Waste Not Want Not

Clearabee-A45E Access Platform-Blog

A leading clearance and waste management company has bought the first JCB A45E electric articulated boom in the UK and has wasted no time putting it straight to use.

The A45E articulated boom is one of the latest additions to the JCB E-TECH range of battery powered equipment, offering zero emissions with no compromise on performance. Its maximum platform height is 13.84m, with a forward reach of up to 7.47m, providing an up and over clearance of 7.48m. The lift capacity is 300kg and the machine boasts secondary guarding, puncture-proof tyres, slew lock and emergency override with JCB LiveLink real-time remote monitoring as standard.

Waste and recycling centres take a battering day in and day out – with the constant arrival of new waste materials while simultaneously processing the old, it is very difficult to maintain an organised working environment – yet their success relies on it.

As the UK’s largest on demand clearance company operating two permitted materials recycling facilities, Clearabee know a thing or two about running effective waste management services and understand that ongoing site maintenance is essential to the smooth running of their operations.

At the heart of this is the requirement for the latest machinery which is durable, can stand up to the toughest of environments and access those hard-to-reach places to ensure the site is always tidy, productive and working to time.

So, when the company was looking to purchase some new equipment to assist with the cleaning and maintenance of its waste management site in Birmingham, naturally they turned to their tried and tested partners, JCB.

Martin Grice | Clearabee Site Manager

Cherry Picked For The Job

Waste management facilities are fast-paced environments, and downtime can be costly, so machine reliability is a huge factor when purchasing new equipment. As Clearabee Site Manager, Martin Grice said: “I’ve successfully used JCB at previous companies so it’s my number one, go-to brand. For me, they’re bang on! The quality of the machines is second to none. When it comes to JCB, you can’t fault them, they do everything right.”

While reliability is a major factor when investing in new machinery, so too is functionality and the JCB A45E was specially selected by Jeff for its perfect suitability to the tasks required to perform clean downs and keep up with the continuous upkeep required on the Birmingham site.

As he explains: “We didn’t want anything too big this time around, but we still needed the grunt and the power for the size of the building. We wanted the 15m working platform on the cherry picker and it can lift 240kg in the basket which is more than ample for two men, and it fits nicely in between all the conveyor belts on site.”

The A45E is powered by eight 6V batteries, creating a 48V, 400AH operating system. The battery packs are located on either side of the lower chassis, maintaining a low centre of gravity for added stability and improved traction. The batteries power AC drive motors via motor controllers and the machine’s hydraulic pump through a hydraulic motor controller.

Clearabee- A45E Access Platform- Blog.2

Our own operators and our contractors have found it simple and straightforward to use and they didn’t expect it would have as much power as it does. It’s saved us a lot of money on hiring in equipment and through reduced diesel costs too.

Electric Excellence

Another stand out feature of the JCB A45E articulated boom is of course the fact that it is fully battery powered, offering zero emission working with all of the same performance, working height and forward reach of its diesel fuelled counterpart.

As an environmentally minded company, which has been carbon neutral since 2018 and diverts 100% of its waste materials away from landfill this was a huge motivation for Clearabee when choosing this new articulated boom to join an existing JCB TM420 in their fleet.

As Jeff Wilson said: “The fact that it’s electric stood out for us as we’re moving away from diesel, which helps with sustainability. All of our shredders on site are electric too. The battery life is brilliant, as is the manoeuvrability.”

First And Foremost

With a recently added second site in Rochdale and ambitious plans to add a further site every 12 months, Clearabee is clearly on a route to success.  With the addition of the JCB A45E articulated boom they are all set to reach new heights.