Advances in lifting equipment in recent years have made warehouses much safer places to work. Materials handling has become more secure, while aerial platforms and scissor lifts have revolutionised working at height. Yet even allowing for all this progress, incorrect manual handling is still one of the most common causes of workplace injuries. Over a third of injuries at work are caused by frequent and heavy lifting and handling. Risk can be removed, or at least reduced, by lifting and handling aids, thus keeping workers healthy and at work.
This article was first published in the April 15th 2021 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.
Hats off to Konecranes, which has supplied a material handling system, incorporating an S-series crane, at ABB Limited’s Drives Service Workshop (DSW) in Coalville, Leicestershire, representing the first installation of the new generation S-series model in the UK. The system supplied comprises a 16.1 m span overhead single girder gantry and a 3.29 t SWL S-series electric rope hoist. Operated via a radio remote controller, the crane has cross and long travel speeds of up to 20 m/min and a hoisting speed of up to 3.1 m/min, with a 4.29 m height of lift.
More good work at Lifting Gear Hire (LGH), which has taken its 5,000th order, as the company aligns closer with sister business Rotrex Winches. Rotrex will retain its own identity as a long-standing company that boasts one of Europe’s largest hire fleets of winching equipment, ranging in capacity from 100kg to 200t. LGH, meanwhile, offers a breadth of lifting and rigging solutions, including hoists, jacks, material handling and safety systems.
Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd (RSS) is stocking JD Neuhaus’s (JDN) new range of food grade Mini air hoists. Since securing a partnership with JDN UK, RSS, a supplier of lifting and rigging equipment, has offered its pneumatic and hydraulic hoists, crane systems, and components, manufactured at headquarters in Germany, principally for use in extreme environments. It has added to the portfolio a product for lifting in areas that require extreme cleanliness and hygiene, such as the food and beverage sector.
Knapp UK approached Advanced Handling on behalf of their customer, who had an auto-bagging machine on-site they needed to refill with reels and rolls of packaging. Advanced Handling modified two of their standard 260kg capacity Electric Freedom Plus Stacker to make it the perfect solution to lift the end customer’s refill reel which measured 1,200mm W with a diameter of 318mm and a capacity of 85kg per roll.
Knapp UK’s customer can now lift, handle and transport their rolls to the auto-bagging machine as well as feed the roll directly onto the spindle with ease when it’s been manoeuvred into the correct position. This not only has reduced a two-person task to a one-person task, but it has also dramatically reduced the risks associated with manual handling in the workplace.
It is encouraging to see the lifting operators delivering innovative solutions while meeting safety standards.
George Simpson
Features Editor
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