One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of timber doors has recently taken delivery of a new fleet of state-of-the-art Yale® forklifts after awarding another major contract to the Forkway Group.

Forkway and Premdor deal In an industry where quality and trust is paramount, Premdor are considered to be unparalleled market leaders in door innovation, and one of the best-known joinery brands amongst construction professionals and consumers. Built in 1992, Premdor’s 410,000ft² main manufacturing facility and warehouse in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, is the largest such facility in Europe and is home to over 400 employees.

Forkway and Yale are key to Premdor success

As Forkway has worked with Premdor for nearly a quarter of a century, it is well placed to provide clear guidance on which products are most suited to them.  According to Forkway Group Director, Richard Greaves, the unique working partnership was a key factor in securing the new deal.  “This is the fourth contract we have been awarded by Premdor in what is undoubtedly a high-intensity environment, and where service and performance levels are key”, commented Richard. “For over 20 years we have employed a resident engineer to work full time on the site which has resulted in reduced downtime and a far better understanding of Premdor’s operational needs.

Regular meetings and open dialogue ensure that any issues or potential problems can be dealt with quickly, a case in point being the downturn in the building industry in 2008 which, after a number of discussions, led to a complete restructure of the forklift fleet to cater for the changes in demand; and a significant financial saving for Premdor”.

Forkway recommended a fleet of Yale forklifts which offer the productivity gains that Premdor were looking for while keeping running costs down.

The fleet comprises 33 Yale forklifts, and are predominantly 2.5 and 3 tonne capacity LPG machines from the award winning Veracitor VX range. These trucks were selected because they are ideally suited to the demanding challenges of the Premdor multi-shift operation. All feature Techtronic transmission and an auto deceleration system (ADS), which automatically slows the truck when the throttle pedal is released. This action minimises brake usage, operator fatigue and reduces associated brake and tyre replacement costs.

Further tyre and fuel cost savings are achieved through controlled direction changes and most importantly, an anti-rollback feature, which was crucial for Premdor as the trucks operate on inclines.

Premdor launched its Health and Safety programme, TARGET ZERO, in 2012 to achieve a target number of ZERO accidents and injuries throughout the manufacturing facility and according to Chris Reed, Premdor Warehouse Manager, “Forkway took on board what we are striving to achieve and once again worked with us in specifying equipment that is perfectly suited to Premdor’s operational and safety needs.

“Prior to awarding contracts, we looked at other major manufacturers, and had machines on demonstration, but it was ultimately the flexible approach and partnership we enjoy with Forkway and the outstanding benefits of the Yale products that won them the business for fourth time. We have the right product from Yale, excellent service from the resident engineer and a relationship built on trust”.

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