Loading flexibility
February 1st 2007 If you are facing a particular challenge in the loading bay area, the chances are chase Equipment will be able to supply a specialist solution. Charlotte Stonestreet reports In these days of cheap materials handling equipment from the Far East, it's becoming more unusual to hear from a British company that is succeeding on the merits of a quality product range that is designed, manufactured, installed and serviced completely in-house. But this is the message from loading bay equipment specialists, Chase Equipment. Formed in 1923 to manufacture stillages, Chase has been producing scissor lifts and loading bay solutions for the past 30 years. "One of the company's very first mobile yard ramps is still regularly used as part of our hire fleet," says managing director. Derek Sweeney. "It just goes to show the quality and longevity of the product – it's well engineered and carries on doing the job it was designed for long past customer expectations." Meeting the challenge Although Chase does supply a complete loading bay package, according to Sweeney it is in the niche areas where more challenging solutions are required that the company really excels. "On large, new-build projects it's a low initial cost rather than long term reliability and service that tends to take priority. This is a very busy and price competitive market: customers often think that one dock leveller or shelter is pretty much the same as the next, a standard commodity, but this is simply not the case. Opting for the cheapest solution, rather than one that has been properly engineered, can lead to premature product failure and higher costs in the long term." Typical of the durable, problem solving products from Chase is the Modular Loading Dock. In effect a type of industrial mezzanine, it is used to provide a raised dock area where there is no loading bank to accommodate the height of the vehicle. Suitable for use inside or outside the building, the system speeds up the logistics operation in standard industrial units to match that in more expensive purpose built distribution centres. The modular nature of the system means that it can be designed to incorporate a range of equipment – such as dock levellers, ramps and scissor lifts – to suit the individual application, as well as built to a specific size or shape. Extra pieces of equipment can also be retro-fitted at a later date to accommodate changing loading needs. "As well as helping to turn a basic industrial unit into a distribution unit, installing the Modular Loading Dock does not require the permanency of concrete," says Sweeney. "This means it can be easily moved, which is particularly beneficial if a user needs to change sites at the end of a lease or as a result of unforeseen circumstance changes such as growth, or floods/fire. "It also offers increased flexibility as far as the original application is concerned. With the best will in the world, no matter how well planned the logistics flow is on paper, once an operation is up and running it will often need 'tweaking' to achieve optimum performance. The Modular Loading Dock can be easily moved that extra metre that had not been considered necessary at the planning stage. We've even been asked to move a unit from one end of a facility to the other when one of our customers realised that their operation was completely the wrong way round!" Another benefit of using equipment from Chase is the improvements that can be brought about in terms of health and safety. Sweeney points to increasingly stringent regulations in this area driving demand for the company's mobile loading platforms, in particular. "Where customers are receiving lorries packed with non-palletised goods, mobile loading platforms offer a cost-effective way to reduce manual handling and speed up vehicle turnaround," he says. "Although this is generally supplied as a standard product, we will customise the platforms with more safety features if the customer wants. As well as handrails on units that are used extensively by pedestrians, we have modified ramps by incorporating cages at one end to protect workers from falling boxes. "We can also manufacture ramps in special widths or capacities to suit exceptional loads. For example, we have produced ramps with a 17t capacity to load the army's Green Goddess fire trucks on to low loaders – and provided training for 30 operators." Customer service Of course, as well as having a quality product range, in order for any company to succeed in the long term it must practice the highest standards of customer service – something that is a priority at Chase. As well as liaising closely with customers at all stages of a contract up to the point where equipment is installed and commissioned, the company also provides comprehensive after sales service and maintenance through its own team of highly trained engineers, based throughout the UK. "Our motto here at Chase is 'delivering our commitments'. And, from returning a 'phone call as soon as possible, through making sure that a product is installed on time and working properly, to ensuring that we provide the best maintenance, it's a philosophy we really believe in," concludes Sweeney. If you are facing a particular challenge in the loading bay area, the chances are chase Equipment will be able to supply a specialist solution. Charlotte Stonestreet reports More articles from Chase Equipment Limited: | 
