Woodbine Manufacturing Company recently launched Anteo USA, a medium- to heavy-duty liftgate line, which the company says now is available for purchase and supported throughout North America.
Anteo USA will debut with three lightweight, aluminum platform liftgate lines: Tuckunders (REP Series), Retractables (F3RE Series) and Cantilevers (F3CL Series). Each liftgate line comes with an array of standard and optional features to choose from, and range from 2,500 to 6,600 pounds of lifting capacity, the company said.
In the last two decades, fleets have been looking to increase their use of new technologies, including lightweight materials, to boost their overall fuel efficiencies due to regulations and fuel cost. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) enacted greenhouse gas emissions regulations on commercial vehicles that require manufacturers to develop and sell technologies to improve fuel efficiency by 2030. In response, fleets increased their fuel efficiency from 6.10 MPG in 2003 to 7.30 MPG in 2017 with the adoption of fuel saving technologies and lightweight materials, according to the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE).
“Vehicle owners want their equipment to be as lightweight as possible, in order to maximize fuel and payload efficiencies,” said Allen Birmingham, director of sales for Woodbine Manufacturing. “The liftgates offered by Anteo USA are the lightest and sleekest in their class, while also meeting the durability and serviceability needs of the American market."
Last year, Woodbine Manufacturing, the parent company of Tommy Gate liftgates, purchased an equity stake in Italian liftgate manufacturer Anteo SPA. The combination of Anteo’s modern, lightweight designs with Woodbine’s reputation in the US for dependability and customer service provided a compelling opportunity, Woodbine said.
“Anteo is a thriving global company in its own right, with successful distribution throughout the world,” said TJ Blandford, CEO of Woodbine Manufacturing. “We wanted to be a part of that story, and the opportunity to introduce Anteo products to American liftgate users was especially exciting. The products are phenomenal, and when you combine that with Woodbine’s ability to service and support upfitters, fleet managers and end users, we think there’s something really special there.
“This is an exciting milestone for the liftgate industry.”