Accelerating Brakes
August 1st 2009

Bespoke wire guided VNA high level order pickers are helping Brakes speed its Leeds picking operation, bringing the Yale-managed fleet to 650 units across 43 sites

Yale has supplied two bespoke MO10S wire guided VNA high level order pickers to Brakes at Leeds, for picking and handling professional catering equipment.

Working with the warehouse team at Brakes catering equipment, engineers from Yale reviewed the current order picking methods and rates to determine how to increase efficiency and productivity. The solution was a specially engineered version of the Yale MO10S order picker.

Non-standard features included: A purpose designed picking gondola, capable of accepting a 1200 x 1000mm pallet from either side for increased handling flexibility.

An entry ramp fitted to the rising platform that can be lowered to allow a palletized load to be deposited or removed safely by hand pallet truck. The ramp is locked in the vertical position prior to lifting the gondola.

Brakes catering equipment is the UK's leading foodservice supplier to thousands of caterers, with a catalogue containing over 4,000 items of professional catering equipment. Catalogue items vary in size from small utensils stored in partitioned locations, to hand picked cartons and palletised loads.

Picking flexibility Equipment is received in the warehouse direct from manufacturers and stored in the VNA racking system according to a pre determined location plan, based on size and frequency of use. Fast moving items are located and picked from the lower shelf levels. Customer orders are picked using the Yale MO10S order pickers and then packed ready for next day delivery to anywhere in the UK.

"Engineers from Yale evaluated the overall picking operation and refined the gondola design to suit our specific requirements," says Brakes catering equipment general manager Martin Hall.

"Once our operators had completed their familiarisation training on the new Yale MO10S order pickers, they were able to immediately benefit from the modern controls and increased productivity we were seeking."

AC technology Designed specifically for use in distribution warehouses, the Yale MO10S VNA medium and high level order picker series benefit from the latest AC sealed motors on drive, lift and steering, with solid state CANbus communication. Available with1,000Kg lift capacity and a10m pick height, limited to 5.3m with manual override at Brakes to avoid ceiling trusses.

The use of 3 phase AC technology on the MO Series with the MOSFET control system and four performance settings, allows for real-time monitoring of the trucks performance under all operating conditions. The addition of the optional supplementary lift for order picking direct to pallet or cage, when combined with the additional lift/lower and forward/reverse controls on both sides of the truck for offplatform use, makes the MO Series extremely versatile order picker at all operating heights up to 10m. Fast acceleration and diagonal lifting delivers optimal travel patterns to achieve consistently high pick rates.

Ergonomic design Operator ergonomics is crucial to order picking efficiency and productivity. On the Yale MO10S as supplied to Brakes, everything the operator sees and touches is harmonised to create a near perfect operating environment.

Every truck function can be controlled without the operator having to reposition the hands. Proportional butterfly controls and joystick levers allow for absolute control of the truck and picking platform or forks for efficient multiple picking routines under different operating conditions.

"The Yale MO10S provides Brakes with the versatility we need to pick and handle customer orders efficiently," concludes Hall. "We are delighted with the order pickers and service that Yale has provided." Keeping food fresh and catering equipment delivered on time requires expert planning and efficient distribution.

To help support this logistics effort, Yale is currently managing a fleet of 650 counterbalance trucks and warehouse equipment operated by Brakes across 43 sites in the UK.

More articles from Yale Europe Materials Handling: