Telford Extrusions is part of the Epwin Group, and one of the country’s leading PVC-U extruders. It is making the most of the versatility of the Combilift ST range of stand-on 4-way forklifts to increase available storage space and improve operational efficiency at its manufacturing and distribution centre. From here the company supplies customers across the UK and in Ireland with its comprehensive range of products including roofline, cladding, windows, doors and conservatory roofs.
The previous electric forklifts used at the Telford site had served the company well but were coming to the end of their operational life, and Warehouse Manager Chris Follows was keen to move up a notch when it came to flexibility and space saving in the new undercover extension. The 4-way capability and excellent manoeuvrability of the Combilifts was particularly attractive, as was the possibility to use LPG power as a quicker alternative to the downtime involved when charging batteries.
Chris and Warehouse Supervisor Richard Page had been advised of the launch of Combilift’s ST range by Paul Raymond of Birmingham based Abex Ltd, Combilift’s official distributor in the region, and visited a trade fair for an initial look at the truck. First impressions were very positive, and an evaluation of one model on site for a few months led to an order for six more being placed. The seven 3t capacity ST’s, supplied by Allways Forklift Services, work on a 24/7 basis in the distribution centre, handling 6m long stillages of PVC-U extrusions, lengths of steel varying in size from 2 – 6 m, and packs of aluminium reinforcing.
The previous forklift fleet was not ideal for outside operation, due to the small vulcollan tyres, making for quite a bumpy ride for drivers when negotiating the expansion joints in the yard for example. Combilifts cope easily with uneven surfaces, and the their ability to work outside in harsh weather was demonstrated during heavy snowfalls this winter, when the ST’s continued to load and offload HGV’s in spite of the conditions. Inside, the trucks work in the racking, both with and without guided aisles, stacking to a height of 8m, and their ability to work anywhere on site has given a much greater degree of flexibility.
There are “dozens of benefits” to the Combilift system according to Richard. “LPG power has considerably speeded things up: it now takes just three minutes to fill up from our own on-site gas supply, compared with 20 minutes to change a battery. It is also cheaper to run gas trucks, and the space previously needed for batteries has been freed up and can be used to store product. All trucks are fitted with a 3-way cat, there are no fumes at all and operation is quieter. The ST’s very tight turning circle means that we have also been able to stock more in the same area.”
Combilift’s manufacturer lived up to its slogan of “customised handling solutions” when it delivered the first ST, which was made with a much higher roof than standard to offer better comfort for one of the company’s very tall drivers when standing in the cab. All operators appreciate the easy steering and quick push button changeover to sideways travel, good visibility and excellent manoeuvrability. This has enabled them to work at a quicker pace whilst guaranteeing very safe operations, even in a delivery yard packed with other vehicles.
Chris paid regular visits to Combilift’s plant in Monaghan, Ireland, and followed the progress of the bespoke ST models from the design stage to the final build. He was able to see at first hand the engineering and attention to detail which goes into each finished product, which makes a major contribution to the reliability that the company values from its Combilift fleet. Two other models from the Combilift range are also in operation at the site: an SL from the sideloader series is used in the goods in/out area, and a C3000 takes finished extrusions from the manufacturing facility to the storage area.
Combilift Ltd. Tel UK: 07815 314 990 email: info@combilift.com www.combilift.com
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