Case Study Specialist Trucks
The right chemistry
The world’s largest chemical company, BASF, has increased its very narrow aisle (VNA) Yale MTC fleet at its Bradford facility as it looks to provide the most efficient storage and handling solution of hazardous chemicals.
W
ith racking reaching heights of over 13m and aisles of just 1.65m, BASF has a very specific
materials handling equipment requirement for its raw materials and finished prod- ucts warehouse, where there are over 25,000 pallet movements every week. Seven state-of-the-art Yale MTC series VNA trucks operate using a computer- ised order picking system that automati- cally determines the most time and energy efficient route through the racking. Each 80V MTC15 can handle industrial bulk containers or pallets up to 1,500kg transporting them from the racking to marshalling areas at the end of every aisle ready for loading and unloading by electric counterbalance fork lift trucks. BASF’s Craig McAllister, logistics man- ager at the site, explains: “The chemi- cals and materials that are stored in the warehouse are required 365 days a
year as the site must run continuously. Any breaks in supply can be very costly and cause the entire operation to shut down. Our first consideration when replacing the VNA fleet was therefore reliability.”
DEPENDABLE FLEET Yale’s MTC series has been designed with AC technology sealed motors, CANbus technology, and diagnostic capability, which provide increased levels of reliability. Low lifetime cost of owner- ship is achieved through minimised un- scheduled repairs and maintenance. Yale dealer Forkway, working in the UK alongside Briggs Equipment, secured the deal for the seven VNA trucks and is also responsible for the supply and main- tenance of an additional 20 pieces of materials handling equipment on site. Tim Hunter, operations director at Forkway Group, worked with BASF to identify the exact specification of the equipment needed and to recommend a solution that would deliver the performance demanded by the company. He comments: “The solution we provided was based on the best trucks for the specification of the existing warehouse. We identified that the MTC series would offer low cost of ownership, dependability and productivity, combined with operator comfort. “As part of the solution, Forkway specified an energy efficient recharging facility using the most technologically advanced batteries which pump air into the battery cells increas- ing energy efficiency. We also included a planned programme of routine maintenance over five years with a dedicated engineer on site to ensure the trucks work to the optimum productivity delivering maximum uptime.”
60 April 2012 Storage Handling Distribution
www.shdlogistics.com ERGONOMIC DESIGN
Craig McAllister adds: “Another important consideration was the ease of use and comfort for the operators. With a 24-hour shift pattern, split over four shifts, operating trucks in a quiet warehouse in the middle of the night can be very solitary and we needed to maintain optimum efficiency and keep operators focused and alert. “The MTC trucks offer great visibility and ease of operation which all add to the health and safety element of operation. The comfortable seat and easily accessible controls also make operation even smoother and help to reduce operator fatigue.” Joystick controls have been specified as an option on all of the trucks and each one is fitted with an mp3 connection point.
WAREHOUSE EFFICIENCY
Forkway was also instrumental in improving the efficiency of the warehouse and reducing downtime by re-specifying the loops used for the wire guidance of the VNA trucks. Tim Hunt- er continues: “Previously, the wire laid in the warehouse floor was one continuous loop. This meant that all four trucks could be out of opera- tion if a problem occurred. Now, we have laid eight separate loops allowing the isolation of a specific area of the warehouse should a problem ever occur, leaving the remaining areas unaffected and operating as normal.” Craig McAllister concludes: “We have been very pleased with the dependability and reliability of the trucks and have seen through the MTC series how Yale performs better ergonomically. There is better vision for the operators in the cab and the response from them has been very positive.” n
www.yale-forklifts.eu
Looking up: Yale trucks have helped improve warehouse efficiency for BASF.
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 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76