Many holiday resorts have up to ten times more inhabitants in the summer than in the winter. This also applies for a district consisting of five small towns on the French Atlantic coast. Method was present at the unveiling of a new waste disposal vehicle equipped with a JONSERED crane for use by the local councils.
The Côte de Lumière lies south of Nantes in the Vendée region. It is here that the five districts of Brem-Sur-Mer, Brétignolles-Sur-Mer, Le Fenouiller, Sainte-Croix-de-Vie and Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez have joined forces as a partnership known as the "Communauté de Communes Côte de Lumière", with the aim of organising the services they provide for local residents more effectively and cost-efficiently.
The problem of this and other holiday resorts is the extreme difference in population between high-season and off-season. Jacques Fraisse, President of the Environmental Commission of the Town Councils: "We must all provide public utilities and waste management facilities for 270,000 residents, but only have 27,000 inhabitants in the winter - in other words, one tenth of this figure. This means that we have very high costs for every acquisition that is required in order to cope with peak periods." The local waste collection vehicles are usually out on the roads during the morning and afternoon on Sundays and public holidays during high season.
In fact, household waste management alone presents the five municipalities with major challenges. This means that adequate waste management facilities must be available so that residents do not throw their waste into the countryside or next to over-flowing containers. Waste separation must also function, including for the "waste containers" allocated to every house. For this to work, the district council publishes a magazine featuring general and special information. In addition, carefully prepared leaflets including times and routes followed by the waste disposal vehicles are available for all five local districts.
Easily accessible facilities are provided for four different waste categories in all five local districts (paper/cardboard, plastics/packaging, glass and plant waste). While some of the facilities are still located at road junctions protected by tubular frames, in other places, for example adjacent to beaches, river banks or village centres, they are sunk into the ground and only recognisable due to the stainless steel pipes where waste can be deposited.
The waste collection vehicle park of the five districts consists of 13 vehicles. In total, the facility takes care of 900 waste disposal containers. At the beginning of May, the vehicle park put a new waste collection vehicle into service. In relation to the official number of inhabitants, its dimensions are impressive. It is an Mercedes-Benz Actros 2541 (8x2) Euro 5 with steerable pusher and tag axles.
This development was initiated by the regionally influential vehicle manufacturer Blanchard SAS (www.groupe-blanchard.com) which has its head office in Changé near Le Mans and major subsidiaries in both Nantes and Cholet. For 30 years, Blanchard SAS has been a major Hiab partner in France, distributing and assembling cranes of the HIAB and JONSERED brands, as well as MULTILIFT hooklifts and MOFFETT truck-mounted forklifts in the regions of Mayenne, Maine et Loire, Sarthe, Vendée and Deux-Sèvres. It is not a coincidence that the ‘Communauté des Communes' requested that the new vehicle should be equipped with a JONSERED 1620 Z Type recycling crane. Since the beginning of 1989, Blanchard has been an exclusive agent for Hiab France, already selling approximately 200 units in its territory during this period by May 2007 (HIAB and JONSERED cranes, MULTILIFT hooklifts). While in 2006 Blanchard Carrosserie Industrielle SAS sold 185 JONSERED cranes from its three locations, by May 2007 the order balance already included 120 Hiab product units.
Overall, JONSERED has a strong market presence in France. According to Sales Director Michel Poirson, responsible for the JONSERED product range at Hiab France, 45% of cranes are used in the forestry/wood industry and 55% in recycling. Hiab France has 20 exclusive agents in the country, which guarantee a rapid service across several regions with subsidiaries and authorised repairers. In the Paris region, Hiab France provides this facility by means of its own service centres.
The Hiab France partner Blanchard SAS has specialised in the construction of skips, dumper trucks and waste collection vehicles and operates its own paint shop at its headquarters in Le Mans. The group of companies is directed by Jean-Philippe Galand and has a total of 30 extremely well trained employees. The strong position enjoyed by Blanchard in the regional market and modern workshop facilities contributed decisively to the company being awarded the contract for the new waste collection truck of the partnership of town councils. This is combined with the fact that the company builds on the chassis of all vehicle manufacturers and, as a hydraulics specialist, it also provides maintenance and repairs for all types and makes of cranes, loaders and dumper trucks at the customer's location.
The new truck was assembled at the Blanchard plant in Cholet, where the Director Didier Briand, who is also responsible for sales, has gained the confidence of a wide range of customers within his sales territory.
The ready-for-use Mercedes-Benz Actros 3541 (8x2) represents an investment of 192,320 euros. The dual-chamber construction (2/3 - 1/3 split) can be tilted to the rear and has two covers that can be folded to the side by 2700 hydraulically. The driver accesses the platform using an elevator built in compliance with EU standards, from where he operates the JONSERED 1620 Z with an excellent overview. The JONSERED 1620 Z was specially developed for waste management plants. A Kinshofer System KM 921 is fitted to the crane for lifting, opening and closing waste containers.
Didier Briand (for Blanchard SAS) and Michel Poirson (for Hiab France) were present at the official handover of the new waste collection vehicle. Representatives from the partnership of town councils included Patrick Nayl, Mayor of St. Hilaire, Jacques Fraisse, Deputy Mayor with responsibility for environmental affairs, Marc Bonnion, deputy manager of the waste management plants and other specialists from the local waste management plant.
Method was present at the handover presentation and had the opportunity to accompany the new vehicle on its route. Driver Denis Leroy (34) was enthusiastic about the vehicle: "It is very easy to manoeuvre with its pusher and tag axle, as well as its compact design, and is very pleasant to work in." He praised Blanchard's design and the easily accessible crane platform: "I no longer have to climb up and can now get up to the working platform safely using the lift. I get a very good overview from up there." Concerning the JONSERED crane: "The controls are logical and straightforward. I especially like the direct reaction of the hydraulics."
When entering the waste management facilities, Leroy must exercise great care: "The spaces are often blocked by cars. This is where the high load bearing capacity of the crane helps, which is able to lift loads of up to 2,100 kg over distances of eight metres. This even enables me to lift the containers over the driver's cab. The JONSERED crane is very user-friendly and operates in a very precise manner." The 1620 Z type is hydraulically extendable. These welcome additions to his new place of work came in very useful for the recycling coordinator, as he was only able to reach one waste collection centre by driving through a no-entry sign and a car was blocking access to the next facility.