When it comes to Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) there is little doubt about the professionalism and expertise of Goscor Hi-Reach MD George Landsberg and his team. “Since inception, our goal has been to be the preferred supplier of MEWPs in Southern Africa and we have come a long way in realising this,” says Landsberg.

He adds, however, that the Hi-Reach offering is more than MEWPs and its ranges of Telescopic Handlers, light-weight Material Lifts and Light Towers are significant contributors to the bottom line.

In line with the fundamental product philosophy of the Goscor Group, Hi-Reach is the sole distributor in Southern Africa of some of the world leading brands including its flagship Genie, Teupen, Hy-Brid Lifts, PB Lift-Technik, ATN, Hydralada and Terex.

“Our superior product mix is obviously an important feature in the success of this business,” says Landsberg. “But the strength of the products is only the starting point and would not be of much value unless the strategies around the products were in place and working.”

In this regard, Landsberg says that they have emphasised and implemented a comprehensive sales and marketing plan, which includes distribution channel optimisation, competitive pricing strategies, service level optimisation, enhanced overall technical competence and a comprehensive safety strategy, which Landsberg says is a crucial priority.

“In the MEWP industry, safety is not merely another of our priorities, it is the raison d’etre of why we do what we do. Historically, working at height has always been an extremely dangerous activity and the MEWP industry grew as a result of modern technology being able to make it safer.”

Landsberg says that the safe operation of MEWPs and other work-at-height products, depends a great deal on product knowledge.

“How to operate the machine is not important in our industry, it’s crucial. To this end, we take training very seriously. In fact our training centre is the first facility in Africa to be accredited by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) and our training is accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Services SETA (SSETA) and the Institute for Work at Height.

On the question of product, Landsberg says that while all the products in the Hi-Reach stable are important, Genie is core to the business. “Its wide range of innovative products will keep us ahead of the pack for years to come.”

A good example of such innovation is the rec-ently launched Genie SX-180. With a vertical reach of 57 m and a horizontal reach of 24.4 m, it features a working envelope ideal for the most extreme access jobs.

“This is the first self-propelled machine of this height ever to be available in Southern Africa,” says Landsberg.

“It’s not surprising that even before it reached our shores the interest in it was, and continues to be, exceptional.” 

As with safety, support service is central to Hi-Reach’s success and this is provided through its large footprint of dealers throughout Southern Africa. “Our machines serve a critical function wherever they are working, so downtime has to be, as far as possible, eradicated,” says Landsberg.

“We and our dealers are therefore on call 24/7 to provide the right levels of service,” he concludes.