early May.