Pros in, anchors away
February 1st 2009

Prompt local service in place of crisis management and flexible fleet management tailored to change according to requirements have led boatbuilder Sunseeker International to standardise on Nissan Forklift for its materials handling

With around 2,500 employees and a £275m turnover, luxury boat builder, Sunseeker, is one of the largest employers in Poole. And, says Site Service Manager Tony Arnold, ambitious expansion plans to increase both the size and number of boats it produces call for materials handling that can support the operation in terms of fleet specification, support and management.

"We build a motoryacht from start to finish on site," he explains. "Quite literally we take it from a bucket of resin to a fully fitted, luxury motor yacht and we rely on our lift trucks throughout.

"Production levels are high, with a Predator coming off the line every five days, so trucks must be available constantly to meet our needs. They must also have the right features for the high levels of manoeuvrability, safety and visibility we need when working close to personnel." Sunseeker can be building up to 42 boats on site at any one time, with the materials handling operation starting at goods inwards where a constant flow of delivery lorries queues throughout the day for offloading.

With products ranging from small deck fittings to complete engines, five-tonne capacity Nissan FX diesel engine trucks have been specified for their versatility and rapid operation. "Cash flow and a limited amount of production space demand a justin- time operation," says Tony. "Everything is offloaded by lift truck and we need to know that we have the guaranteed resources to deliver components straight to the line as they're required." Smaller capacity Nissan FX4 models have been ordered to cope with expanded production.

The Nissan lift trucks are also vital to the building process at Sunseeker, not only delivering to the production lines but also to lift bathing platforms and radar arches into position as the boats are under construction. Here, Nissan DX models at three-tonne capacity have been specified in both diesel and gas according to individual applications. LP gas has also been the fuel choice for the trucks working inside at Sunseeker's centre at nearby Mannings Heath where operations include bespoke furniture and metalwork production, lacquering and electronics assembly.

The trucks feature Nissan's Tri-Cat Ultra engine management system as standard to reduce fuel consumption to the minimum and to eliminate 99 per cent of harmful exhaust emissions. A three-tonne capacity Nissan QO2 electric model has also been specified as part of the 26 truck fleet and all have been sprayed in Sunseeker's corporate blue livery.

"Continuous expansion calls for continuous materials handling management," says Tony Arnold, "and we have suffered in the past from the wrong trucks in terms of both specification and performance.

"Salespeople from a national company clearly didn't listen to our requirements and their service was poor. Using a local company was no better and we suffered numerous breakdowns. It became more a question of crisis management than proper service and was having a serious effect on our business. A lift truck out of action could mean 100 people standing idle waiting to work on a boat." The selection process to find trucks that could cope with Sunseeker's plans for expansion was to focus on two specific areas - the trucks themselves and the overall service that the supplier could guarantee. "After our two previous experiences, we needed to get it right, so we invited a range of suppliers to come and pick our brains." The first stage of the project - from initial contact to the installation of the first of the new Nissan trucks - was to take 12 months. "We needed the right trucks and a truly local service," says Tony Arnold, "not a call centre 150 miles away telling us they can get to us the day after tomorrow. The decision on Nissan was based on the vital combination of the right trucks and the right level of support." The fleet has been supplied by Nissan's exclusive dealer for the area, Lift West, on five years contract hire with maintenance, with further trucks likely for Sunseeker's new production centre at Portland.

"Through Lift West we have a dedicated team which includes visits by a service engineer twice a week - it's not part of the contract, merely a part of their service.

Another part of the programme is regular visits to ensure that the trucks continue to match our changing materials handling requirements.

"The major challenge for the trucks themselves is the amount of stock to be handled on a just-in-time basis in such tight areas," concludes Tony Arnold. "The new machines are cleverer to operate, more comfortable and more reliable.

"Production at Sunseeker has increased massively over the last few years.

Importantly, the versatility and increased reliability of the Nissan trucks has meant that we haven't had to expand the size of the fleet to cope. It's simply that we're able to make better use of them."

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