TPi November 2019

Products & developments

Four-way pedestrian solution for tubes and pipes Sanha GmbH & Co KG, founded in 1964, is a European manufacturer of piping systems for the gas, solar, heating, cooling and sanitary sectors. The company’s range of around 8,300 products, made of copper, copper alloys, stainless and carbon steel, are used throughout Europe, Russia, Asia and Australia in domestic and industrial buildings as well as in applications including shipbuilding.

In the warehouse at the company’s headquarters in Essen, Germany, a Combilift Combi-WR4 multidirectional pedestrian reach stacker is now in use to ensure more efficient and faster handling of packs of 6m-long tubes and pipes. The previous combination of a reach truck and manual labour was considered to be less than ideal, and following a re-evaluation of internal transport and storage procedures the management opted for the more manoeuvrable pedestrian option. The reach truck was able to offload deliveries, but once inside thewarehouse

The Combi-WR4 in action

One notable benefit has been the time- saving: it now takes just five minutes instead of fifteen to unload a pack and deposit it in the racking; when a product is scheduled for delivery, the reverse procedure is equally fast. The 1,450kg capacity of the WR4 is a match for the various individual loads, totalling around 1,000kg, that go in and out on a daily basis. The electronic steering and fingertip control of the Combi-WR4 make it easy to use. According to the operators, it copes well around the corners and in areas in the warehouse where there is little room for manoeuvre. A rubber coating applied to the forks eliminates the risk of damage to more fragile products. Due to the relatively low ceiling height of 3m, the machine was fitted with a special mast with a lift cut-off at 2.9m. A common feature of all Combilift pedestrian models is the patented multi- position tiller arm, which can be turned to the left or right to allow the operator to remain at the side of the unit, rather than at the rear as with other pedestrian brands. This provides full visibility of the load, the forks and the surroundings for enhanced safety. It also eliminates any crush risk to the operator when working in narrow aisles. Combilift – Ireland www.combilift.com Sanha GmbH & Co KG – Germany

it got into difficulty, as it could not easily move the long loads around the confined areas between racking. This resulted in operatives having to transfer the packs onto a trolley, pull this into the aisles and then use the forklift again to lift the packs onto the racking.

A demonstration of the WR4 showed that it would improve and simplify the procedure. Its compact dimensions and its ability to access the whole of the storage area has relieved the workforce of manual strain as well as bringing further operational advantages.

info@sanha.com www.sanha.com

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November 2019 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL