Stertil-Koni to Provide Heavy Duty Vehicle Lifting Systems at New WMATA Bus Facility

STEVENSVILLE, MD, March 31, 2015 – Heavy duty vehicle lift leader, Stertil-Koni, today announced that it has been awarded a major, multi-million dollar competitive bid with design firm Hensel Phelps to deliver and install a broad range of the company’s signature heavy duty vehiclelifting systems and shop equipment in a new $132 million, 335,000 square foot design-build project for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The soon-to-be-built facility, known as the Andrews Federal Center Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility, will be located on 35 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland and represents Hensel Phelps’ fourth project with WMATA in the past eight years.Heavy duty lifting systems from Stertil-Koni in the new WMATA facility will include:

• DIAMOND LIFT: a high-pressure, telescopic in-ground piston lift, manufactured by Stertil-Koni in Streator, Illinois, with a capacity of 64,000 lbs. in the two-piston configuration and 96,000 lbs. for the three-piston model.  Both models, in a range of configurations, are included in the order. The DIAMOND LIFT has a vertical rise of 73 inches and utilizes a mere five (5) gallons of hydraulic oil per piston, in sharp contrast with other approaches that may use up to four times as much oil.
• Wireless Mobile Column Lifts: a flexible, truly mobile heavy duty lifting system that utilizes reliable hydraulic technology for smooth, efficient operation with low maintenance combined with rapid lifting and lowering. Mobile column lifts from Stertil-Koni are known for their dependability, efficiency and ease-of-use.The models selected by WMATA have a capacity of 18,500 lbs. per column, or 74,000 lbs. for a lifting set of four and 111,000 lbs. for a set of six.
• SKYLIFT: a superior, heavy duty platform lift that uniquely combines a clear floor concept  while optimizing working space due to its vertical lifting design, all with no crossbeams or columns. Two models of SKYLIFT are included, with lifting capacities of 62,400 lbs. and 78,000 lbs.respectively.

Helping to make it all happen, including the installation of Stertil-Koni lifts in the new facility, is Alan Tye & Associates, a leading Stertil-Koni distributor serving Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North Carolina and Delaware. Noted the company’s president and founder, Alan Tye, “The Andrews Center Bus Garage will be a state-of-the-art location, with a capacity of 175 buses.Therefore, the maintenance demands will be substantial; and that is precisely why the Stertil-Koni lifts selected are such an ideal fit. They deliver heavy-duty lifting capacity, durability, and performance – all combined with an absolute dedication to safety.”

Added Stertil-Koni president, Dr. Jean DellAmore, “Our company is dedicated to providing the broadest range of superior heavy duty lifting solutions that meet all of our customers’ needs.  It’s an approach that we call “Freedom of Choice” and one that drives our engineers to design the best possible lifting solutions and our support team to ensure the highest caliber of service.”

Concluded DellAmore, “This order represents the single largest contract in the history of Stertil-Koni and we are extremely pleased to be working as a partner with Hensel Phelps and WMATA on this impressive new facility.  It is an honor to have the opportunity to be of service.”

About WMATA

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to plan, develop, build, finance, and operate a balanced regional transportation system in the national capital area.  It is considered the second largest transit agency in the United States.  WMATA’s Metrobus serves the nation's capital 24 hours a day, seven days a week with 1,500 buses and Metrorail serves 91 stations and has 117 miles of track.  In total, WMATA serves a population of 5 million within a 1,500-square mile jurisdiction and provides about 2.3 million trips per year.

About Stertil-Koni

Stertil-Koni, a brand of the Stertil Group, is the global market leader in heavy duty vehicle lifts – bus lifts and truck lifts – and is the preferred supplier to the world’s leading companies in the truck and bus industries. Stertil-Koni's breadth of products meets all ranges of lifting needs and includes mobile column lifts, two-post, four-post, in-ground piston lifts, parallelogram lifts, half-scissors and its innovative axle-engaging, in-ground, scissor lift configuration, ECOLIFT. Stertil-Koni is also now installing DIAMOND LIFT across North America, a full rise telescopic piston lift designed to set new standards in precision heavy duty lifting. Stertil-Koni USA is headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. Stertil-Koni has production facilities in Europe in The Netherlands, and in the USA in Streator, Illinois.