Stertil Koni recently supplied a set of wireless mobile column lifts to Ferdotti Motor Services to provide extra capacity within the company’s workshop.
Established in West Bromwich in 1977, Ferdotti Motor Services is a family business that has provided a comprehensive range of vehicle servicing, maintenance and repair operations to an ever-growing customer base for over 30 years. Today, the company employs an experienced team of vehicle technicians working within a modern workshop, supported by state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
Tim Guidotti, Director at Ferdotti Motor Services, explained the decision to upgrade the workshop’s vehicle lifting facilities by installing the new set of Stertil Koni wireless mobile column lifts: “Lifts to a garage are what beds are to a hospital. The more lifts you have, the more capacity you have. As we have grown, our need for greater capacity has increased, hence the purchase of the new mobile column lifts.”
Fitting in
Within the Ferdotti workshop, the set of four Stertil Koni wireless mobile column lifts, type ST1075FWA, is used to simplify and speed up all servicing, repair and maintenance operations. Each of the four columns in the set provides a lifting capacity of 7.5 tonnes, which means that the combined capacity of the set is an impressive 30 tonnes. Also, each column incorporates Stertil Koni’s ebright Smart Control System, which allows workshop staff to operate the columns individually, in pairs, or in any other combination from any column in the set. Positioning of the wireless columns is also totally flexible, enabling them to be used in any configuration around a vehicle.
Incorporating wireless mesh network connectivity and full-colour touch screen consoles, the ebright Smart Control System has been designed and developed to simplify operation by providing maximum visual information about every lifting operation – all at the fingertips of the workshop engineers. For added safety and performance, the ebright Smart Control System also shows how many columns in the set are being used, plus the battery status of each column. Safety is further enhanced by an independent mechanical locking system, incorporated into each column, which allows engineers to securely lock the lift to prevent a vehicle from being inadvertently lowered.
The lifts are powered by long-life deep cycle batteries, which provide optimum performance for at least a week on average before recharging is necessary. Also, battery life is prolonged due to the fact that, unlike a screw-lift, power is only used to raise the vehicle. Therefore, less time is spent recharging the lift, which is carried out via a 230V single phase supply. Importantly, with no cables on the workshop floor, the risk of tripping is removed, providing valuable health and safety benefits. Furthermore, with no wired power supply, the system can be used safely inside or outdoors.
The absence of power and communication cables also means that set- up time is greatly reduced, making the system fully operational faster. Significantly, the lift’s synchronisation system ensures a smooth lifting and lowering cycle, even in the event of extremely uneven load distribution. The ST1075FWA provides a maximum lifting height of 1.85m which is reached in just 75 seconds.
“We chose the Stertil Koni mobile column lifts following a recommendation from staff at a local branch of a leading logistics company,” said Tim Guidotti. “I was really attracted to the lifts by their technological advantages. This means that we can achieve a high throughput in our workshop with an average of 20 vehicles a day. Also, they were the best priced lifts across the range that I looked at.”
