Star Platforms helps bring Christmas to Merry Hill Shopping Centre

UK powered access rental company, Star Platforms, provided three Niftylift Height Rider HR17N articulated boom lifts and a Niftylift HR12N articulated boom lift to the shopping centre in Dudley to put up their Christmas decorations.

Spanning over 1,671,000 square feet and two floors, the shopping centre is home to over 250 retailers and puts on a fantastic display every Christmas. Star Platforms’ customer hired the articulated boom lifts to help them to navigate the different areas of the shopping centre and get up and over any obstacles they encountered along the way.

“We have been working with Steve at Star Platforms for the best part of 20 years, and have had no reason to go anywhere else. Star Platforms is the first supplier we contact and this is due to their top-quality personal service, nothing is too much to ask. The machines are great and if we experience any issues the full team are on hand to support and resolve the problem without delay. We really appreciate our relationship with Star.”

Kate, Logistics Manager
The articulated boom lift enables operators to get up close to fix the decorations and sections in place, which can be particularly difficult on a build like this where the structure is different widths from top to bottom.

The Niftylift Height Rider HR17N and HR12N articulated boom lifts were chosen due to the versatility and the freedom they offer the operator. Both are narrow machines at just 1.5m wide, allowing the operators to navigate through the shopping centre safely and without any risk of causing damage. The machines reach 17m and 12.2m respectively, enabling operators to reach not only the ceilings on the ground floor but also reach through the floor openings to reach the top of the building to hang decorations.

The boom lifts enable operators to get close to the fixtures and fittings to hang decorations securely, whilst also giving them the flexibility they needed for the large central tree. With the HR17N boom lifts the tree could be put together in sections varying in width and didn’t require moving the machine each time a new section was added. The operator just needed to adjust the arm and cage position saving valuable time on a scheduled night build.

The 17m working height on the Niftylift HR17N Hybrid boom provided enough height for operators to reach the ceiling decorations easily and safely.

Both machines can be run off battery/electric, essential when working indoors where you need to keep both fuel and noise pollution to a minimum. The boom lifts also came with non-marking tyres as standard, a requirement when working indoors in shopping centres.

“Our bi-energy and hybrid power Niftylift boom lifts are the perfect option where customers need to work indoors and reach up and around a variety of obstacles. Their compact dimensions enable them to travel through and work in restricted spaces, while their non-marking tyres help protect the finished flooring.”

Steve Simmons, Managing Director, Star Platforms

You can view the decorations in intu Merry Hill, Pedmore Road, Brierley Hill, DY5 1QX over the festive period.

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