Two of Nationwide's new PowerClad systems, designed to make cladding faster, less damage prone and far less labour intensive, are currently on hire to Tilbury Contracts Limited (Interserve PLC), the company responsible for cladding and roofing the new 36,000 square metre Rolls Royce manufacturing plant at Goodwood, West Sussex.

Tilbury Contracts is already discovering that thanks to PowerClad's unique and practical design, cladding installation times are being cut, panel damage is all but eliminated and labour costs are being reduced. Important considerations when undertaking such a complex, prestigious and time-sensitive contract as the new £60 million Rolls Royce factory that, when completed, will see production switch from Crewe.

Peter Compton, PowerClad Product Manager, explains: "PowerClad really comes into its own when dealing with heavy composite panels, such as those used at Goodwood. Without PowerClad a crane would have been needed to lift the panels into place and the installers would have had to work under the overhead slung panels to secure them."

PowerClad was designed by Nationwide for use with two of its scissor lifts - the Genie 5390 and Genie 4390, both of which have 7.38-metre extended, strengthened decks. The units are equipped with 110-volt power supply to enable the use of screw guns and drills. The system also allows the panel installers to carry out any height and lateral fine tuning adjustment before fixing the cladding.

Much of the Rolls Royce building is being constructed below ground level and the roof is designed to follow the topography of the existing landscape. So the ability of Nationwide's PowerClad-equipped scissor lifts to accommodate variations in ground levels and conditions was another major plus in its favour.

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 the European powered access market leader, trading under the name Zooom in Germany, France, Spain and Austria.

Full details on PowerClad and 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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July 2002 Nat2.041a