Feature Materials handling Picture perfect handling solution
GB eye, a supplier of posters, prints and associated licensed merchandise to the retail and wholesale sectors is achieving more efficient handling in one of its storage areas since it has taken delivery of the new narrow chassis 15E Aisle-Master model, replacing two other forklifts
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B eye delivers to 200 customers in over 60 countries from its newly extended distribution centre in Sheffield, which also houses a frame manufacturing facility. The previous combination of a man down rail-guided VNA forklift and a reach truck proved to be cumbersome and restrictive, particularly as the VNA truck could not be used for out- door work. Operations manager John Scally was therefore looking for a more versatile vehicle but with the proviso that it could also work in the existing very narrow aisles and tight turning circles. He says: “Our local materials handling consultants, Rotherham-based Ability Handling, recommended an Aisle-Master, which we have been using very effectively in another part of the warehouse. We have been so pleased with its all round operation as well as Ability Handling’s service that we would have ordered another one, but unfortunately the original model would have been too wide to fit between our racking. When Lee Brown from Ability informed me that there was a new narrow chassis Aisle-Master on the market I knew we had the answer.” The electric powered articulated
truck’s 1.5t capacity is more than enough to cope with the pallets of posters, display equipment, packs of
cardboard and the heaviest loads which are made up of the raw materi- als for the picture frames, even when lifting to the top beam height of 5.5m. The chassis width of just 1,030mm also enables it to easily manoeuvre around the storage facilities and GB eye has also benefited from its indoor/outdoor capabilities which enable seamless on and offloading from delivery vehicles in the yard. “The 15E ticked all the boxes,” says
Scally, “and as with our other Aisle- Master it doubles up as a reach and counterbalance truck, does exactly what we want and the drivers are very happy with it. We also need a very reliable vehicle as the workload is con- stant and at certain times of the year such as the run up to Christmas it can be relentless. The e-commerce side of the business has grown recently by 300 per cent, and the downtime we experienced with the old trucks would now have a serious impact on our pro- ductivity. Ability’s contract hire pack- age and Aisle-Master’s excellent track record of dependability mean that this is no longer an issue.”
Aisle-Masters have capacities of up to 2.5 tonnes, lift heights of up to 12.5 metres, with a choice of AC electric or LPG power. The range is designed and built at the dedicated production
GB eye has improved its handling efficiency since taking delivery of the new narrow chassis 15E Aisle-Master model
facility of parent company Combilift in Monaghan, Ireland, and can be cus- tomised for individual requirements. Aisle-Master design engineers also offer a site visit and warehouse layout service and supply free layout propos- als illustrating how to maximise the use of available storage space. Aisle-Master T: 07870 976758
www.aisle-master.com
Enter 363
Adapted pallet truck ensures stability in handling test equipment F
orklift manufacturer Sichelschmidt has supplied a wide gauge pallet truck fitted with a crane jib to a leading
manufacturer of measuring and testing equipment which needed substantial reach capacity and stability when feed- ing extremely large components to the testing plant. Sichelschmidt’s designers took a wide gauge model
from the d 500 series, the d 516 with a nominal capacity of 1,600 kg, as a basis for the truck before adapting it for the application. A shorter mast to enable lift heights of 1,900mm was fitted to the base unit, and a longer than standard crane jib – 3,230mm rather than 1,200mm – was mounted onto the fork carriage to achieve a load centre of 3,000mm with a 1,000kg capacity. Wide gauge pallet trucks characteristically offer a high level of stability and are a popular choice for high lift applications. They are also often used for the handling non palletised loads, in conjunction with attachments
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such as bale tongs, barrel clamps or rotating and tilting devices. The wide distance between the wheel arms of Sichelschmidt’s pallet truck/crane combination is said to guarantee extreme stability and consequently the straightforward picking up and setting down of loads. The frequency regulated and energy efficient ASM AC drive enables the operator to have precision control for exact positioning of the load. This was important to the customer as the nature of the high-tech testing equipment and components makes careful handling a priority. MD Ralf Sichelschmidt says: “We foresee many more suitable applications for this type of machine: the wide gauge concept is a flexible and efficient system for changing machine tools on production lines for example, or for general plant repair operations.” Sichelschmidt Material Handling
www.sichelschmidt.de
Enter 364 MARCH 2012 Materials Handling & Logistics
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