Taking safety seriously

Trelleborg’s premium range of tyres features an orange line that reveals itself when there is 100 hours of usage left.

Forklifts are fundamental in the logistics and warehouse environment, one of the most utilised pieces of equipment, they are a powerful tool that aid the movement of and storage of goods efficiently and safely. However, one of the industry’s most critical questions is knowing when a solid/resilient forklift tyre has reached the manufacturer’s maximum wear limit and needs to be replaced.

“Not knowing exactly when these tyres need to be replaced has been costing the industry thousands of dollars in replacing tyres that could still have usable of tread rubber on them,” Paul Hansen, Sales Director, Trelleborg Wheel Systems Australia says. Solid/resilient tyres are often replaced with up to 25 per cent of their tread rubber remaining simply because the tread pattern has been worn off. Once the tread disappears, there is usually an argument between different departments regarding when it

Some solid/resilient forklift tyres are either being replaced too early or too late, Paul Hansen at Trelleborg Wheel Systems Australia says. But what if there was a 100 per cent accurate way to indicate when they need replacing?

should be replaced. “Safety have their agenda of being as safe and compliant as possible and operations need to make sure everything is running as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible,” Paul says.

This ambiguity leads to customers replacing tyres before the manufacturer’s maximum wear point is reached, effecting the total cost of ownership of the tyre.

This has a number of issues, firstly there is the cost of replacing tyres too early when there are more operational hours of use to be gained, secondly there is the environmental impact of putting a tyre into landfill or similar when it could still be used. Thirdly there is the very serious safety issue of keeping tyres on the forklift after they should be replaced.

Trelleborg Wheel Systems has developed a solution to completely remove the ambiguity around when a solid/resilient forklift tyre needs to be replaced. The ‘Pit Stop Line’, incorporated into Trelleborg’s premium range of solid/resilient tyres in 2014, features a highly visible orange line that is embedded into the tyre. The line reveals itself around the surface of the tyre to let operators know that it should be replaced within the 100 hours of usage, eliminating the risk of replacing tyres too early or too late. “We wanted to ensure customers had a visual indication of when the tyre was approaching its maximum wear life, with enough time to program in the replacement so as to reduce downtime to a minimum,” Paul says. “This ensures that our customers have received maximum value for their money.” Since launching the solution here in Australia Paul says the reception has been fantastic. “Trelleborg tyres manufactured with the Pit Stop Line are a must have for any organisation that takes safety seriously and wants to realise the lowest operating costs when it comes to tyres on their material handling equipment.” ■