DHL solves Heathrow headache
September 1st 2011 Free trial, bespoke design and five year warranty among the highlights as Stertil
Stokvis supplies a loading bay for DHL at Heathrow
Stertil Stokvis has designed a special loading bay solution to
help logistics giant DHL transport catering trolleys to and
from aircraft at London's Heathrow airport. The £500,000
project required the company to design a bespoke solution to
improve the ease and efficiency of the operation which is
undertaken at DHL's Colnbrook facility near Slough.
The first challenge was accommodating the special vehicles
used to transport the trolleys, which feature adjustable-height
bodies and off-centre rear doors. To meet this requirement,
Stertil Stokvis adapted the design of its S type dock levellers by
incorporating a special 1500mm-wide hinged lip on the dock
leveller which is similarly off-set. Due to the small size of the
trolley wheels, it was important that all transition platforms were
smooth and any gaps between different surfaces were minimal.
Within the goods in section of the facility, the installation of
eight S type dock levellers serve a specially-constructed
mezzanine dock. A corresponding series of seven scissor lifts is
then used to lower delivered catering trolleys down to ground
level for washing and re-filling with new loads. Significantly, the
construction of the equipment needed to be especially strong to
withstand constant heavy use, so Stertil Stokvis decided to use
extra-thick box section and sheeting on its scissor lift handrails.
The re-filled trolleys are then transported to the despatch area
for onward delivery to Heathrow airport. At this stage in the
cycle, Stertil Stokvis had to overcome problems caused by an
existing dock height that is significantly lower than the bed
height of DHL's special vehicles. The novel solution is an
installation of another ten S type dock levellers that, again,
incorporate off-set hinged lips but also feature 4500mm long
platforms which provide a shallow slope to simplify manual
loading of the wheeled catering trolleys. The special 'cross traffic
support legs' incorporated into the design of Stertil Stokvis dock
levellers make this construction very stable and inherently safe.
The project saw nine scissor lifts, 18 hinge lip dock levellers, 20
inflatable dock seals, 20 insulated Thermadoors and five highspeed
RapidRoll doors installed.
"We needed a bespoke solution for our particular application,"
explains Warren Cobb, DHL's deputy vice president, construction.
"Following detailed evaluation of our requirements, Stertil Stokvis
provided us with a solution with free trial equipment and
delivered everything they promised. Their flexible and partnering
approach helped things run particularly smoothly and all installed
equipment is covered by a full
five-year warranty." More articles from Stertil UK Ltd: | 
