Safer in the long run
August 1st 2005 NEW FEATURE!
Exclusive Combilift interview with video clip demos and reader offer....
Handling long loads without the right equipment? If so you’re not only putting staff at risk, but also wasting time and money, says Combilift MD, Martin McVicar. Brendan Coyne reports
Handling long loads without proper equipment can be hazardous. Using a standard forklift, the product has to be lifted above and over obstacles – and because the relatively narrow forks are in the middle, the load is prone to rocking – upsetting the truck’s balance. With a standard truck, the operator also has to manoeuvre more, zig zagging through doorways and into position with a through-mast view at least partially obscured by the load. Due to the extra time (not to mention effort) this demands, the driver may then be under more pressure than necessary, consequentially tempted to cut corners to keep on schedule. A quick scan of the HSE’s website shows all too clearly the cost – in both human and financial terms – this kind of scenario can create.
With health and safety being taken increasingly seriously in the UK, Combilift MD, Martin McVicar, says it is becoming one of the main reasons customers are buying its eponymous trucks: “To the extent that it is almost more important than the space saving aspect,” he says. Quite a statement, given the value of space in today’s warehouses. But for Combilift, it’s good for business, because the four-way truck enables space savings as well – up to 50% in some cases, claims McVicar. In addition, by working both indoors and out it reduces double handling – removing the need for two dedicated units, thereby technically halving the number of drivers needed. It’s a compelling combination and sales are currently rising 30% annually.
This year Combilift is on course to ship 1200 (mostly customised) trucks. By comparison the company sold a total of 18 units in its opening year (1998).
Space
The definition of a long load, according to McVicar is anything larger than a pallet. With standard equipment, the problem is that warehouse aisles have to be wider than the product to accommodate it – unless a sideloader (which can't handle pallets) is used. But then a front loader (e.g. counterbalance or narrow aisle truck) is generally needed in conjunction, creating unnecessary extra equipment and driver costs and wasting valuable time. McVicar says a Combilift solves these problems. As part of the package the company also redesigns the customer’s warehouse to match exactly its requirement (it has four in-house dedicated autoCAD warehouse designers). As a result, from space savings alone McVicar (who won Ernst & Young’s emerging entrepreneur award in 2001) claims some clients have achieved ROI in 15 months. Morever, he says, “if you’re halving staff and equipment costs, you’re getting immediate payback” .
Safety and economy
A purpose designed warehouse is inherently safer and economical – but not purely through space savings: reduced product damage creates its own economy. Using a Combilift the driver can reverse the product out of the racking and then press a switch to travel sideways. As a result there is no need to turn the truck, lessening the risk to product and racking from premature turning. Eliminating zigzag manoeuvring, and enabling the load to be carried at a low level also means sway is minimised. This is furthered by the 2.2m decklength the load can rest on: “It’s like having a 2.2m fork width,” says McVicar. “And because the operator doesn’t have to look through the mast, his view is clear – reducing the odds of an accident.”
Healthy operators
The Combilift is designed to meet both stringent US and European safety standards. Because US requirements are higher than European equivalents, the truck is “over engineered” in terms of health and safety, according to McVicar. For example, the latest North American EPA standard led the company to add a three-way catalytic converter and enclosed loop fuel system. “That combination on a propane engine,” says McVicar, “means the carbon emissions are virtually zero.” Diesel trucks can also be fitted with particle purifiers if required.
Future
The range currently covers 2.5 tonnes to 12 tonne capacities, but McVicar says Combilift will launch two more products in the next two years – not necessarily just extensions of its current range. While Handling & Storage solutions has had a glimpse of a prototype unit, the company is understandably keen to keep its latest development under wraps. Suffice to say Combilift has not wasted the 10% of turnover it spends on R&D. “If it is possible engineering-wise, we can build it,” says McVicar. Companies handling long loads may well benefit from putting his claim to the test.
READER OFFER
HSS & Combilift are offering every reader the opportunity to have a full handling evaluation completely free of charge. This will include site evaluation, after which a written proposal – complete with layout drawings – will be provided.
In addition Combilift will support its recommendations with an on-site demo or a visit to one of its nine hundred trucks working in the UK.
To register your interest, click on the 'Enquire Direct' link below. More articles from Combilift Limited: | 
