Hako Sweeps in with “Total Solution” for municipal vehicles solution.

Hako Machines, best known for its range of industrial and street sweepers, is expanding into new market sectors, adding a larger range of sweepers and the multi-purpose multicar to its stable. LAWE Editor Alexander Catto reports on the company’s evolving strategy.


In a series of strategic moves, UK-based Hako Machines Ltd, the well-known supplier of industrial and municipal sweepers, has strengthened its sweeper range and extended its activities into the municipal vehicles market.

Multicar


Orchestrating this expansion plan is Hako Managing Director, Bernard Molloy, whose UK firm is the British distributor of the Hako range.



Recently added to the range are Ravo sweepers, made in the Netherlands, and the German manufactured Multicar multi-purpose utility municipal vehicle.



On the municipal vehicle front Mr Molloy has been heavily involved in the Multicar move by Hako’s parent group in Germany which has taken a 75% majority shareholding in the company.



Most recently, he has played a linking role in adding specific machines to the Hako stable available in the UK.



US-based Federal Signal Corporation, which owns Ravo, has a comprehensive range of municipal vehicles which complements the Hako line-up.



Strategic alliance



Bernard Molloy told LAWE that the strategic alliance with Federal Signal would allow Hako in the UK to offer a “total solution” in the municipal market to local authorities looking for a range of vehicles – from precinct sweepers to compact and truck mounted street cleansing machines, plus multi-purpose specialist vehicles. The latter are growing in popularity in local councils and Mr Molloy foresees considerable growth in the area.



Hako can build on a strong position the company enjoys in the industrial sweeper sector.



An attractive feature for users of the Hako and Ravo machines in Bernard Molloy’s view is their ability to provide compact waste collection in the narrow streets found in many town centres.



Hako says that the on- off-highway swap-body Multicar is capable of outperforming many other types of equipment when it comes to highway and street cleaning duties. Quick change front and rear end attachments, including vacuum sweepers, suction hoses, pressure washers and snow ploughs contribute further to maximum operational flexibility.



The 4×4 wheel drive vehicle offers the ability to be transformed quickly from a cleaning or waste collection machine, with refuse compactor, into a high lift access platform or mobile tipper/transporter with comparative ease.



Offered in long and short wheel base chassis configurations, Multicar vehicles can be powered by either a Volkswagen 1,900cc engine or an Iveco 2.8 litre turbo diesel engine, providing a top road sweep of 85kmph even when carrying a maximum payload of three tonnes. A hydrostatic drive option is available for applications requiring low travel speeds with high power output for attachments.



A tilting cab design allows for rapid access for servicing/maintenance routines.



Municipal brand name



In the local authority market Hako aims to offer better value for money with its “total solution” for the public sector, including the Hako City sweeper, Ravo sweepers and the Hako Multicar under the brand banner name of Hako Municipal.



Across the public sector the Citymaster 85 provides a pedestrian machine, the Citymaster 300, 600 and 1750 are precinct machines, the Ravo 5002 is a super compact and the Ravo 6006 is a truck mount. The Multicar can be applied to compact waste collection and special cleaning and maintenance.



In addition to outright purchase, machines are available on contract hire or lease. The company has a nation-wide network of service engineers and can provide fleet management.





Operator training



Hako also provides operator training for sweepers, drawing upon the company’s experience in the industrial cleaning sector where it has been directly involved in establishing standards through the Industrial Cleaning Machine Manufacturers Association (ICMMA) of which Mr Molloy is Chairman.



He sees potential for a similar initiative being mounted within municipal street sweeping.


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