Bobcat telehandler arrives at Tata Steel

Van den Heuvel’s Bobcat T40.180SLP was recently delivered to the company’s base at Tata Steel IJmuiden Works, as a replacement for its two-decade-old machine. (PHOTO: Bobcat)

Netherlands-based contractor Van den Heuvel has invested in a new Bobcat telehandler to its equipment fleet, for works at a Tata Steel facility on the country’s North Sea Coast.

The family-run company is a specialist in the design, organisation and execution of infrastructure works for water, energy and telecommunications, with 10 branches and over 700 employees that work on underground and above-ground utility assets.

Van den Heuvel added the Bobcat T40.180SLP model complete with the manufacturer’s optional Man Platform attachment and Remote Control System. 

The machine has a maximum lifting capacity of 4 tonnes and the Remote Control System enables users to control the unit’s driving, lifting and positioning functions from the platform while at height.

A preferred supplier for Tata Steel with its own facilities at the steel manufacturer’s IJmuiden Works site, Van den Heuvel’s new telehandler - which has been finished in the company’s blue livery - is a replacement for a 21-year-old machine and will be stationed at the site.

The T40.180SLP has a lifting capacity of 4 tonnes and lifting height of 18m. (PHOTO: Bobcat)

Marco Bervoets, manager of Van den Heuvel’s Support Office at Tata Steel, said, “In the end we opted for the compact T40.180SLP from Bobcat; mainly because of the lifting capacity, the lifting height of 18 m, the functionality, the man platform and the ease of maintenance.

“The excellent stability thanks to the low centre of gravity, long wheelbase, heavy counterweight, balanced weight distribution and outriggers was also of great importance to us, because people regularly work on the platform.”

The Bobcat telehandler will primarily be used to measure and inspect pipeline networks, and to perform installation, repair, welding and maintenance work at height.

In addition to these main duties, it will also be used to carry out some lifting tasks.

“The Bobcat telehandler comes standard with many features that make working with the machine particularly safe,” said Bervoets.

“For example, the platform cannot be lifted if the outriggers are not extended and the outriggers can only be retracted when the work platform has been returned to the transport position. Safety comes first; especially when using a work platform.”