October 22, 2024 • 39 mins
In this episode of The GSE Podcast, Matt Weitzel sits down with Jouni Sievilä, CEO of Navitec Systems, to explore the cutting-edge world of autonomous software solutions for ground support equipment (GSE). With over 26 years of experience in the automation industry, Jouni discusses how Navitec is bringing its deep knowledge from mining and industrial automation to transform the GSE sector.
Jouni highlights the significant benefits of integrating autonomous technology with electric GSE, the practical challenges of navigating complex airport environments, and how Navitec is helping OEMs fast-track their shift toward automation. The conversation touches on how autonomous solutions can enhance efficiency and safety in ground handling operations and the long-term potential for widespread adoption.
If you’re curious about the future of autonomous GSE, this episode provides insights from one of the leaders in automation innovation. Whether you're in operations, procurement, or interested in the latest GSE advancements, this is a must-listen!
Looking for reliable and flexible ground support equipment leasing solutions? Look no further than Xcēd! As your trusted partner, Xcēd specializes in tailored operating leases for ground handlers and airlines, offering top-notch equipment and flexible terms to suit your needs. Whether you're seeking the latest electric GSE or traditional equipment, Xcēd has you covered with competitive rates and exceptional customer service. Keep your operations running smoothly and efficiently with Xcēd. Visit xcedgse.com today and soar to new heights with Xcēd Ground Support Equipment Leasing!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matthew Weitzel (00:07):
Celebrating 10 years of trailblazing in ground
support Xcēd marks a decade asyour leading partner in ground
support equipment leasing at theforefront of both short term and
long term leasing solutions.
Xcēd adapts to your uniqueoperational needs, whether
you're ramping up for peakseason or planning for long term
growth, we provide the rightequipment to keep your
(00:27):
operations running smoothly.
This anniversary, we renew ourdedication to empowering your
ground operations withefficiency and innovation. With
Xcēd, you're equipped forsuccess today and prepare for
the challenges of tomorrow. Xcēddriving excellence on the ground
year after year. Explore more atxcedgse.com
Unknown (00:56):
this is Laura McGrath, this is Jennifer Madison.
This is Sophie Skinner Jones andyou are listening to the GSE
podcast, all right. Well,welcome to a special edition of
the GSE podcast.
Matthew Weitzel (01:07):
I am Matt Weitzel, and I am here with Joe
Griffith from Mallaghan, andguys, I got a call, got a call
yesterday from Joe, and hewanted to do a special podcast.
I have no idea what we're aboutto what we're about to see and
what we're about to find outabout, but I imagine has
something to do with the GSEEurope Expo. So Joe, what is the
(01:33):
purpose of this immediatepodcast recording that you
requested?
Joe Griffith (01:38):
Well, yeah, Matt, I appreciate you taking my call
on a bright and early on aMonday morning with my brilliant
idea of the week. So no, look, Iappreciate you. You making this
work. So obviously, we're comingup to the expo. By the time
everybody hears this, this will,this will probably be the
morning of the expo. And we justwanted to go on here and
(02:01):
announce the launch of our newproducts that'll come online at
the expo and have a conversationabout it. So,
Matthew Weitzel (02:10):
yeah, alright.
Well, let's, Oh, wow. We got, wehave some graphics here,
alright. So what am I sayinghere? Yeah, yeah.
Joe Griffith (02:17):
So the headline will be the launch of our new
malahan, fully electric aircraftlavatory and water service
product line. It's picturedright there on the on the far
right for me, second, second tothe left there. And that's built
(02:40):
on our Malayan modular chassis,which utilizes a 80 volt drive
system. So that's that's ourheadline launch, and that'll go
live Tuesday at 11am at the expoin Lisbon. Okay? And then on the
far left there is the fullyelectric, refrigerated, wide
(03:01):
body catering truck, first ofits kind in North America, built
on the international EMVchassis. Wow, that's,
Matthew Weitzel (03:10):
that's a lot, man. This is, this is a big
launch. It
Joe Griffith (03:14):
is, it is, yeah.
So, you know, we, we kind ofcame to the GSE Europe Expo in
2022 and launched the world'sfirst fully electric
refrigerated catering truck onthe on the Volvo chassis. And
we've worked for the past twoyears to to do the same thing
now on a North American chassis.
So we partnered with Delta onthe development of that product,
(03:39):
and after the expo, it'll launchinto service in North America
with Delta, one of their hubs,and as part of the development
partnership with with them, wehave the opportunity to showcase
that to the market.
Matthew Weitzel (03:55):
That's incredible. And with all the ESG
goals that everyone has in theindustry, this is a fantastic
launch, and it's really going tobe, obviously, I think, well
received, right? I mean, theseare units that nobody else is
electrified yet.
Joe Griffith (04:09):
Yeah. I mean, there's the, especially on the
catering truck, the toilettruck. There's been, there's
been development and pushtowards that for the past couple
years now, where we tried tocome in, we talked about this,
you know, with with all of ourproduct development as we try to
come into it with an eye to newspin or an innovation on it. So
(04:32):
this, the fully electriclavatory service truck, or water
truck, is powered by 80 volt DCsystem so it can utilize
standard airport charginginfrastructure versus having to
have a special high voltagecharge system to bring the
(04:53):
machine back up to 100% and it'sgot, currently, the machine
that'll they view in Lisbon hasyou. Uh, two flux lithium ion
batteries on it, and it'll gointo trials in North America
after the show. And the wholeaim of that machine was to try
(05:14):
and make it more easilyaccessible, or easier point of
entry for our customer base,without having to change their
charge infrastructure. And thatmachine's fully winterized. It
has a cab heating cab, AC. It'sgot heater for the tank system.
The machine that you'll see inLisbon is a vacuum truck, so it
(05:35):
has all the benefits of thefully vacuum system, and then it
also can be configured in agravity system. So,
Matthew Weitzel (05:43):
yeah, well, that's huge. Because, as you
know, I think, you know, peoplewould love to get to the point
where we're doing high voltagecharging. However, we're not
there yet, right, infrastructurewise, and and obviously there's
a push for that, but having thisunit not be the high voltage and
being able just to plug intotheir standard charger
Joe Griffith (06:02):
is huge. Yeah, I mean, that was it is, you know,
high voltage is got a future inthe industry. It will go there
eventually, especially astechnologies evolve and develop.
But we can't, we can'trealistically sit down and say
that all the hundreds ofmillions of dollars investment
to this point, by and large,been with 80 volt systems. So
(06:25):
our aim was to try and bring,bring this, this product, to the
market using using 80 volttechnology. And really the the
Advent and the advancement ofthe lithium ion packages have
made it possible. It's a prettyenergy intense application,
especially between driving with,you know, 3000 liters of of
(06:50):
fluid on board, potentially, andthen also a vacuum system. But
with the with the advancementsin the lithium solutions, it
really allows us to effectivelycome to market with a product
that can service the vastmajority of our partners needs
and bring a bring a product thatcan easily be integrated into
(07:13):
their operation without massiveinfrastructure investment.
Matthew Weitzel (07:17):
Yeah, that's like, again, huge. Thank you so
much for you know, choosing meto launch this new product with,
and then, obviously, I can'twait to see you in Lisbon so.
And then behind us, is thatgoing to be what your booth is
going to look like? Yeah.
Joe Griffith (07:33):
So our marketing coordinator and corporate
communication coordinator, LauraMcGraw, who's featured in one of
your intros for the GSE podcastwith the famous Irish accent. So
she's worked really hard onbringing bringing our vision for
the expo to life. You know, Malahens, as much about the
(07:58):
equipment innovation as it isthe relationships and the
gathering and the space. And,you know, our I tell people all
the time, our commodities asmuch the relationship as it is
the product. So she's workedreally hard to build out the
booth. We'll have our Irishhospitality. We'll have we're
bringing our three piece Irishband over. We'll have Guinness
(08:21):
on tap and no way, beautiful.
Yeah, no, it's, we're bringing,bringing the dual tap this time
we can, we can increase ouroutput to full Okay, but, yeah,
so, so bringing plenty ofGuinness to the show, and then
she's done a wonderful job withthe show coordinators and the
producers of the show to designthis, this booth here, so it's
very open. It's got a lot ofopen areas for kind of impromptu
(08:44):
or informal meetings, but it'salso got a couple formal meeting
rooms for us to sit down andtalk with our partners and talk
strategy, talk about these newproducts and outside, you know.
And really the the only thingthat's not shown here, it's, not
so much a new product, but a newnew configuration is we'll have
the European specification, orthe European configuration of
(09:07):
the Malayan sky belt, electricbelt load around the booth as
well. So those are the threeproducts that so when the show
opens on Tuesday, wheneverybody's hopefully hearing
this and getting ready to go outto the show, those will be the
three products they see, andthen, as well as the the mall
and booth, yeah. So we're reallyexcited. Can
Matthew Weitzel (09:27):
we talk a little bit about the belt loader
just real quick? Because I don'tthink we ever got to connect on
on the new belt loader launch,and I know that it's already in
service. So I think this is agreat time. Let's go ahead and
dive into that just real quick,to give people kind of an
overview of that product.
Joe Griffith (09:43):
Yeah, so no, you're correct. We talked about
as one of those. We talked aboutwanting to do it, but no, so we
launched the Malayan sky belt acouple as two years ago now, and
we partnered again with Delta,kind of. Got into, got into a
product that we had historicallynot done conventional belt
(10:06):
loaders up to that point. Inseveral of the publications,
when we launched the product, wetalked about there were a lot of
options in the market, and wehad kind of said that we really
only will get into a space if wecan really innovate it, or
bring, bring an innovation toit. So delta went to the market.
(10:26):
So these are the problems wewant to solve. For it was, it
was interesting for us. It wasan engineering project. It was a
challenge for us to solve. Andwhen they went out to the larger
market, I mean, there's, there'squite a few people that looked
at it, but the big thing forthem was controlled approach
technology to to mitigate andeliminate aircraft damages. So
(10:52):
we designed the system, thecontrolled approach system, we
utilized the latest and greatestin radar technology to really
create a safety envelopeelectrical control, electric
control of the belt loader,create the safety safety
envelope with this technology,and then mechanically, you know,
(11:14):
we, we designed a veryinnovative new lifting and arm
system for the conveyor bed andpatented that and most belt
loaders in the market, once youget the front raised up to the
aircraft, when you go to raisethe rear the geometry of the
belt loader, the belt belttraverses forward, potentially
towards the aircraft and createa contact point. So we created
(11:38):
what we call a semi scissor, orfixed pivot position, where once
you get the front of the beltloader position to the aircraft,
it doesn't matter what you dowith the rear, the rear of it,
it won't, it won't contact theaircraft. So we really well
those two kind of key pieces oftechnology created very safe
belt loader system. And then,you know, as part of this, we
(12:01):
talk about the electrificationand push towards green, you
know, we we designed it solelyto be electric from the ground
up, so that that product for usis was really exciting. And
we've built over 200 of themnow, and they're in service all
throughout North America,launching into Europe now with
(12:22):
with some of our key partnersover there, and we're just going
to keep taking that as kind of abasis, a platform for belt
technology. So it's a modulardesign. So, you know, it can
have a conventional belt, it canhave can different different
configurations of extendablebelts. It's It's really exciting
(12:42):
for us. And it was a excitingproject. It was, you know, took
a couple years to see it tomarket and to fruition. But it
really showcases what, what youcan do when you've got some good
partners and, you know, clear,clear challenges to try and
solve. So, no, it's been a, it'sbeen a good success for us.
Matthew Weitzel (13:04):
Yeah, so the sky belt. People can see that at
the GSE Expo Europe, then,
Joe Griffith (13:09):
yeah, yep. So like I said, that that's a sky belt,
European configuration. Oh, thesky belt. What I said? Yeah,
yeah, you're right. You said skyOh, good, okay, all right, yeah,
Sky belt. It's just the Europeanconfiguration. So a lot of the,
you know, North Americanspecific things, there's,
there's CE requirements thatthat requires, like,
modification. So that machinewill be there, I believe it'll
(13:32):
have a Colibri lithium batteryin it. So options for Europe.
So, yeah, we're really excitedto see that product now grow
onto into the European marketand beyond.
Matthew Weitzel (13:47):
Now, do we have some videos that people are
going to be able to watch? Isthat right?
Joe Griffith (13:52):
Yeah, so we're going to get Laura to send that
through, and you can edit it andpost production, yeah,
Matthew Weitzel (14:00):
we'll edit those videos in here so
everybody can kind of check thatout. So we will put those now
and then. We will come back andI have one More thing to discuss
with you. Yougo up all right, so I am only
(14:20):
walking the show now. I've hadmany offers to, obviously, you
(14:53):
know, hang out in people'sbooths, because I don't really,
you know, have a place. To bebut nobody has offered beer on
tap yet. So the question is, isI, am I allowed to hang out in
your booth? Because I'm thinkingthat you're kind of winning
right now, that's a Do I havethe invite? That's what I need
(15:18):
you now you have it you, you andyou in
Joe Griffith (15:21):
the industry have an invite, as always. You know,
maligns. Hospitality isrenowned. So we welcome, we
welcome partners, friends,colleagues, competitors. You
know, this is really just aboutbringing the industry together.
And yeah, you know, we're veryproud of kind of the culture and
bring in some of that, the Irishflare to it, like I said, with
(15:44):
the with the with the band andthe Guinness on tap, and just
great, great conversation. Andto quote, the Irish, the crack,
you know, the goodconversations, the fulfilling,
wholesome opportunity to connectwith people. So we're really
excited for that. But yes, it'salways an you always have an
invite. And then it's a, it's anopen invite for the industry. So
(16:05):
that'll be every day from noononwards. And then, rather than
doing one dedicated night, whatwe're doing is on the booth
after hours, we'll havecatering, and the ban will
continue. And a less, lessformal, okay, more, more, more
celebratory CustomerAppreciation Event, both Tuesday
(16:26):
and Wednesday evenings. Oh, man,
Matthew Weitzel (16:29):
okay. Well, that's incredible. All right.
Well, I can't wait. Thanks forthe invite. I'm sad that
everybody else is invited, andit's not just me, but I'll get
over that. That's okay. I youknow, I think it makes business
sense for you to inviteeverybody so I'll get over it.
Is there anything else? Is thereanything else we want to cover?
Or have we? Have we, you know,fulfilled this obligation that I
(16:52):
have to to call you and go overall these new, cool innovations
that you have going on atmalahan, yeah, no. Look, I
Joe Griffith (16:59):
think we covered the majority of it. You know,
what I would say is, please comejoin us at the GSE Expo in
Europe at ex 10. But probablythe only other thing to touch on
is something that yourself andexceed are very key integral
sponsors for is the Malayanshamrock classic golf tournament
this October. So you know, we'vetalked about it on several
(17:21):
podcasts. Talked about, I thinkwhen John and I sat down with
you, and we're really excited todo that again this year, it's,
it's, it's shaping up to belarger than last year. And last
year we had, we had raised over$20,000 for suicide awareness.
And, you know, this year ourtargets to exceed that
(17:44):
significantly. So we'll useexceed and bring that bring that
sponsorship to to good, goodgood support, or good good
effort in the community tosupport local charities, local
suicide awareness and mentalhealth programs around us. So
(18:05):
that's going to be october 17.
Is the is the Thursday evening,which is the reception. You guys
are the presenting sponsor forthat we are, and the golf
tournament is on the 18th, andthat's presented by delta
waters, truck and tractor andavarst so the tournaments on the
Friday. But no, we welcome everyto come in on the Thursday. Our
(18:29):
entire executive leadershipteam, both malahan Brothers,
will be there. You can meeteverybody, see the factory, tour
the factory, and then thatevening, the the reception Happy
Hour is going to be hosted atfairway socials, fairway social
in Fayetteville, Georgia, andthe trilith community, trilith
(18:51):
development, which is just thisgreat kind of live work play
area, and lots of fairway socialis like a top golf but it's got
multiple different sports.
Different sports and stuff init, and a lot of lot of good
neighborhood bars andrestaurants in the area. So
bring, bring the industrytogether again about a month
(19:12):
after the show and and do itagain for, for the golf
tournament, for a good cause, toraise, raise awareness for
suicide and suicide prevention,
Matthew Weitzel (19:23):
yeah, yeah. And I, I'm very excited about it. I
think it's going to be a great,great event. I'll be there
exceed again. You know, sponsorsponsors that we've done for the
last few years, right? So, yep,so doing it again. And I can't
wait to see everybody there, andthanks for bringing that up,
because I can't wait. I'vealready, I've already got my
(19:44):
hotel booked. We're all good togo. Very excited about it, yeah,
well, thank you. I mean, really,it wouldn't be possible without
the support of exceeding thankyou for your your sponsorship
and support. And you know, wereally, it's a great event. And
lot of fun, a lot of goodmemories from it, some, some a
little bit more blurry thanothers, but nonetheless, they're
(20:07):
it's a great they're there.
They're there. Sometimes ittakes a little while to clear
them up, but they're there,yeah. Well, hopefully we have
some of those memories of theGSE Expo Europe as well. So I
can't wait to see you overthere. It's going to be an
amazing show. I've heard from alot of people. Everybody's
coming. It's going to be verywell attended and and this is
going to be really exciting.
(20:30):
Have some some great productlaunches there as well. And not
just your your standard issue,malahan equipment. We want new
electric equipment, and that'swhat we
Joe Griffith (20:39):
got. We got the mandate, Matt, we listened
exactly what you said, and we'regonna deliver on
Matthew Weitzel (20:43):
it, and I appreciate it. So yeah, this has
been, I think we're good, right?
We're all set. Thanks, coveredeverything. So this has been
Matt Weitzel and Joe Griffith,and we will see you in Lisbon.
Thank you for tuning in to thisepisode of the GSE podcast. We
hope you found it informativeand engaging. If this episode
(21:06):
resonated with you, please shareit with your colleagues and
peers in the ground supportequipment community, your
support is invaluable to us.
We'd appreciate it if you couldtake a moment to rate and review
our podcast. Your feedback notonly encourages us, but also
helps expand our reach withinthe GSE community. Keep an eye
out for more episodes as wecontinue to explore the dynamic
(21:28):
world of ground operations,bringing you the latest trends,
insights and stories from theindustry. Thank you for
listening to the GSE podcastuntil we meet again. Stay
grounded and keep pushingforward. You.
Celebrating 10 years of trailblazing in ground
support Xcēd marks a decade asyour leading partner in ground
support equipment leasing at theforefront of both short term and
long term leasing solutions.
Xcēd adapts to your uniqueoperational needs, whether
you're ramping up for peakseason or planning for long term
growth, we provide the rightequipment to keep your
(00:27):
operations running smoothly.
This anniversary, we renew ourdedication to empowering your
ground operations withefficiency and innovation. With
Xcēd, you're equipped forsuccess today and prepare for
the challenges of tomorrow. Xcēddriving excellence on the ground
year after year. Explore more atxcedgse.com
Unknown (00:56):
this is Laura McGrath, this is Jennifer Madison.
This is Sophie Skinner Jones andyou are listening to the GSE
podcast, all right. Well,welcome to a special edition of
the GSE podcast.
Matthew Weitzel (01:07):
I am Matt Weitzel, and I am here with Joe
Griffith from Mallaghan, andguys, I got a call, got a call
yesterday from Joe, and hewanted to do a special podcast.
I have no idea what we're aboutto what we're about to see and
what we're about to find outabout, but I imagine has
something to do with the GSEEurope Expo. So Joe, what is the
(01:33):
purpose of this immediatepodcast recording that you
requested?
Joe Griffith (01:38):
Well, yeah, Matt, I appreciate you taking my call
on a bright and early on aMonday morning with my brilliant
idea of the week. So no, look, Iappreciate you. You making this
work. So obviously, we're comingup to the expo. By the time
everybody hears this, this will,this will probably be the
morning of the expo. And we justwanted to go on here and
(02:01):
announce the launch of our newproducts that'll come online at
the expo and have a conversationabout it. So,
Matthew Weitzel (02:10):
yeah, alright.
Well, let's, Oh, wow. We got, wehave some graphics here,
alright. So what am I sayinghere? Yeah, yeah.
Joe Griffith (02:17):
So the headline will be the launch of our new
malahan, fully electric aircraftlavatory and water service
product line. It's picturedright there on the on the far
right for me, second, second tothe left there. And that's built
(02:40):
on our Malayan modular chassis,which utilizes a 80 volt drive
system. So that's that's ourheadline launch, and that'll go
live Tuesday at 11am at the expoin Lisbon. Okay? And then on the
far left there is the fullyelectric, refrigerated, wide
(03:01):
body catering truck, first ofits kind in North America, built
on the international EMVchassis. Wow, that's,
Matthew Weitzel (03:10):
that's a lot, man. This is, this is a big
launch. It
Joe Griffith (03:14):
is, it is, yeah.
So, you know, we, we kind ofcame to the GSE Europe Expo in
2022 and launched the world'sfirst fully electric
refrigerated catering truck onthe on the Volvo chassis. And
we've worked for the past twoyears to to do the same thing
now on a North American chassis.
So we partnered with Delta onthe development of that product,
(03:39):
and after the expo, it'll launchinto service in North America
with Delta, one of their hubs,and as part of the development
partnership with with them, wehave the opportunity to showcase
that to the market.
Matthew Weitzel (03:55):
That's incredible. And with all the ESG
goals that everyone has in theindustry, this is a fantastic
launch, and it's really going tobe, obviously, I think, well
received, right? I mean, theseare units that nobody else is
electrified yet.
Joe Griffith (04:09):
Yeah. I mean, there's the, especially on the
catering truck, the toilettruck. There's been, there's
been development and pushtowards that for the past couple
years now, where we tried tocome in, we talked about this,
you know, with with all of ourproduct development as we try to
come into it with an eye to newspin or an innovation on it. So
(04:32):
this, the fully electriclavatory service truck, or water
truck, is powered by 80 volt DCsystem so it can utilize
standard airport charginginfrastructure versus having to
have a special high voltagecharge system to bring the
(04:53):
machine back up to 100% and it'sgot, currently, the machine
that'll they view in Lisbon hasyou. Uh, two flux lithium ion
batteries on it, and it'll gointo trials in North America
after the show. And the wholeaim of that machine was to try
(05:14):
and make it more easilyaccessible, or easier point of
entry for our customer base,without having to change their
charge infrastructure. And thatmachine's fully winterized. It
has a cab heating cab, AC. It'sgot heater for the tank system.
The machine that you'll see inLisbon is a vacuum truck, so it
(05:35):
has all the benefits of thefully vacuum system, and then it
also can be configured in agravity system. So,
Matthew Weitzel (05:43):
yeah, well, that's huge. Because, as you
know, I think, you know, peoplewould love to get to the point
where we're doing high voltagecharging. However, we're not
there yet, right, infrastructurewise, and and obviously there's
a push for that, but having thisunit not be the high voltage and
being able just to plug intotheir standard charger
Joe Griffith (06:02):
is huge. Yeah, I mean, that was it is, you know,
high voltage is got a future inthe industry. It will go there
eventually, especially astechnologies evolve and develop.
But we can't, we can'trealistically sit down and say
that all the hundreds ofmillions of dollars investment
to this point, by and large,been with 80 volt systems. So
(06:25):
our aim was to try and bring,bring this, this product, to the
market using using 80 volttechnology. And really the the
Advent and the advancement ofthe lithium ion packages have
made it possible. It's a prettyenergy intense application,
especially between driving with,you know, 3000 liters of of
(06:50):
fluid on board, potentially, andthen also a vacuum system. But
with the with the advancementsin the lithium solutions, it
really allows us to effectivelycome to market with a product
that can service the vastmajority of our partners needs
and bring a bring a product thatcan easily be integrated into
(07:13):
their operation without massiveinfrastructure investment.
Matthew Weitzel (07:17):
Yeah, that's like, again, huge. Thank you so
much for you know, choosing meto launch this new product with,
and then, obviously, I can'twait to see you in Lisbon so.
And then behind us, is thatgoing to be what your booth is
going to look like? Yeah.
Joe Griffith (07:33):
So our marketing coordinator and corporate
communication coordinator, LauraMcGraw, who's featured in one of
your intros for the GSE podcastwith the famous Irish accent. So
she's worked really hard onbringing bringing our vision for
the expo to life. You know, Malahens, as much about the
(07:58):
equipment innovation as it isthe relationships and the
gathering and the space. And,you know, our I tell people all
the time, our commodities asmuch the relationship as it is
the product. So she's workedreally hard to build out the
booth. We'll have our Irishhospitality. We'll have we're
bringing our three piece Irishband over. We'll have Guinness
(08:21):
on tap and no way, beautiful.
Yeah, no, it's, we're bringing,bringing the dual tap this time
we can, we can increase ouroutput to full Okay, but, yeah,
so, so bringing plenty ofGuinness to the show, and then
she's done a wonderful job withthe show coordinators and the
producers of the show to designthis, this booth here, so it's
very open. It's got a lot ofopen areas for kind of impromptu
(08:44):
or informal meetings, but it'salso got a couple formal meeting
rooms for us to sit down andtalk with our partners and talk
strategy, talk about these newproducts and outside, you know.
And really the the only thingthat's not shown here, it's, not
so much a new product, but a newnew configuration is we'll have
the European specification, orthe European configuration of
(09:07):
the Malayan sky belt, electricbelt load around the booth as
well. So those are the threeproducts that so when the show
opens on Tuesday, wheneverybody's hopefully hearing
this and getting ready to go outto the show, those will be the
three products they see, andthen, as well as the the mall
and booth, yeah. So we're reallyexcited. Can
Matthew Weitzel (09:27):
we talk a little bit about the belt loader
just real quick? Because I don'tthink we ever got to connect on
on the new belt loader launch,and I know that it's already in
service. So I think this is agreat time. Let's go ahead and
dive into that just real quick,to give people kind of an
overview of that product.
Joe Griffith (09:43):
Yeah, so no, you're correct. We talked about
as one of those. We talked aboutwanting to do it, but no, so we
launched the Malayan sky belt acouple as two years ago now, and
we partnered again with Delta,kind of. Got into, got into a
product that we had historicallynot done conventional belt
(10:06):
loaders up to that point. Inseveral of the publications,
when we launched the product, wetalked about there were a lot of
options in the market, and wehad kind of said that we really
only will get into a space if wecan really innovate it, or
bring, bring an innovation toit. So delta went to the market.
(10:26):
So these are the problems wewant to solve. For it was, it
was interesting for us. It wasan engineering project. It was a
challenge for us to solve. Andwhen they went out to the larger
market, I mean, there's, there'squite a few people that looked
at it, but the big thing forthem was controlled approach
technology to to mitigate andeliminate aircraft damages. So
(10:52):
we designed the system, thecontrolled approach system, we
utilized the latest and greatestin radar technology to really
create a safety envelopeelectrical control, electric
control of the belt loader,create the safety safety
envelope with this technology,and then mechanically, you know,
(11:14):
we, we designed a veryinnovative new lifting and arm
system for the conveyor bed andpatented that and most belt
loaders in the market, once youget the front raised up to the
aircraft, when you go to raisethe rear the geometry of the
belt loader, the belt belttraverses forward, potentially
towards the aircraft and createa contact point. So we created
(11:38):
what we call a semi scissor, orfixed pivot position, where once
you get the front of the beltloader position to the aircraft,
it doesn't matter what you dowith the rear, the rear of it,
it won't, it won't contact theaircraft. So we really well
those two kind of key pieces oftechnology created very safe
belt loader system. And then,you know, as part of this, we
(12:01):
talk about the electrificationand push towards green, you
know, we we designed it solelyto be electric from the ground
up, so that that product for usis was really exciting. And
we've built over 200 of themnow, and they're in service all
throughout North America,launching into Europe now with
(12:22):
with some of our key partnersover there, and we're just going
to keep taking that as kind of abasis, a platform for belt
technology. So it's a modulardesign. So, you know, it can
have a conventional belt, it canhave can different different
configurations of extendablebelts. It's It's really exciting
(12:42):
for us. And it was a excitingproject. It was, you know, took
a couple years to see it tomarket and to fruition. But it
really showcases what, what youcan do when you've got some good
partners and, you know, clear,clear challenges to try and
solve. So, no, it's been a, it'sbeen a good success for us.
Matthew Weitzel (13:04):
Yeah, so the sky belt. People can see that at
the GSE Expo Europe, then,
Joe Griffith (13:09):
yeah, yep. So like I said, that that's a sky belt,
European configuration. Oh, thesky belt. What I said? Yeah,
yeah, you're right. You said skyOh, good, okay, all right, yeah,
Sky belt. It's just the Europeanconfiguration. So a lot of the,
you know, North Americanspecific things, there's,
there's CE requirements thatthat requires, like,
modification. So that machinewill be there, I believe it'll
(13:32):
have a Colibri lithium batteryin it. So options for Europe.
So, yeah, we're really excitedto see that product now grow
onto into the European marketand beyond.
Matthew Weitzel (13:47):
Now, do we have some videos that people are
going to be able to watch? Isthat right?
Joe Griffith (13:52):
Yeah, so we're going to get Laura to send that
through, and you can edit it andpost production, yeah,
Matthew Weitzel (14:00):
we'll edit those videos in here so
everybody can kind of check thatout. So we will put those now
and then. We will come back andI have one More thing to discuss
with you. Yougo up all right, so I am only
(14:20):
walking the show now. I've hadmany offers to, obviously, you
(14:53):
know, hang out in people'sbooths, because I don't really,
you know, have a place. To bebut nobody has offered beer on
tap yet. So the question is, isI, am I allowed to hang out in
your booth? Because I'm thinkingthat you're kind of winning
right now, that's a Do I havethe invite? That's what I need
(15:18):
you now you have it you, you andyou in
Joe Griffith (15:21):
the industry have an invite, as always. You know,
maligns. Hospitality isrenowned. So we welcome, we
welcome partners, friends,colleagues, competitors. You
know, this is really just aboutbringing the industry together.
And yeah, you know, we're veryproud of kind of the culture and
bring in some of that, the Irishflare to it, like I said, with
(15:44):
the with the with the band andthe Guinness on tap, and just
great, great conversation. Andto quote, the Irish, the crack,
you know, the goodconversations, the fulfilling,
wholesome opportunity to connectwith people. So we're really
excited for that. But yes, it'salways an you always have an
invite. And then it's a, it's anopen invite for the industry. So
(16:05):
that'll be every day from noononwards. And then, rather than
doing one dedicated night, whatwe're doing is on the booth
after hours, we'll havecatering, and the ban will
continue. And a less, lessformal, okay, more, more, more
celebratory CustomerAppreciation Event, both Tuesday
(16:26):
and Wednesday evenings. Oh, man,
Matthew Weitzel (16:29):
okay. Well, that's incredible. All right.
Well, I can't wait. Thanks forthe invite. I'm sad that
everybody else is invited, andit's not just me, but I'll get
over that. That's okay. I youknow, I think it makes business
sense for you to inviteeverybody so I'll get over it.
Is there anything else? Is thereanything else we want to cover?
Or have we? Have we, you know,fulfilled this obligation that I
(16:52):
have to to call you and go overall these new, cool innovations
that you have going on atmalahan, yeah, no. Look, I
Joe Griffith (16:59):
think we covered the majority of it. You know,
what I would say is, please comejoin us at the GSE Expo in
Europe at ex 10. But probablythe only other thing to touch on
is something that yourself andexceed are very key integral
sponsors for is the Malayanshamrock classic golf tournament
this October. So you know, we'vetalked about it on several
(17:21):
podcasts. Talked about, I thinkwhen John and I sat down with
you, and we're really excited todo that again this year, it's,
it's, it's shaping up to belarger than last year. And last
year we had, we had raised over$20,000 for suicide awareness.
And, you know, this year ourtargets to exceed that
(17:44):
significantly. So we'll useexceed and bring that bring that
sponsorship to to good, goodgood support, or good good
effort in the community tosupport local charities, local
suicide awareness and mentalhealth programs around us. So
(18:05):
that's going to be october 17.
Is the is the Thursday evening,which is the reception. You guys
are the presenting sponsor forthat we are, and the golf
tournament is on the 18th, andthat's presented by delta
waters, truck and tractor andavarst so the tournaments on the
Friday. But no, we welcome everyto come in on the Thursday. Our
(18:29):
entire executive leadershipteam, both malahan Brothers,
will be there. You can meeteverybody, see the factory, tour
the factory, and then thatevening, the the reception Happy
Hour is going to be hosted atfairway socials, fairway social
in Fayetteville, Georgia, andthe trilith community, trilith
(18:51):
development, which is just thisgreat kind of live work play
area, and lots of fairway socialis like a top golf but it's got
multiple different sports.
Different sports and stuff init, and a lot of lot of good
neighborhood bars andrestaurants in the area. So
bring, bring the industrytogether again about a month
(19:12):
after the show and and do itagain for, for the golf
tournament, for a good cause, toraise, raise awareness for
suicide and suicide prevention,
Matthew Weitzel (19:23):
yeah, yeah. And I, I'm very excited about it. I
think it's going to be a great,great event. I'll be there
exceed again. You know, sponsorsponsors that we've done for the
last few years, right? So, yep,so doing it again. And I can't
wait to see everybody there, andthanks for bringing that up,
because I can't wait. I'vealready, I've already got my
(19:44):
hotel booked. We're all good togo. Very excited about it, yeah,
well, thank you. I mean, really,it wouldn't be possible without
the support of exceeding thankyou for your your sponsorship
and support. And you know, wereally, it's a great event. And
lot of fun, a lot of goodmemories from it, some, some a
little bit more blurry thanothers, but nonetheless, they're
(20:07):
it's a great they're there.
They're there. Sometimes ittakes a little while to clear
them up, but they're there,yeah. Well, hopefully we have
some of those memories of theGSE Expo Europe as well. So I
can't wait to see you overthere. It's going to be an
amazing show. I've heard from alot of people. Everybody's
coming. It's going to be verywell attended and and this is
going to be really exciting.
(20:30):
Have some some great productlaunches there as well. And not
just your your standard issue,malahan equipment. We want new
electric equipment, and that'swhat we
Joe Griffith (20:39):
got. We got the mandate, Matt, we listened
exactly what you said, and we'regonna deliver on
Matthew Weitzel (20:43):
it, and I appreciate it. So yeah, this has
been, I think we're good, right?
We're all set. Thanks, coveredeverything. So this has been
Matt Weitzel and Joe Griffith,and we will see you in Lisbon.
Thank you for tuning in to thisepisode of the GSE podcast. We
hope you found it informativeand engaging. If this episode
(21:06):
resonated with you, please shareit with your colleagues and
peers in the ground supportequipment community, your
support is invaluable to us.
We'd appreciate it if you couldtake a moment to rate and review
our podcast. Your feedback notonly encourages us, but also
helps expand our reach withinthe GSE community. Keep an eye
out for more episodes as wecontinue to explore the dynamic
(21:28):
world of ground operations,bringing you the latest trends,
insights and stories from theindustry. Thank you for
listening to the GSE podcastuntil we meet again. Stay
grounded and keep pushingforward. You.
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