As part of their long-standing partnership, Haulotte and Loxam Access had the opportunity to test FASTN, Haulotte’s first active and universal anchoring system, on the construction site of the future INELFE converter station (the joint venture between RTE, the French Transmission System Operator, and its Spanish counterpart Red Eléctrica) in Cubnezais. These works are part of the France-Spain interconnection project across the Bay of Biscay. Loxam equipped Haulotte aerial work platforms on this strategic site, providing an ideal environment for a real-life trial, with a view to deploying FASTN on a larger scale across its fleet.
This test took place within the Bay of Biscay electrical interconnection project, a major EU energy initiative linking the French and Spanish grids through a 400 km underground and subsea connection. The Cubnezais converter station, located on the French side of the interconnection, provided the perfect setting to confront FASTN with real jobsite conditions.
Special interview around FASTN test & trial:
Hear the testimonials of: Nicolas Margaine, Service Marketing Manager at Haulotte; Catherine Perrier, Head of FASTN at Haulotte; Matthieu Ollivier, Construction Manager at SMAC; Jérôme Pezard, Site Manager at SMAC; Marianne Duplaine, Technical Director at Loxam Access.
A demonstration rooted in the strong partnership between Haulotte and Loxam
Haulotte and Loxam Access share a long-standing commitment to the safety of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), and this FASTN trial naturally marks a new milestone in their collaboration. For Haulotte, testing such an innovation requires real-world validation: “Like any innovation, especially one with no equivalent on the market, we need to confront it with real jobsite conditions,” explains Nicolas Margaine, Services Marketing Manager. “That’s exactly what our partnership with Loxam Access has enabled: testing the system on real worksites, with real operators.”
Loxam’s involvement was essential, from deployment logistics to operator training and feedback collection. Their teams ensured proper installation of FASTN, monitored its use, and supported operators throughout the trial. This hands-on commitment accelerated system adoption and provided Haulotte with valuable insights.
A demanding worksite to test real-world conditions
On the Cubnezais site, SMAC teams were carrying out building envelope works for the converter station.
To perform these operations at height, the company rented Haulotte MEWPs from Loxam.
“On this site, we are carrying out cladding, roofing, and waterproofing work for energy transmission facilities. We installed sandwich panel cladding using MEWPs reaching up to 26 meters in height,” explains Matthieu Ollivier, Construction Manager at SMAC.
This operational environment, frequent interventions on the platform, changing conditions, and heavy workloads, provided an ideal testing ground for FASTN.
FASTN: Haulotte’s smart anchoring system put to the test
Developed by Catherine Perrier as part of Haulotte’s intrapreneurship program, FASTN was born from a key observation: operators tend to overlook the final, yet critical, safety check, their own anchoring. As Catherine Perrier points out: “Too many accidents still occur on jobsites, particularly those involving MEWP falls.”
This issue is well known on busy worksites:
“When you’re in the heat of the moment, you want to move fast, small things can be forgotten,” admits Jérôme Pezard, Site Manager at SMAC. “With this system, when you step into the platform, you have to attach yourself before carrying out your tasks.
FASTN integrates four essential safety features:
- Harness detection: if the harness is not properly anchored, the system alerts the operator, and then the site, through visual and audible signals.
- Operator wake-up function: if no movement is detected for one minute, the system signals a potential operator distress situation.
- Anti-bypass function: if an object other than a harness anchor point is attached, the system flags incorrect use.
- Fall or ejection detection: if abnormal weight or pressure is detected, the system immediately alerts the site of a potential fall.
FASTN fully aligns with Loxam Access’s safety philosophy:
“To provide the best support to our customers and operators, we have integrated additional safety devices directly into our machines, such as anti-crush bars or AI-enhanced rear cameras on our new LoxSafe machines, and now connected anchoring systems like FASTN,” explains Marianne Duplaine, Technical Director at Loxam Access.
“The announcement of this additional safety feature initially raised some mixed reactions,” she recalls, “but once implemented, customers, and especially operators, understood how it works, and FASTN was adopted very quickly.”
The trial therefore validated not only the technology itself, but also its acceptance by operators, supported by Loxam’s on-site presence.
Picture: Paul Cruanes, 34K
Loxam and Haulotte: Long-standing partners committed to safety
Through this large-scale deployment, Haulotte and Loxam Access once again demonstrated how their collaboration drives tangible safety improvements for MEWP users.
Haulotte confirmed that FASTN meets Loxam’s requirements, both in terms of benefits and ease of adoption across an entire worksite. This paves the way for installation across the rental company’s fleet.
Loxam highlights Haulotte’s continuous commitment to safety innovation: “FASTN complements our LoxSafe philosophy: it empowers operators by alerting them to risk situations and offering a safe solution,” adds Marianne Duplaine. “Harness detection will become a standard for us. We will deploy it across all our MEWP ranges of 26 meters and above, and FASTN will be an integral part of these solutions, if not the main one.”
As Catherine Perrier concludes, FASTN is designed to “truly help save lives.”