FEATURE LIFTING & MOVING
HANDLING THE TOUGH WOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
or 22 for dusts, or a combination of gas and dust. Any materials handling equipment
used in zoned areas needs to be ATEX 2014/34/EU compliant to legally work in these areas. So, for instance, any forklift truck working within the zoned area would need to be specially converted. Hyster works with explosion protection specialists to convert trucks in accordance with ATEX requirements.
PALLETISED HANDLING When sheets, or machined floorboards, of laminate are complete, they are batched and packaged on the production line, ready for onward distribution. However, as these sheets can be over 2 metres long, this makes the load two pallets wide. “At this stage, we typically see
As handling requirements in the wood production and processing industry become ever more varied, the right equipment and attachments are vital for efficient operations throughout the supply chain
“
Nowadays, when we think about wood applications, this can cover everything
from machined wood to roofing materials, and fibre board to OSB,” says David Reeve, industry solutions manager for Hyster Europe. “This adds complexity to handling operations, as each of these product types presents different challenges. Furthermore, the processing and production of many of these products is actually the result of a long cycle of handling,” says Reeve. “Consider the journey of a laminate floorboard, for example.”
FIRST, IT GETS REEL As re-sourced fibre, wood and paper pulp are combined to produce a flat product which is transferred onto large reels, just like a roll of paper, this presents unique handling challenges. At this early stage, selecting the right lift truck and attachment is vital. It’s not just enough to select a truck that can, in theory, handle the weight of the load. For handling reels, trucks need to use specialist roll clamps, so the weight of the attachment must also be considered. Reels may vary in weight depending on the make-up and density of the product. The size and density of the reel will
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also dictate the choice of clamp. The clamp must deliver enough force to lift the reel, but without a level of pressure that will damage the product. “To ensure applications select the right
option on Hyster trucks, we typically work directly with customers, alongside our sister-company Bolzoni S.p.A., to set the correct pressure for the particular reel of product,” says Reeve. “This is crucial for avoiding damage that may occur when transporting reels to and from the warehouse.”
INTO PRODUCTION Using the correct clamp attachment, reels can be efficiently transported from the warehouse to the production line where product can be printed to resemble natural wood. However, as the sheets coming off the production line must then be plasticised with chemicals to achieve the right finish, there are additional considerations for trucks in the vicinity. For example, due to the vapours
produced by chemicals being used to laminate the wood, and the dust present in the atmosphere, parts of the production line may be zoned areas. For example, Zone 1 or 2 for gases, Zone 21
NOVEMBER 2018 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS
Hyster
www.hyster.eu T: 0800 137 449
Regardless of where the operation sits in within the supply chain, wood handling can be demanding
customers overcoming this challenge by using tough 8-9-tonne Hyster lift trucks with a double pallet handling attachment, enabling handling of 6-tonne loads of laminate,” Reeve explains. “The end location for the packaged laminate will tend to be either a warehouse or a DIY store. Again, these applications have to consider the right truck and attachments for productive handling.”
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH FIBRE BOARD The processes for production of fibre board, OSB and chipboard have many similarities to laminate production, so applications will encounter many similar handling requirements to those already described. However, handling of bundles of panels coming off the production line may call for a different type of attachment – a grabbing adapter. Fibre panels can be especially heavy and large, so this attachment enables more efficient, stable handling than attempting to manage these loads on a pallet. “This shows the importance of
matching the particular type of load with a suitably robust truck and attachment to avoid damage,” Reeve says. “In this example, where much of the product will go on to be made into furniture, damage reduction is essential for keeping overheads down and customers happy.” “Regardless of where the operation sits
within the supply chain, wood handling can be demanding. However, by choosing the right trucks and attachments to meet specific needs, wood applications can reduce damage, increase efficiency and achieve a low total cost of ownership.”
/ MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS
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