A fleet of trucks fitted with loader cranes and Elebia automatic hooks is employed by Trotter UK to place temporary but robust advertisement billboards at construction sites, events, automotive forecourts, retail parks and other locations.
The Trotter billboard concept was devised in Holland where loading, installation and removal of the structures has been supported by Elebia’s hook technology since formation of the business. Trotter UK uses the patented Elebia evo5 hook equipped with a magnet that both attracts and positions slings and other rigging gear, but each state-of-the-art mobile billboard is fitted with a ring that enables safe and efficient lifting operation.
Hugo Southwell, sales director, Trotter UK, said: “The Elebia hook has been integral to the quick and safe installation of mobile billboards at a myriad of locations across Europe and it will be equally important to our strategy as we grow a franchise also based on safety and efficiency.”
Eight years ago, Elebia was awarded a patent for the product, which was introduced to the market two years later as a failsafe, 5t capacity hook (the e5) that was able to remotely engage and release loads. In 2010, the e10 was launched before second generation versions followed (the evo5 and evo10) two years later and a evo20 was subsequently unveiled.
Trotter UK has only had a requirement for a single evo5 to date but Southwell anticipates that it will have 120 billboards in stock by the end of the year and the hook manufacturer should expect orders for additional units.
He said: “We have four trucks on the fleet but currently only one hook so we will require more hooks as business grows to the point where we need more than one vehicle on the road at once. Our transport partner has also noted the safety and productivity benefits of the hook so we are effectively pioneering the system in the highways, events, retail and other UK sectors.”
Trotter mobile billboards come in three sizes with the largest offering 2 x 8 square metres of advertising space, weighing 2.2 tonnes. Delivery and installation of a unit takes less than 20 minutes, largely owing to the employment of the Elebia hook. Importantly, the billboards are placed on the ground not into it, and units can be in place for a one-day event or throughout a season or up to a 12-month period depending on customer requirements.
Southwell concluded: “The hook might be used for a single drop or multiple installations but in every case it saves a tremendous amount of time and eliminates the requirement for additional rigging equipment and the need for personnel to work at height.”