A versatile solution
December 1st 2011 BAE Systems has recently taken delivery of a Combilift
Combi-CB forklift which is in operation at its Samlesbury
site in the north west of England
BAE Systems has recently taken
delivery of a Combilift Combi-
CB at its Samlesbury site. The
ability of this counterbalance design 4-
way model to handle pallets, containers
as well as long loads has enabled BAE to
significantly reduce the amount of
trucks in its goods-in area for more
streamlined, cost effective and safer
handling procedures.
Samlesbury Aerodrome provides BAE
Systems with manufacturing and support
capabilities to major aircraft programmes
including the Eurofighter Typhoon and
the F35-Lightning II, the world's most
advanced combat aircraft.Watertight
logistics are crucial for the smooth
running of the overall operation, and BAE
has a long standing relationship with
Carrylift Materials Handling, one of the
largest forklift truck and materials
handling companies in the UK. Carrylift
supplies BAE Systems with a broad range
of handling equipment across the 351 acre
site and provides an on-site dedicated
maintenance engineer to provide a
personal and rapid response to service
issues, minimising downtime.
Inventory manager Mick Woods
wanted to rationalise the forklifts in his
section, as the one sideloader and four
counterbalance trucks were not being put
to effective use, as he explains: "Each
machine was only working for a very
small percentage of the time, mainly
handling one specific product. I was
convinced that there were considerable
advantages to be had if we could find one
truck versatile enough to cope with the
varied loads we transport around the
facility."
Due to BAE Systems' requirements for
an all electric fleet, its stringent focus on
safety and limited space to manoeuvre in
certain areas,Mick knew that he was
looking for a highly specialised vehicle.
After consultations with Shaun Kearns,
Carrylift's national sales manager, and a
visit to the IMHX trade fair last
November he finally found the solution
which ticked all the boxes: a 3t capacity
AC battery powered Combi-CB. Shaun
Kearns comments: "BAE Systems is very
open to innovative solutions and we had
spent some time on this project.When
Combilift introduced electric versions to
the CB range it became apparent that this
was the answer."
The CB's benefits have been
considerable after just a few weeks of
operation. The fleet has already been cut
to three forklifts due to the truck's ability
to operate indoors and out, to offload
incoming deliveries and reload vehicles
for dispatch and to work as a sideloader to
manoeuvre 6m lengths of timber along a
narrow corridor. As part of cost saving
initiatives at BAE Systems a reduced fleet
was a priority and Mick envisages further
savings in due course.
"The up front investment in the
Combilift will quickly achieve payback as
we will be able to do away with more
counterbalance trucks. Using just the one
type of forklift significantly reduces outlay
on maintenance and training and the CB's
stability protects very valuable loads from
damage.
"We have also freed up extra storage
space that was previously needed to store
the old trucks in what is a relatively tight
area."
Customised according to BAE Systems'
specific requirements, the CB was fitted
with 1200mm long forks to facilitate the
handling of the packs of timber. As the
weight of all loads needs to be stated for
onward delivery, fork mounted weighing
scales were also incorporated.
Mick has been particularly impressed
with the hydraulic fork positioners, which
have speeded up the handling of the
different sized loads such as standard
pallets and longer, more cumbersome CIC
containers which hold aircraft canopies.
The drivers can operate this function
from within the cab, avoiding the need to
get on and off the truck to manually
adjust the forks, which contributes to
safer working practices.
In addition to the Combi-CB, Carrylift
also provided BAE Systems with a
complete operator training solution,
provided on site at Samlesbury
Aerodrome for convenience and tailored
to meet the company's specific needs and
safety standards.
Mick Woods comments: "Even with
Combilift's flexibility to replace a number
of fork trucks, there is absolutely no
compromise in its performance, whatever
mode it is working in.We have been so
impressed with the improved operations
that we are keen to demonstrate the
advantages of this system to other BAE
Systems facilities and sites." More articles from Combilift Limited: | 
