Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/674536
May 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 10 reporter | continued (continued from page 9) G enie is celebrating its 50th year in business, marking its establishment in 1966 when founder Bud Bushnell bought the manufacturing rights to a material lift that operated on compressed air. The company became known as "Genie," derived from the "magic in a bottle" theme around the compressed air, which was used to raise and lower the hoist. Now the aerial work platform segment of Terex, which acquired the firm in 2002, Genie manufactures a variety of aerial work platforms and telehandlers for several markets, including construction, rental, aviation, government and military. The company notes several milestones in its five decades: • Pioneering the first hydraulic push-around material lift using an interlocking mast design. • Introducing the Teletower personnel lift in the 1970s. • Introducing the articulating Z-boom in 1985 with the Z-30/20, a product that launched the company into the rental market, now its largest segment. • Genie says it popularized the industry's first com- pact telehandler, the Telelift 2306. • Introduced in 1992, the Active Oscillating Axle allowed operators to safely maintain contact with the ground on uneven surfaces while retaining maximum power and torque. • Genie says the X-Chassis expanding axle design, introduced in 2005, revolutionized the ability to extend and retract the axles on its booms to and from the stowed position. • The full-drive height 40-foot scissors, introduced by the company in 2011, enabled the brand to enter a new class category globally. Current models include the GS- 4069 and GS-4047 scissors. • The SX-180 gave Genie its first entry into the 180-foot self-propelled boom lift market, giving users the ability to quickly and safely lift personnel up to 18 stories. The SX-180 had a North American debut in 2014 after being unveiled at the Bauma trade show in Germany the previous year. $199 to $349, with the ability to split the time between two people for an extra fee. And Extreme Sandbox, a "heavy-equipment-adven- ture company" founded in Hastings, Minnesota in 2012, just opened a new location in Pottsboro, Texas. In ad- dition, the company just inked an exclusive equipment- supply deal with Komatsu. Randy Stenger, Extreme Sandbox founder and CEO, says the new location is the first step toward national expansion. The company also says it will make its sites available for demon- strations and customer appreciation events for local equipment dealers. According to Rich Smith, Komatsu vice president of products and services, the long term hope is that climbing into the cab of a new machine will inspire the next generation to consider a career in construction. Genie celebrates 50th anniversary Genie's SX-180 boom places personnel 180 feet – or 18 stories – up, and was first introduced at the bauma trade show in 2013.