NEWS

INTRODUCING ARMADILLO: THE NEW PROTECTIVE PRODUCT RANGE THAT’S THE “HARD HAT” FOR YOUR IRONWORK

LEADING designer, manufacturer and supplier of specialist products for the civil engineering industry Wrekin Products has created Armadillo – an innovative range of products that benefit contractors, housebuilders and the general public alike.

It’s common practice for manhole covers and gully grates to be installed in the early stages of construction projects, well before the final tarmac is laid. This either means that the products are installed proud of the binding layer and are, therefore, susceptible to being damaged by construction traffic, or if installed level with the binding layer, must be entirely dug out and effectively installed again if damaged. Both of these scenarios would mean additional time worked, costs incurred and potential complications.

Additionally, manhole covers are also specified for the final traffic environment, which means group four D400 covers are commonly installed. However, during the construction phase they are exposed to extreme loads from group five vehicles, including heavy plant and tracked vehicles, which the covers aren’t designed to accommodate. Again, this can result in premature failure and additional costs in materials and labour to put them right before handover.

The Armadillo range of protector shells are designed to be placed over manhole covers and gully grates, providing temporary protection from group five traffic during the construction phase of a project. This ensures manhole covers and gully grates start their service life in ‘as new’ condition to optimise longevity. * Armadillo manhole cover protector shell is compatible with both Wrekin Highway and Tristar manhole covers * Armadillo gully grate protector shell is compatible with Wrekin Tristar gullies

The Armadillo manhole cover protector shell is also compatible with Wrekin’s patented ClickLift™, which raises Wrekin Highway and TriStar frames to suit the final surface layer without the need for digging out and reinstalling.

The cover and the frame are installed at the binding layer level, thereby reducing the possibility of site damage and then, when the final surface layer is being applied, the manhole cover can be raised with the ClickLift™ frame extender simply and quickly. Together, these products perfectly package up to create a solution that saves house builders and groundworkers time and money – allowing them to completely focus on the task at hand.

Gosia Kwapisz, Product Manager at Wrekin Products, said: “We know that for developers and groundworkers time and money is at a premium, which is why we’re constantly pushing ourselves to create new and innovative solutions to the everyday problems that can present themselves during a construction project.

“The premature need for replacement or reinstallation of manhole covers and gully grates is an issue we’ve recognised as having a massive impact on the industry due to the disruption and additional costs it causes. A contributing factor to this, and something that’s often overlooked when specifying products for developments, is the damage heavy plant and site vehicles can cause and how it impacts a product’s longevity before it’s started its actual service life.

“The new product has also been specifically designed to present only smooth faces to traffic – making it less likely to cause damage to site or residents’ vehicles.”

Gosia added: “The Armadillo range also provides assurance and confidence to contractors that there won’t be a need to replace damaged manhole covers or gully grates at the end of construction, enabling them to remove contingencies for replacement items and saving on the overall tender cost – making prices more competitive.

This range delivers a new approach to managing manhole covers and gully grates during construction which not only provides benefits to those who interact with the product but also unlocks the key to longevity of service too. The unique designs are reusable, so contractors can move them on to other phases or future projects. We’re proud to have created Armadillo and look forward to seeing it utilised on sites across the country.”

For more information on Wrekin Products, please visit www.wrekinproducts.com.

NEED TO HIRE A HOIST? LET HOIST & WINCH LIFT THE BURDEN

Alongside its wide portfolio of lifting and handling equipment for sale, Hoist and Winch Ltd is currently promoting its extensive know-how and experience in the hire market. The company is an expert in turnkey hire projects involving air- and electric-powered hoists, overseeing installation, commissioning, testing and certification tasks as part of a complete service package that provides genuine market differentiation.

Through its turnkey offer, Hoist & Winch expertly advises customers on the most suitable equipment for their lifting requirements, making precise arrangements to ensure safe and reliable operation. This advice is particularly important for air hoists, where the selection of a portable diesel compressor or the checking of plant air supply is necessary. Here, requirements will include specifying the optimal operating pressure, air volume, and hose length and bore size, as well as preparing and lubricating the air supply.

Hoist & Winch completed a notable turnkey hire project over the recent Christmas period. A customer within the building materials industry hired a special 12t swl (safe working load), twin air-powered, trolley-based air hoist for lifting and replacing a large gear weighting 9t. This type of hoist was necessary to spread the 9t load over a greater distance of the monorail beam bottom flange than a standard hoist trolley arrangement would allow.

The project was unusual in that Hoist & Winch had to first load, test and certify the monorail beam using two separate 6t swl air hoists and trolleys to support its uprating from 5t swl to the 9t load. This work was essential before the 9t gear lifts could take place for two reasons. Firstly, the special 12t swl, twin air-powered trolley hoist was not designed for negotiating the curved monorail beam section present just after the test load pick-up point. In addition, the consultant engineer’s calculations showed that the curved monorail beam section was not suitable for bearing the 11.25t proof test load. As a result, the proof test load travelled past the curved monorail beam section separately and divided equally between the two individual 6t swl air hoists/trolleys. In a further project challenge, all hoist unit side and headroom dimensional clearances were very tight and critical.

From initial consultation and equipment specification - through installation, commissioning and testing - to issuing the LOLER report, delivering handover training and providing maintenance support for the eightweek hire period, Hoist & Winch acted as the technical partner at every stage of the project. This customer, like all of the company’s customers, find that the turnkey hire service from Hoist & Winch provides assurance of a highperformance, safety-certified solution delivered on-time and on-budget. Hoist & Winch points out that the option also exists for customers to hire stand-alone air- and electric-powered hoists for installation by their own competent personnel, if preferred.

Visit www.hoistandwinch.co.uk for further information and to view recent case studies.

AMAZON ORDERS FLEXI TRUCK FLEET FOR ITS DUBAI FULFILLMENT CENTRE

Amazon has ordered a fleet of six Flexi Truck articulated forklift trucks for its DXB3 fulfillment centre in Dubai Logistics City, UAE.

The e-commerce site launched in the UAE in May 2019 and, spread over 32,700 square metres and stocked with more than 4 million products, the DXB3 site is Amazon’s largest fulfillment centre facility in the country with in excess of 650 staff employed there.

Amazon’s new Flexi Trucks feature digital electric motor technology that allows independent twin front-wheel drive, hydraulic functions and the truck’s unique power-steering motor to be controlled digitally - ensuring the most productive, energy-efficient and safe driving performance throughout the working day.

The control systems at the heart of the Flexis deliver higher productivity combined with significantly reduced operating and maintenance costs, while the trucks’ VNA functionality and ability to work both inside and outside the building, make it the ideal choice for Amazon’s UAE operation.

Operational efficiency at the Dubai facility is further enhanced thanks to an integrated lead-acid battery charging solution that dramatically reduces Amazon’s overall energy consumption.

Featuring ‘call-forward’ alert technology to identify the most appropriate fully charged battery when a change is due, the charge system allows Amazon to operate with only two batteries per truck on a three shift usage pattern to minimise materials handling fleet running costs.

Flexi Trucks are built at hubs in the UK and Taiwan by Narrow Aisle Ltd. International sales account for some 40 percent of Narrow Aisle’s business and a global network of partners provides a full range of after sales support services to Flexi Truck users in some 63 countries worldwide.

Narrow Aisle Ltd’s managing director, John Maguire, commented: “The Flexi Truck’s iconic articulated design is ideally suited to the modern fulfillment centre operation. Flexi Trucks save space, increase productivity and allow safe access to any stacking aisle at all times.

“The Flexi’s ability to work in very narrow aisles means 30% more pallet and shelving locations can be designed into storage systems compared with traditional wide aisle operations while comparison tests have highlighted that Flexis are 25 per cent more productive during a typical shift.

“To achieve optimum online order fulfillment performance it is important to deploy the most suitable materials handling equipment and the Flexi Truck articulated forklift-based intralogistics solution delivers hugely improved productivity and increased safety for warehouse staff as they carry out a range of customer order picking duties at lower levels and at the same time Flexis can stack and replenish in complete safety at height within warehouse aisles.”

www.flexi.co.uk

High Efficiency Drying or Cooling of Bulk Solids The Bella dryer/cooler offers thermal efficiencies to 80 percent or better because air flows around material while it is suspended in the weightless zone. The result is a more consistent material.

Dynamic Air Ltd. • +44 (0)1908 622344 www.dynamicair.com

SNACK PRODUCER REDUCES FLEET SIZE AND MAKES EFFICIENCY GAINS WITH TOYOTA FORKLIFTS

Toyota Material Handling UK has helped the award-winning premium snack producer, Burts Snacks, to reduce intralogistics costs and achieve significant handling efficiency gains across its business.

During a review of the company’s materials handling operation, Toyota identified that by replacing counterbalance machines with multi-functional reach trucks capable of operating outside a building, Burts Snacks could not only reduce the number of forklifts within its fleet - with a resultant drop in maintenance expenditure – but also boost productivity and improve on-site safety.

Burts Snacks manufactures its growing range of own-brand, licensed and private label snacks from sites in Plymouth and Leicester. At both facilities Toyota recommended switching counterbalance trucks for Toyota Reflex outdoor reach trucks.

The Toyota Reflex outdoor reach truck has greater ground clearance than traditional models, which along with rubber wheels with tread and a revised gearbox configuration, allows it to work in yards, block-stacking, servicing outdoor racking and loading and unloading vehicles from the side.

It can also perform inside a building and at Burts Snacks’ Plymouth site, the trucks are fitted with Kooi extra long forks with fork cameras to allow pallet loads to be put away within the storage unit’s double deep racking scheme.

In addition Toyota provided a mix of electric counterbalance models, powered pallet trucks and order pickers.

The equipment at both sites has been supplied on a long-term rental contract that includes service and maintenance.

Burts Snacks’ warehouse manager, Daniel Cresswell, originally approached Toyota to supply new, ultra energy efficient trucks to replace a number of existing electric-powered counterbalance models that had been under utilised for some time and were nearing the end of their fixed contract period.

“After seeing the Toyota proposition for our fleet, it was a simple decision for us,” Daniel Cresswell says.

All of Burts Snacks’ new machines feature Toyota’s I_Site integrated telematics package as standard. The I_Site system allows truck operating hours to be closely monitored along with battery utilisation across the fleet. This feature has been particularly beneficial at the Plymouth site where the trucks are powered by a combination of Nexus fast charge, lithium-ion and lead acid batteries.

“The I_Site system monitors the forklift’s battery and highlights if the power source is being managed incorrectly. For example, if a lead acid battery is opportunity charged, this can cause significant implications to the battery. The I_Site technology can identify this before any harm is done,” says Mr Cresswell.

I_Site also provides valuable data on the efficiency and safety of Burts Snacks’ lift truck operators, as Daniel Cresswell explains: “Because each operator requires his or her own PIN code or smart access card to operate a truck, they quickly realise that they are accountable for their actions during the course of a shift. We find that this accountability prompts forklift drivers to take more care when going about their daily routine, which of course, in turn, results in a safer environment and reduced product, truck or building infrastructure damage.”

Keep up-to-date with Toyota:

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Find out more about us on our Blog www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk/ blog

THE POWER OF DESIGN

Introducing the materials handling industry’s first-ever purpose-designed lithium-ion powered pallet truck (PPT) – the 1600kg capacity Toyota BT Levio LWI160.

Thanks to the unique modular, compact lithium-ion battery solution, it has opened the possibility to re-think design standards of material handling equipment. The result, a truck with optimised component position, smaller dimensions, light weight, and low energy consumption. How have they been able to achieve this? Unlike standard powered pallet truck designs, the battery compartment has been removed. Because of this the truck is lighter and, with no lifting or lowering of a battery compartment, it is much more energy efficient, leading to maximum uptime and reduced CO2 emissions.

Losing the battery compartment also means that the LWI160 is smaller than traditional lead-acid battery-powered PPT models: it is just 419mm long and 726mm wide and weighs only 269kg – which is almost 50 per cent less than the lead-acid version.

The dramatic reductions in the truck’s dimensions and weight mean that a low steering force is required, which makes the new model easy to manoeuvre and, therefore, ideal for use within lorries and mezzanine floors or at sites where space is at a premium, such as retail stores.

The new LWI160 offers outstanding slope performance - when operating on inclines is required, and the truck’s compact measurements mean that the operator has an unrestricted view of the fork tips and the pallet load, which reduces the risk of accidental damage to goods.

For optimum operational flexibility, lithium-ion batteries can be fully charged anywhere there is a power socket, utilising the onboard charger, which in just over an hour can be fully recharged. And where a larger battery is preferred, external chargers are available, but again can be recharged in just over an hour.

Like all models in the Toyota warehouse equipment range, the Levio LWI160 is fitted with Toyota’s I_Site telematics technology. I_Site provides valuable data to ensure productivity and safety are optimised while forklift fleet running costs are kept to a minimum.

Toyota Material Handling UK’s Keith Smith, commented: “Our modular approach to lithium-ion batteries has opened the door for a fresh new approach to the design of materials handling equipment. The LWI160 boasts advances in technology and design, whilst remaining true to what our customers expect from Toyota. A strong, durable, quality product”

The LWI160 has won prestigious Red Dot and iF awards for its ground-breaking design.

Find out more about the LWI160 powered pallet truck at www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk