Three questions for ELOF, the drum and reel handling specialist

ELOF AB has been helping companies to handle their heavy goods for 20 years. Their drum and reel handling units are modular solutions that offer compact size and great manoeuvrability.

Expometals.net's chief editor Daniela Di Maggio interviewed CEO Mika Kettula.

How come you chose this sector? What's your personal professional history?
Already during its early history as an engineering firm, ELOF saw the need for efficient methods to move heavy loads indoors. Traditional counterbalanced trucks become bulky very quickly as loads increase (due to the counterbalance) and can be difficult to use in tight areas e.g. around production lines. Many are diesel driven, with harmful emissions as a result. Overhead cranes are an option but with limitations in flexibility, speed and safety. The ‘ELOF advantage’ is based on our low lifting technology that lifts directly underneath the load (no counterbalance), compact and lightweight design (machines lift 4-5 times their own weight, applying very low wheel pressure onto the floor), and electrical drive.
Having worked in the automation industry for more than 30 years I was intrigued by the potential of this niche ‘special machinery’ market that globally could be significant. We have worked on many projects where the only solution seemed to be something like the Elof machine.

What is your top selling product or piece of equipment? Why is it so successful?
ELOF is well known in the cable manufacturing industry for the cable handlers transporting cable drums weighing up to 50 tonnes. The machine’s compact design even allows our customers to pick up drums inside other production machines. The electrical drive is an energy efficient way to power the machine and potentially dangerous emissions are avoided. It is often forgotten that motor emissions not only affect the health of people (especially indoors) but can damage the products being made.

Do you work synergistically with other companies/customers? How are your relationships with other enterprises?
We actively work with our customers to find the right solution to their problem. This can sometimes evolve into a partially customer-specific design. We try to bring our know-how to the discussion so expensive mistakes can be avoided, e.g. having a floor destroyed by poor wheel design and pressure distribution.
We work in a similar collaborative fashion with our network of suppliers in an effort to find the ‘best of breed’ solutions for our machines. Moving ‘heavy loads’ is not easy, not even for us! And is often dangerous. It takes time and care to come up with a reliable solution, requiring regular service and maintenance thereafter. Fortunately our low lifting principle, compact size and electrical drive already address many of the concerns our customers have.

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