Safety first at Stokvis
June 1st 2010 Andy Georgiou, gm at Stertil Stokvis looks
closely at the details,a company-wide
approach leading to innovative products
such as the Combilok
Getting goods in and out of the warehouse may have
started simply, just pull a lorry up, throw down some
wood as a bridge and start unloading. But we've come a
long way since those days and to continue to progress, companies
must look closely at the details, says Andy Georgiou, general
manager at supplier of dock equipment Stertil Stokvis.
Georgiou says: "We try to understand what our clients want
and thoroughly understand the building and how the yard
approaches the loading bay.We look at the incline, the structure
of the building, cladding, what kind of vehicles are used and the
tallest and lowest bed heights. Once you integrate that
information you can provide a solution."
A specific example of this focus on detail and problem solving
is the development of the Combilok (pictured above). This is a
vehicle restraint system providing enhanced safety at loading bays
while loading and unloading is in progress. Stertil says
communication between the vehicle driver and the loading
personnel in such situations can be poor, leading to the risk of
accidents if the vehicle were to drive away when loading or
unloading is in progress.
"The issue of safety around the loading bay is key. How do you
stop vehicles pulling away?" asks Georgiou. "A traffic light should
do it, but people still pull away even with a red light.We feel
you've got to lock the vehicle in position.
"Also people often don't take vehicle creep into account.With
fork lifts moving heavy loads in and out of the truck, it may not
take much to create accident."
In operation, the wheel block moves forward, powered by a
hydraulic ram. A built-in sensor automatically stops the blocking
arm in the correct position in front of the vehicle's rearmost
wheel. It then extends in front of the wheel and is pushed back
against it at a constant pressure. The Combilok prevents the
vehicle from driving away until it is released by an operative
within the loading bay.
"Most accidents happen outside with people moving around
vehicle, with accidents on the dock leveller itself also common.
The Combilok lessens the danger of these because it is operated
from inside the dock and operates automatically."
Stertil has already had a significant level of success with the
Combilok, with 245 supplied to retail giant Next, for example.
Another innovation that draws on Stertil's attention to detail is
its patented parallelogram lip dock leveller, which was developed
in the company's Netherlands-based R&D department.
All dock levellers need a crown angle between the platform and
the lip: this allows the lip to sit on the vehicle bed without
dangerous edges sitting up when above dock. The greater the
crown angle, the wider the range of vehicles that can be served by
the dock leveller. An effective crown angle results in a much lower
level of impact on materials handling equipment and can cut
maintenance costs by half. However, if the crown angle is too
great, it can result in smaller vehicles, such as power-operated
electrical pallet trucks (POEP's) or roll cages, tipping over and
causing load spillage or, worse, injury to operators.
Georgiou explains the benefits of the parallelogram lip dock
leveller: "It works on a similar principle to an angle poise lamp
and keeps the angle of the lip steady. It lessens damage to
equipment and removes one possible cause of spills.
"We have sold the dock levellers to Waitrose, which had
problems with roll cages carrying milk."
Georgiou sees an opportunity in operations where companies
are under pressure to minimise breakages, such as biscuit
manufacturers as well as supermarkets in residential areas,
because the smooth transition is relatively quiet.
Looking closely at the detail once again, Stertil has developed
the WI 300 series of inflatable dock shelters in a bid to help
customers deploy double deck vehicles. As they are inflatable, the
dock shelters can be etxended to cope with trucks of a variety of
height, in each case providing virtually airtight contact.
"This saves having devoted bays for different vehicles," says
Georgiou. "Royal Mail has been a major customer of this product
over the last two years as it has replaced old dock shelters."
Stertil is also focused on minimising consumable costs for
customers. Dock bumpers can quickly wear out creating
maintenance headache and ongoing cost. In repsonse, Stertil has
created the PE dock bumper.
Georgiou explains: "The conventional rubber bumper can
erode quickly. So we created the PE bumper, which is made of
polyethylene, which creates less friction than a rubber bumper.
"Also, the PE has no studs. Instead the fixings are in a metal
casing.When damage occurs in the corners, you can rotate the
bumpers to get longer life from
them." More articles from Stertil UK Ltd: | 
