One of Yale’s oldest UK customers is benefiting from improved efficiency and reliability after taking delivery of a new fleet of counterbalance forklift trucks more than 50 years after ordering their first vehicle from the company.
Heras UK Fencing Systems in Doncaster bought a pedestrian tow truck from Yale in 1956 and still use it every day to transport loads of up to two tonnes around the factory.
The 53-year-old Yale tow truck now works alongside five new electric and diesel-powered Yale counterbalance forklifts supplied by the Doncaster branch of Forkway Limited, a key Yale Authorised Dealer in England. To ensure maximum uptime and enhanced productivity for the steel fence making company the entire forklift truck fleet has a full maintenance and service contract.
Arthur Street, purchasing manager for Heras, explains why he chose Yale. “Although the tow truck is the oldest piece of equipment we have in the whole company, it is the most reliable truck we have ever had,” he said.
“It has been used all day every day for 53 years and has never once let us down, even having to work on uneven surfaces such as cobbled floors and disused railway lines which ran through our previous factory. When we moved premises in 1999 it was vital that this piece of machinery came with us, whereas most other machinery was replaced.”
The tow truck is used to transport trolleys carrying steel parts weighing one to two tonnes around the factory and makes between 12 and 20 journeys a day, even pulling a skip on some journeys.
The company manufactures a wide range of steel fencing for the industrial and commercial sectors and having a reliable fleet of trucks is essential in maintaining the efficiency of the business.
The tow truck works so well that Heras have not even considered replacing it yet, and its proven reliability and longevity made Yale the obvious choice when its fleet of forklifts needed upgrading.
“Our trucks are constantly on the go lifting very heavy steel components in every area of the factory, as well as finished goods, so it’s really important we have a fleet we can rely on. Having had Yale before we knew that the new trucks would be reliable and durable.
“Forkway also offered us the best value for money and the best overall deal. The contract came with their excellent aftercare service, including a monthly fleet management review to ensure the agreed overall package we purchased is being delivered and to arrange any necessary maintenance work.”
Arthur said: “Forkway impressed us with the effort they put into finding the best deal for us. They had the best approach when it came to identifying our needs. Specifically we required a new fleet that could perform a variety of different operations with a maximum load of three tonnes and a maximum reach height of four and a half metres. They put significant effort into a site survey for us and assessing what combination of trucks was needed to maximise our fleet productivity and flexibility.”
Forkway identified that a combination of counterbalance forklift trucks would best meet Heras’ needs. The fleet comprised one 3.0 tonne electric and Veracitor VX 2.5, 3.0 and 4.0 tonne counterbalance forklift trucks, some fitted with telescopic forks.
The fleet is used to deposit steel parts in racking both in and outside of the warehouse, transport finished materials, take material to the galvaniser, load 40-foot trailers and delivery vehicles, and transport steel internally around the factory.
Gary Hawkhead, regional sales and marketing director at Forkway, was responsible for providing Heras with the correct fleet for their business as well as the most competitive package and oversees the team managing the continual maintenance and service contract. He said: “Forkway didn’t just deliver a fleet of trucks to Heras, we delivered a solution. We concentrate on introducing equipment with enhanced specification to deliver greater efficiency and improved reliability to the customer, with overall focus on uptime.”
For further details on all of the trucks within Yale’s electric and internal combustion engine counterbalance forklift trucks, and to find your nearest Yale forklift truck dealer, log on to www.yale-forklifts.eu.
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to find your nearest Yale forklift truck dealer, log on to www.yale-forklifts.eu.
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