The first day of the tenth edition of GIS. In Piacenza, Italy

The 2025 edition of GIS in Piacenza opened with the words of Fabio Belli, President of the European Association of Abnormal Road Transport and Mobile Cranes (ESTA): “GIS Expo 2025 represents a strategic opportunity for all companies in the sector to engage with the most advanced technologies and the most innovative solutions aimed at reducing environmental impact, improving operational safety, and optimizing processes.”

GIS 2025 as seen from the Powertrain. Let’s start with SAIM and Kubota

It was the tenth edition of the exhibition that brings together the lifting industry and has gained a European scope. Inside the tensile structure that houses Hall 5, we met some familiar faces. We’ll start with SAIM, a system integrator and Kubota dealer. “We decided to participate because we are in line with the exhibitors in terms of product and distribution; several OEMs use a Kubota engine, customized by SAIM,” they stated at the booth.

It was an opportunity to present SAIM’s range extender and hybrid projects, which are suitable for lifting applications. The engines on display for these applications included some mechanical versions and a 44-horsepower (32.3 kW) common rail.

Next up is Avoni, and FPT Industrial

Among the custom projects from Avoni is the Bastelli power pack, a project that dates back to an edition of DPE exhibition in Rimini (Italy) in its very first version, equipped with the F28, Diesel of the Year 2020. The F36 is set up in an IPU version, with a power output of 105 kW. With the N45, the displacement increases: it’s the 4.5-liter model also supplied to Magni telescopic handlers, remaining within the typical application areas seen at GIS (lifting and material handling). A new feature is the custom control panel. The AV Connect for remote control is a device that uses a dual CAN line to transmit real-time data via the cloud and has four wiring options.

Finally, BU POWER and Perkins

It’s written BU Power Italia, but it’s synonymous with Perkins. They were present at GIS for the very first time at this 2025 edition, with a clear goal: to boost their commercial aftermarket activities, as they are focused on the rental sector, for which assistance is fundamental.

“We’re implementing solutions to support rental companies. New management of our spare parts warehouse allows us to fulfill 95% of requests in 24 hours through direct shipping from our German hub,” they explained. “We are also carrying out repowering programs with off-the-shelf units, such as the long block we brought here to Piacenza. This means there’s no need to repair the dismantled engine; you simply install the pre-assembled engine, possibly reusing accessories from the old one. This procedure allows for a very short downtime.”

An Electric Boost from Flash Battery

They’re also here, just a short drive away. Flash Battery at GIS 2025, in the words of CEO Marco Righi: “Certainly, the first major trend is the rise of LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) chemistry. In recent years, we’ve seen a steady growth in interest and production for this technology. Six years ago, it seemed to be on its way out or was only destined for market niches, but instead, it is now being adopted more and more—even in the automotive sector.

Globally, the two main chemistries are LFP and NMC. Until recently, NMC was the most-produced one, but it has now been surpassed. The major players, especially Asian ones—think of BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer—now use only LFP cells.“

And Archimede Energia

The electrical arm and brain of the HB4 Group presented itself in a joint effort with Geminiani’s Dynamico. We have also spoken about the Dynamico, a Geminiani idea that has since moved under the umbrella of the Bruno family (HB4 and Bruno Generators Group owners), in connection with its collaboration with ENEL X.

From the range of voltages and capacities, from 12 up to 700V and from 37 up to 1500Ah, we can mention the AN-026-210-TEV, which was on display, as an example. We are told that it is “built with 16 high-performance LiFePO4 cells that give this battery an energy density of 45Wh/kg and a continuous discharge power of 2.719 kW.” The FAN-026-210-TEV features a BMS developed by Archimede Energia for the complete control (temperatures, voltages, and current) and management (contactors) of the battery.