FEATURE LIFT TRUCKS
HEAVY-DUTY HANDLING T
armac Building Products is the UK’s leading supplier of heavy building
products, providing customers with solutions for a wide variety of construction projects throughout the built environment. Established for more than a century, the company's first UK registered trademark for the Tarmac brand is over 100 years old and still in use with Tarmac Building Products (TBP) today. TBP has successfully grown its operations to service the whole of the UK, providing a wide range of building materials and construction solutions including blocks and mortar, screeds and flooring, grouts, plasters and renders, foundry sands and cement and landscaping products.
ROBUST EQUIPMENT With a strong brand and products TBP required robust equipment to help ensure the materials handling work is carried out successfully. This includes the movement of materials at different sites in the UK using forklift trucks. “Our previous fleet of forklifts was
quite old and out of date and as such we ran a replacement programme to purchase new kit,” explains Bob Godfrey, senior operations manager, blocks.
“These trucks had done quite a few hours and nearing the end of their useful life. It was really a balance between whether we were going to service them or replace them and it was decided the latter was more cost effective.” TBP looked to replace the fleet used to
load and unload products and stock onto distribution lorries for customer deliveries. These would operate at locations around the UK including Sussex and Yorkshire.
ERGONOMIC MACHINES TBP approached several forklift truck providers to gain a good comparison of similar kit but it was Kalmar’s reputation of making high quality, efficient and ergonomic machines that helped TBP come to a final decision. “Our drivers had exposure to more than one type of manufacturers’ truck and trialled each one before giving us their final decision,” continues Godfrey. “It was the familiarity and previous experience of Kalmar machines that made our drivers go for these trucks.” The solution was to supply a fleet of 13
Kalmar medium trucks comprising eight DCG100-6, three DCG140-6 and two DCG120-6 forklifts. Each type is designed to offer benefits for specific
The new fleet offers high performance and manoeuvrability
Construction manufacturer TBC requires robust equipment to ensure its materials handling work is carried out efficiently. A fleet of Kalmar lift trucks has exceeded expectations
environments, making them ideal for loading the range of heavy construction materials used by TBP. The new fleet offers high performance and manoeuvrability for example, all of forklift trucks are equipped with the latest generation Stage IIIB engines for lower fuel consumption. The hydraulic system uses variable pumps for heavy lifting, meaning that energy use is restricted to actual performance while the innovative EGO cabin increases driver comfort and productivity. The timescale from initial enquiry to
acquiring the fleet was around 16 weeks, although the overall process took much longer (nearly two years) owing to company changes. This long period did not affect the service offered by Kalmar and if anything, proved how professional the products and expertise were. TBP is thrilled with its investment and the drivers are particularly pleased with the improved comfort, ergonomics, driveability and safety offered by their new forklifts.
HIGH QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEMS “It’s quite common for operators to like a particular brand of truck and our drivers especially liked Kalmar,” says Godfrey. “Using trucks they are familiar with
means our drivers won’t be compromising on safety. The control systems are very high quality with a smaller turning circle, making the trucks easier and better suited to use in the heavy-duty environments that we have which Kalmar machines are particularly designed for.” He has been impressed with the professional customer service provided by Kalmar and would highly recommend both company and equipment. “One of the reasons we went back to
Kalmar was our previous experience and expectations of them,” concludes Godfrey. “With our recent purchase, the trucks match the service and Kalmar kept us in the picture throughout the order process. Dealing with them has certainly exceeded our expectations. After using different forklift truck manufacturers over the years I would definitely recommend Kalmar over anyone else.”
Cargotec UK T: +44(0)1691 623100
www.kalmarind.co.uk
S10 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS
Enter 304 / MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56