Austrian loader crane manufacturer Palfinger has added a hydraulic liftgate, called Palgate, to its product range. The rationale is to give Palfinger’s dealers more to offer to the truck sector.
Palfinger chief executive officer Klaus Schützdeller explained that the corporate strategy was to manage the interfaces in the transport chain. The liftgate is another way of loading and unloading a goods vehicle.
The Palgate is described as ‘an intelligent tailgate’ which keeps the load horizontal even when the truck is on a slope. It was designed by Bispgarden Verkstädter of Sweden which has signed a licence agreement with Palfinger. The medium term aim is for a 25% share of the worldwide hydraulic liftgate market which is estimated to be worth E400m a year.
Production of the Palgate started in January in Legnau, Austria at a new subsidiary, Palfinger TG GmbH. Palgate will operate as a free-standing business sector in the Hydraulic Systems division alongside Hook Equipment, Crayler (portable forklifts), Railway and Mobiler (container shifting).
