JLG's new mast boom among the launches at APEX

The sixth APEX aerial platform exhibition opens in just one week in Maastricht, The Netherlands. It takes place from Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th September - and will be the largest APEX show ever, with over 115 companies exhibiting.

Among the many product launches and updates is a never-before seen, electrically powered, mast style boom lift from JLG. The Toucan 10E provides a 10m working height and is designed to help users increase their productivity and make maintenance easy.

The Toucan10E differs from existing models in the Toucan range in that it has two brushless electric motors providing direct AC drive as opposed to a hydraulic drive system. These provide a faster drive speed of 5.5 km/hr and can be recharged quickly

Proportional drive and lift controls are said to have been improved for easier and smoother operation. A new platform, new jib and extended outreach make manoeuvring the machine in tight spaces easier. The machine has a 200 kg capacity - the equivalent of two persons and can be used indoors and outdoors.

By simplifying the hydraulic system JLG has reduced lifecycle costs and simplified maintenance. Potential leak points have been reduced by 75% with only six hydraulic hoses throughout the entire machine. Features such as the heavy duty, jam free, forklift-style mast and centralised battery feeding have been retained from the existing Toucan models because they have low maintenance requirements.

Robbert Monteban, JLG's director of marketing EAME said, "With the development of the Toucan 10E we have implemented extensive customer feedback and really engineered the product with the user in mind. The Toucan range is renowned for its performance, but through customer research we received a number of recommendations, which guided development of the new Toucan 10E.

"We increased the gradeability and the ground clearance to make it easier to transport, improved the drive system to make it more efficient and incorporated our advanced diagnostic tools (ADE) to make fleet management easier as well."

As well as giving visitors a chance to see virtually all of the world's access equipment suppliers under one roof, the APEX show will have some particular highlights, including the first ever appearance at a major Western show of a Chinese aerial platform manufacturer - Beijing Jingcheng Heavy Industry, showing a 32 m telescopic boom and 12 m electric scissor lift.

APEX will also represent the first major exhibition appearances for Haulotte Group, Palfinger and Manitou since their recent major acquisitions: Haulotte buying US-manufacturer Bil-Jax , Palfinger adding WUMAG and Manitou acquiring Gehl. Both Bil-Jax and WUMAG machines will be on show.