Built at Snorkel’s Vigo Centre facility in Washington, Tyne & Wear and delivered throughout March 2022, JMS Powered Access ordered eight Snorkel S2755RTE narrow rough-terrain scissor lifts, four Snorkel S3370RTE and five Snorkel S3970RTE compact rough-terrain scissor lifts. This is one of the largest single orders for Snorkel’s range of zero-emission, four-wheel-drive scissor lifts by an independent hire company in the UK to date.
Founded in 1994 by Mark Jackson and Justin Lynn, JMS started out in Mark’s garage, serving the mechanical and electrical (M&E) industry with pipe threaders and welders. After outgrowing their first commercial property, they moved to a location in Harpenden, Hertfordshire in 2001, and began hiring their own aluminium towers in 2004, adding low-level access equipment in 2008. In 2017, the mechanical tool business was sold to MEP Hire Station, and Mark and Justin continued to grow the powered access division under the JMS Powered Access brand. The company now has four depots in Harpenden, Radlett, Dartford and Leeds, serving the North and South of England, and operates a fleet of 2,100 machines, ranging from low-level access, scissor lifts and spider lifts, to 185-ft boom lifts.
One of the issues JMS feels strongly about is women in business, and they’re trying to attract more women to the industry. One of their own truck drivers is named Jodi Smith, and she’s been driving trucks since 2016. Jodi is a rather well-known figure in the driving world with her bright pink cab and advocacy for female truck drivers. In an interview with “Trucking” magazine, she said, “Lorry driving isn’t a man’s job — I can do this job with a full set of acrylics! It’s quite physical, but it’s not hard.” She encourages both women and young people to consider the profession as a career option.
This order of Snorkel equipment illustrates JMS’s commitment to sustainable construction practices. The S2755RTE, S3370RTE and S3970RTE offer rugged four-wheel drive capabilities with zero emissions, a milestone both Snorkel and JMS can take pride in. Lithium-ion batteries offer a host of benefits over internal combustion engines, including up to a 62% reduction in noise, reduced dust generation, and they provide an environmentally conscious alternative. In addition, maintenance-free battery packs and an electric motor mean less downtime for maintenance, significant savings on fuel, and a lower overall cost of ownership.
“We’re really excited to be adding this equipment to our fleet and to be utilizing lithium-ion technology in our efforts toward sustainability,” said JMS co-founder Mark Jackson. “We’re also proud to be investing in British-built products and we appreciate the superior craftsmanship that Snorkel puts into its machines.”
“Many thanks to the team at JMS for this order,” said Andrew Fishburn, divisional managing director of Snorkel UK. “It’s great to see businesses like JMS investing in Snorkel lithium-ion machines. It’s our hope that more businesses will get on board once they realize that not only is lithium-ion good for the environment, it’s cost-effective as well.”
The S2755RTE rough-terrain scissor lift features a maximum working height of 10.1m in a narrow but rugged machine. The S3370RTE and S3970RTE are compact and maneuverable with maximum working heights of 12m and 13.8m respectively.