LiftLab features a dozen installed lifts to facilitate lift inspector training

Cortland, New York (Oct. 17, 2017) – The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) officially opened its new headquarters and LiftLab in Cortland, New York, on Oct. 12, with a grand opening celebration attended by ALI members, lift inspectors, suppliers and other guests from the vehicle lift and workplace safety industries. Growth of ALI lift safety initiatives like the ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program drove the need for a larger multipurpose facility.

The new 8,500-square-foot headquarters at 3699 Luker Road is more than four times larger than the organization’s previous Cortland office. It includes 3,475 square feet of renovated office and conference space, as well as a modern classroom that complies with nationally recognized examination requirements for up to 20 participants. What really differentiates the facility is its new LiftLab. ALI member manufacturers have provided and installed 12 vehicle lifts in the expansive LiftLab area. 

They range from the smallest motorcycle lift to the most common two-post style, all the way up to heavy-duty inground and mobile column lifts. This is the only facility in North America that brings together such a wide range of operational lifts from various manufacturers and makes them available for hands-on industry training. 

“Through the generous support of the ALI member companies that produce North America’s certified vehicle lifts, we are able to facilitate opportunities for candidate lift inspectors, product safety engineers and others to come to a single location to examine two-post, multi-post, scissors, inground, mobile column and low-rise lifts,” says R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman, ALI president. “This will enable lift inspector candidates to more expediently meet the requirements of the ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program, which will help address increasing customer demand. At the same time, we can improve the technical skills and knowledge of the experts charged with testing and certifying future vehicle lifts.”

The following lifts are installed in the ALI LiftLab:
• Light-duty two-post surface-mounted lift, 10,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Light-duty low-rise frame-engaging lift, 10,000 lbs. rated capacity.
AUTOMOTIVE LIFT INSTITUTE, INC.
P.O. Box 85 Cortland, NY 13045
Ph: (607) 756-7775 Fax: (607) 756-0888
• Heavy-duty two-post surface-mounted lift, 16,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Set of four wireless heavy-duty wheel-engaging mobile units (mobile column lifts), 54,000 lbs. total rated capacity.
• Heavy-duty inground lift, 60,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Heavy-duty scissors lift, 30,000 lbs. rated capacity, equipped with wheels-free device.
• Heavy-duty two-post surface-mounted lift, 15,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Light-duty scissors lift, 9,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Heavy-duty four-post surface-mounted lift, 14,000 lbs. rated capacity, equipped with wheels-free device.
• Light-duty motorcycle lift, 1,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Light-duty inground lift, 10,000 lbs. rated capacity.
• Set of four wireless heavy-duty wheel-engaging mobile units (mobile column lifts), 74,000 lbs. total rated capacity, along with set of four high-reach supplementary stands.

ALI is dedicated to the safe design, construction, installation, service, inspection and operation of vehicle lifts used in automotive and heavy-duty vehicle repair shops throughout North America. It sponsors several national lift safety standards, including the ANSI/ALI ALCTV Standard for Automotive Lifts – Safety Requirements for Construction Testing and Validation, ANSI/ALI ALIS Standard for Automotive Lifts – Safety Requirements for Installation and Service, and ANSI/ALI ALOIM Standard for Automotive Lifts – Safety Requirements for Operation, Inspection and Maintenance. ALI also offers third-party certification programs for vehicle lifts and lift inspectors.

It was established by nine lift manufacturers in 1945 and had its office in New York City until relocating to Indialantic, Florida, in 1993. ALI moved its headquarters to Cortland in 2005 and has since grown from two employees to eight as the organization has expanded its safety-focused activities. Membership has also grown. There are now 21 member companies and six non-member firms producing ALI certified gold label lifts.
Through its Lift Inspector Certification Program, ALI qualifies, tests and certifies vehicle lift inspectors. There are 465 ALI Certified Lift Inspectors and a total of 842 individuals from around the world currently participating in some stage of the certification process. In 2014, ALI expanded its membership beyond North American-based lift manufacturers to include an associate class. ALI Associate Class membership is open to companies with at least one ALI Certified Lift Inspector on staff. There are currently 268 associate class members.

ALI offers a wide range of vehicle lift safety training materials including printed copies of all the safety standards, the new Lifting It Right online training course, new Automotive Lift Safety Tips Card and Safety Tips Poster, the annual Vehicle Lifting Points guide, and uniform warning labels and placards. 

For more information about ALI, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. You can also connect with ALI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LiftInstitute, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiftInstitute, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/LiftInstitute.

The Automotive Lift Institute, Inc. (ALI) announces the availability of the 2016 edition of ALI’s “VEHICLE LIFTING POINTS for FRAME ENGAGING LIFTS”. 

This updated guide is a quick-reference single-source manual for lifting point information as recommended by the vehicle manufacturers. The 70-page Lifting Point Guide (LP-G) for domestic and imported cars and light trucks uses over 200 undercarriage images to cover the most recent 25 model years.

For this new edition, the 2016 model year vehicles were added, some older images were revised, and additional cautionary notes were provided in an effort to clarify pick-up point locations for shop owners, technicians and other LP-Guide users. The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) sponsors this Guide annually as an industry service, utilizing data furnished exclusively for ALI by Chek-Chart Products, MOTOR Information Systems. Many proactive companies and franchises now incorporate ALI’s LP-Guide and other safety materials as an integral component of their overall employee safety and training program.

Visit ALI’s website www.autolift.org to order this updated guide, to locate automotive lift inspectors certified by ALI, or for information on other safety materials and standards sponsored by the lift manufacturers who support ALI’s mission of promoting the safe design, construction, installation and use of automotive lift products. Your Safety Is Riding On It!

ANSI/ALI ALIS 2009 (R2015) replaces ANSI/ALI ALIS 2009

Cortland, New York (June 7, 2016) – The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved the latest version of the American National Standard covering safety requirements for vehicle lift installation and service. The new standard, ANSI/ALI ALIS 2009 (R2015), replaces the existing standard, ANSI/ALI ALIS 2009, effective June 15, 2016.

ANSI/ALI ALIS 2009 (R2015) describes the duties and responsibilities of lift installers and service technicians, including the required qualifications, training, reporting and documentation. It also provides sample forms and checklists for use by installers and service personnel attempting to comply with the standard.

There are no substantive changes in the revised standard contents. It is distinguished from previous versions by a new full-color cover in place of the traditional pale yellow cover.
Copies of ANSI/ALI ALIS 2009 (R2015) are available from ALI and its member companies.

Visit the ALI Store at www.autolift.org/ali-store/ to learn more about this and other ANSI lift safety standards, as well as other materials offered in support of ALI’s mission of promoting the safe design, construction, installation, service, inspection and use of vehicle lifts.

For more information about ALI and its lift safety initiatives, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. You can also connect with ALI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LiftInstitute, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiftInstitute, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/LiftInstitute.

About ALI
Founded in 1945, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is a trade association of North American-based lift manufacturers. ALI’s mission is to promote the safe design, construction, installation, service, inspection and use of automotive lifts. In 1947, ALI developed the first Commercial Standard covering vehicle lifts published by the National Bureau of Standards. Today, ALI sponsors several national lift safety standards and offers third-party certification programs for automotive lifts and automotive lift inspectors.

AUTOMOTIVE LIFT INSTITUTE, INC.
P.O. Box 85 Cortland, NY 13045
Ph: (607) 756-7775 Fax: (607) 756-0888

Cortland, New York (Nov. 13, 2017) – Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) members elected the 2018 board of directors at the organization’s annual meeting Oct. 29 in Las Vegas. Stet Schanze of Gray Manufacturing Company (St. Joseph, Missouri) was elected to a third term as chairman of the board for the trade association dedicated to vehicle lift safety.
In addition to Schanze, returning members of the board for 2018 include Jeff Kritzer of BendPak (Santa Paula, California), past chairman Jerome Lentz of Challenger Lifts (Louisville, Kentucky), Stan Poweska of PKS Lifts (Ancaster, Ontario), Harold Yeo of TLS Lifts (Oakville, Ontario), Matt Webster of Vehicle Service Group (Madison, Indiana), Associate Class representative Buck Gasner of DEKRA North America (Marietta, Georgia) and ALI President R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman.
The ALI Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the North-American based vehicle lift manufacturers that are members of ALI, as well as an elected representative of the ALI Associate Class. ALI Associate Class membership is available to North American service organizations with at least one ALI Certified Lift Inspector on staff.
For more information about ALI and its lift safety initiatives and materials, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. You can also connect with ALI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LiftInstitute, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiftInstitute, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/LiftInstitute.

Cortland, New York (March 29, 2016) – New commentary in the latest edition of the International Building Code (IBC), the building code in use or adopted by all 50 U.S. states, clarifies that all installed vehicle lifts must conform with the American National Safety Standard ANSI/ALI ALCTV (current edition) “Safety Requirements for the Construction, Testing and Validation of Automotive Lifts.” The IBC is also in use or adopted by the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, New York City, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

“To put it as simply as possible: If you’re installing a vehicle lift in an area covered by the International Building Code, you must choose a lift that meets ANSI/ALI ALCTV. In other words — choose an Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) certified lift, or you’re violating the IBC,” explains R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman, ALI president. “Lift customers and code enforcement officials can easily identify certified lifts by the gold ALI certification label that is applied to every lift that passes third-party testing and achieves certification. A complete list of certified lifts is available at www.autolift.org/ali-directory-of-certified-lifts.”

Although the IBC has long covered automotive lifts by reference, there was still some confusion in the marketplace, O’Gorman says. “We’ve been contacted by many lift customers who had been incorrectly told that the IBC only applies to elevators, not vehicle lifts. The new language in the supporting commentary of the 2015 IBC makes it very clear that building inspectors can enforce the ANSI/ALI standard regarding lifts.”

From the 2015 International Building Code, Chapter 30, Section 3001.2 Referenced Standards, Commentary: “The enforceability of a standard is established in this section, and applies wherever the provisions of this chapter do not otherwise indicate a requirement. Therefore, even if a standard is not referenced anywhere else within this chapter it will be applicable to such systems and equipment. For example, automotive lifts are addressed by the reference to ANSI/ALI ALCTV, but no further requirements are found in Chapter 30. This standard is fully applicable to such automotive lifts.”

ANSI/ALI ALCTV is a nationally recognized safety and performance standard covering the construction, testing and validation of vehicle lifts that are used to perform service on cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles. In order to fully comply with the ALI certification program supporting the standard, all lift models must be tested by one of three approved, third-party, OSHA-accredited Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories. The testing includes listing of the electrical system and validation of the structural integrity of all the lift’s systems and components, proper function of its controls and load-holding devices, proper lowering speeds and mechanical overload protection. Part of the testing process involves loading the lift to 150 percent of its rated load capacity and ensuring that no visual deformation of the lift’s structural elements or components occurs. Instructional materials and the lift manufacturer’s production facility must also meet requirements outlined in the standard.

Lifts that are tested by one of the approved laboratories and found to meet all of the requirements outlined in the ANSI/ALI ALCTV standard receive a gold ALI Certified label. ALI’s gold label is the only industry-recognized documentation that the specific lift model has been tested and certified to meet the industry’s performance and safety standards. Not all lifts for sale in today’s market are certified, regardless of country of origin. Therefore, the burden of purchasing and installing lifts that meet ANSI/ALI ALCTV and comply with the IBC rests on the lift buyer.

Quick facts about lift certification:

• There are no partial, conditional, pending or temporary certifications. A lift is either certified or it’s not. And if it’s not certified, it doesn’t meet ANSI/ALI ALCTV or comply with the International Building Code.
• Only lifts bearing the ALI gold Certification Label and listed at www.autolift.org/ali-directory-of-certified-lifts are certified.
• Lifts can only be certified at the time of manufacture. Lifts cannot be retroactively certified after installation.
• Lift options and accessories are also subject to testing and certification. Use of non-certified options or accessories on a certified lift will void that lift’s certification for as long as the original configuration remains altered.

For more information about vehicle lift certification and lift safety, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. You can also connect with ALI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LiftInstitute, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiftInstitute, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/LiftInstitute. For more information about the International Building Code, visit www.iccsafe.org/international-code-adoptions/.

Las Vegas (Nov. 1, 2016) – Members of the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) elected their 2017 board of directors at the organization’s annual meeting on Oct. 31 in Las Vegas. Stet Schanze of Gray Manufacturing Company (St. Joseph, Missouri) was elected to a second term as chairman. Buck Gasner of DEKRA North America (Marietta, Georgia) was elected to a two-year term as Associate Class representative.

In addition to Schanze, returning members of the board for 2017 include Jeff Kritzer of BendPak (Santa Paula, California), past chairman Jerome Lentz of Challenger Lifts (Louisville, Kentucky), Stan Poweska of PKS Lifts (Ancaster, Ontario), Harold Yeo of TLS Lifts (Oakville, Ontario), Matt Webster of Vehicle Service Group (Madison, Indiana), and ALI President R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman.

The ALI Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the North American-based vehicle lift manufacturers that are members of ALI, plus one elected Associate Class representative. ALI Associate Class membership is available to any North American service organization with at least one ALI Certified Lift Inspector on staff. 

To learn more about ALI, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. You can also connect with ALI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LiftInstitute, on Twitter at twitter.com/LiftInstitute and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/LiftInstitute.