FEATURE LIFT TRUCKS
WAREHOUSE SOLUTION saves costs and cuts downtime
Expansion of its intralogistics processes resulted in a plastic product supplier constructing a warehouse served by narrow aisle trucks equipped with wire guidance technology
W
ith over 50 sites in operation across Europe, RPC is a leading supplier of
rigid plastic packaging products and plastic containers. At its Blackburn plant the company produces injection- moulded and injection blow-moulded containers that are used to store products from paint to chocolate, fresh soup and ready-meal snacks. In addition to a state-of-the-art
manufacturing unit the site features two storage facilities: one houses products that are at the ‘work in progress’ stage; the other for finished goods. Due to previous growth finished goods were held off site but RPC’s acquisition of a competitor prompted a rethink of the intralogistics processes at Blackburn and it was decided that the company’s needs would be better met by the construction of a new warehouse unit within the boundaries of the main site.
WIRE GUIDANCE The 115,000sq ft finished goods store provides capacity for up to circa 14,000 block stacked pallets and a further circa 2,500 pallet locations in a racking structure designed, supplied and installed by Jungheinrich UK.
The racking is served by a man-up Very Narrow Aisle truck provided by Jungheinrich which takes advantage of wire guidance technology and Jungheinrich’s state of the art personnel
protection system (PPS). Because the forklift trucks in operation at the original off site warehouse required replacing, Jungheinrich supplied RPC with seven gas-powered counterbalanced trucks from its TFG range. Hydrostatic drive engines allow them to accelerate quickly and changes in direction are sleek and smooth, making the trucks ideal for applications involving a lot of shuttling work. In addition, because hydrostatic drive technology has only a few mechanical components the
SIDETRACKERS MAXIMISE STEEL STORAGE CAPACITY
Steel stockholder Abram Pulman and Sons has taken delivery of two additional Sidetracker multi- directional lift trucks and installed narrow-aisle cantilever racking as part of a major investment to increase storage capacity and reduce manual handling at its West Yorkshire premises. The company aims to provide a one-stop-shop service for engineering steel products including plate, tube and bar in a variety of sizes, profiles and specifications; the range is being continually expanded to meet customers’ requirements. Apart from steel plate which has been stored on cantilever racking and handled by a Sidetracker for the past 15 years, stock was previously stored on the floor and moved by a combination of cranes and manual handling. The steel is stored in stillages with the trucks designed to match the fork pocket positions. One machine has been built to work in 1700mm stacking aisles with roller guidance and lift 3600kg at 400mm load centre to the full height of five metres; the other is designed for 2150mm aisles and can lift 3500kg at 625mm load centre to 5.7 metres. Fork designs have been customised to suit the products being handled, one machine has two pairs with a combination of manual and powered spread. The trucks are able to travel in any direction and rotate on their own axes to minimise turning space.
Twin electro-hydraulic motors automatically run singly or together as required via a high torque hydrostatic transmission system to a single high grip drive wheel. Stand-on operation gives drivers good all-round visibility aided by CCTV that allows them to clearly see the position of the forks when handling loads at height.
Sidetracker Engineering T: 01246 810655
www.sidetracker.co.uk Enter 317
The trucks are ideal for applications involving a lot of shuttling work
trucks are low maintenance and easier to service. As a result truck downtime is kept to a minimum and whole life operating costs are low. While the trucks’ engineering quality
and low ongoing maintenance costs were attractive to RPC, the main driver behind the company’s choice of Jungheinrich gas counterbalanced trucks was the savings in fuel costs they bring to the Blackburn operation. At the original store the ageing fleet of gas-powered forklifts had relied on bottled gas for their power but the move to their own purpose-built facility allowed RPC to take advantage of the gas storage tanks at the site to refuel the trucks. “We assessed different lift truck options before settling on the Jungheinrich TFG range,” explains RPC Blackburn’s logistics manager Matt Bulcock. “We were impressed by the engineering quality, performance and reliability of the TFG trucks but the fact that Jungheinrich was able to provide warehouse design CAD support, supply and install our racking, working with our building contractors to effect a timely solution to deliver the project was really valuable.”
Jungheinrich UK T: 01908 363100
www.jungheinrich.co.uk Enter 318
S16 JULY/AUGUST 2014 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS / MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS
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