Nationwide's 9250 scissor lift became an essential component in an important new scientific study when UMIST, one of the most prestigious universities in the North of England, carried out vital environmental research into the levels of air pollution in Manchester City Centre.

Hired from the Manchester East depot of the UK's leading provider of powered access equipment, the 9250 was transported to a city centre location - adjacent to Manchester Town Hall - where scientists installed a variety of delicate, high-technology sensors and monitoring equipment.

The 17.2-metre scissor lift was chosen by UMIST as it could be raised to the required height necessary to accumulate the sensitive data the university needed. The extending decks of the 9250 also proved to be a vital asset, expanding the 4.23-metre platform length to an impressive 7.2-metres thereby creating invaluable extra working space.

After a full two-week period, UMIST had accumulated a wealth of information that it hopes will provide us with a better understanding of the effects of pollution in cities - and in turn lead to improved methods of preserving our inner city architectural heritage.

The diesel-powered 9250 is one of the most powerful scissor lifts that Nationwide offers. Not only is the lift equipped with self-levelling capabilities - vital if working on uneven or coarse terrain - but the ability to expand the platform's working space also means that it needs to be moved less frequently.

Nationwide currently offers around 50 scissor lift options that are all readily available from any of the 50-plus powered access depots situated throughout the country. Working heights range between six metres and 26-metres, and all of the units provide reliable and stable vertical elevation and a safe working platform.

Nationwide is part of the publicly-quoted Lavendon Group plc and is headquartered in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. It commands a hire fleet of around 6,000 units - more than twice the size of its nearest competitor. The Group is also a major player in the European powered access market, trading under the name Zooom in Germany, France, Spain and Austria. Full details on the company's entire line-up of booms, scissor lifts and truck mounts, depot locations, machine sales, training and Power Guard can be found at www.nationwideaccess.com

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February 2002 Nat2.023a