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J

anuary

2011

83

H

andling

, P

acking

& T

ransportation

Forklifts are an Asset for pipes

Safe material handling in a confined area

TWO Combilift 4-way forklifts are making

light work of Asset International’s long loads

at its plant in Newport, South Wales. The

company is a manufacturer of high density

polyethylene WEHOLITE pipes, which are

used across wide ranging applications such

as storm water storage, sewage treatment,

landfill and highway drainage.

Asset International supplies stock sizes

of 6, 12 and 14m as well as customised

products, and as it also manufactures plastic

pipe with an internal diameter of 3.5m, it was

facing a number of challenges when it came to

manoeuvring finished product around its site.

In a bid to make handling procedures safer

and more streamlined, production manager

Graham Bennett called in experts from South

Wales Industrial Equipment (SWIE).

“We were using a counterbalance forklift

to move pipes from the production facility

to outside storage in the yard,” said Mr

Bennett. “As space is tight in this area the

limited manoeuvrability of this truck made it

complicated and time consuming for drivers

to get loads out of the building. We also

realised that we needed a pretty special

machine to cope with our largest loads,

which weigh around 9 tonnes and can be

up to 25m long. SWIE did a thorough site

survey and their recommendation of the

4-way Combilift trucks has turned out to be

the ideal solution.”

The differing requirements of taking

bundles of standard sized pipes from the

extrusion lines and loading the largest

products onto HGVs for customer delivery

have been addressed by two diesel

powered Combilift models, both of which

were specified by SWIE after analysis of

Asset International’s individual needs.

The dimensions of the C5,000XL

TODAY’S market requires every company

to ensure that the in-plant material flow,

storekeeping and movement of goods

are organised economically. As many

companies continue to experience

considerable pressure on prices and lead

times, the ergonomic planning of in-plant

material flow can lead to an immediate

reduction in costs.

Stierli Bieger AG has developed a new

and unique roll-out material storage system

based on intensive onsite research with a

number of existing customers. The main

advantages of the Stierli Bieger system

model allow it to move easily around the

manufacturing area, and according to

production supervisor Ben Hillman this has

considerably improved operations: “The

beauty of this truck is its ability to work as

a front loader as well as to travel sideways.

The drivers are also very impressed with its

carousel facility and they make good use of

this for optimum manoeuvrability.”

The second truck, one of Combilift’s

largest products, is a C14,000 14-tonne

capacity model that is capable of lifting

loads of 9,000kg at 1,900mm load centres.

With 2,440mm-long forks, wedges fitted

at the end of the decks and a hydraulic

fork spreader, this is a suitable solution

for the stable and safe handling of Asset

International’s extreme loads.

The high ground clearance of both

Combilifts make them suited for the uneven

surfaces around the premises, and the

are the improvement in utilisation of floor

space, tidy and compact storage within

the factory, and fast and safe material

handling.

In addition, downtimes of production

machinery can be minimised, and safe

working practice within the customer’s

company can be considerably improved.

By using this system, the company claims

to avoid the usual risks associated with the

stacking and storage of stock materials.

The number of arms, width clearance,

single or double construction can be

individually selected. The arms can be

robust build copes easily with 24/7 operation

in a tough environment.

“Since we took delivery of the Combilifts

earlier this year, we have seen benefits all

round,” said Graham Bennett. “The 4-way

capability, excellent driver visibility from the

cab and fewer truck movements than before

have improved safety. With a capacity of

1,000 tonnes of product to be shifted every

month, the increased speed at which we

can now operate is a boost not only for us

but also for our customers.”

Combilift 4-way forklifts are designed

and built in Monaghan, Ireland, where the

company also has its HQ and R&D facility.

The current Combilift range encompasses

at least fifteen base models, with capacities

ranging from 2.5 to 25 tonnes, and with a

choice of LPG, diesel or AC electric power.

Combilift Ltd

– Ireland

Fax: +353 47 80501

Email:

info@combilift.com

Website:

www.combilift.com

removed easily and safely by hand. The

synchronised system developed by Stierli

Bieger AG guarantees parallel running of

the arms with a loading capacity of up to

1,500kg/arm. The arms are equipped with

maintenance-free grooved ball bearings.

Additional sheet metal channels or wood

supports can prevent damage.

Stierli Bieger is a manufacturer of roll-out

racks, devices for welding and dressing,

and horizontal bending machines.

Stierli Bieger AG

– Switzerland

Website:

www.stierli-bieger.com

Asset stocks pipes up to 14m long