Aerial lift trucks reach new heights with Strenx® steel

As urbanization continues to increase across the world, the need for more homes and buildings is also intensifying the demand for heavy equipment that is safe and durable. Horyong from South Korea meets this need by producing aerial lift cranes that combine the highest level of design with the highest level of quality.

It does this by specifying high-performance Strenx^® steel – almost exclusively – for most of its mobile elevating work platforms (MEWP) that require operators to work safely at heights in often hard-to-access locations.

Soo-jeong Lee, senior researcher at Horyong, explains what the company’s customers are looking for in a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP).

“I think that safety is the most important sector for our customers, and our equipment is known to be durable,” she says.

This is one major reason why the company uses a variety of high yield-strength grades in its aerial lift trucks and other vehicles. Horyong uses a combination of Strenx^® 700, Strenx^® 900 and Strenx^® 960 steels. With yield strengths of 700 MPa (101.5 ksi) and above, Strenx^® can be stressed much higher than S355 steel, for example. This means thinner dimensions can be used at the same load levels or the load level can be higher when the same dimensions are used. Either way, higher yield strength will improve both production and performance.

Soo-jeong Lee continues:
“When we design our aerial lift trucks and ladder lift trucks for operations in high places, we use 90 to 95 percent Strenx^® performance steel in the equipment. Strenx^® steel is reliable and gives the customers the trustworthiness they seek. Because, when operating in such high places a lot of shaking and bending can cause dangerous situations that customers of course want to avoid,” she says.