Walkers installs Castell's Salvo
June 1st 2006

Walkers Crisps has chosen Castell's Salvo to protect its warehouse operatives from the threat of drive-aways.

The innovative system has been installed across the whole of Walkers' Leicester, Warrington, Peterlee and Glasgow distribution centres, safeguarding a total of 89 loading bays.

"It's a simple, user-friendly process that fits everything," explains Iain McManus, site support coordinator at Warrington, when asked why Walkers opted for Salvo over alternative safety systems.

"Traditional vehicle-restraint technologies were a nonstarter because of the varying specifications of our twelve year old fleet - not to mention the cost of fitting out 90 bays at £10,000 per bay!"

The 26-bay Warrington site alone handles 200 vehicles a day, so Walkers' choice of system had to be quick and reliable in operation.

Having reversed their trailer into position, drivers collect a Salvo lock from a storage box situated next to the loading bay door. The emergency airline is removed and the lock fitted to the airline coupling, causing the trailer's brakes to be applied and immobilising the trailer. A uniquely-coded Castell key is released from the end of the lock and inserted into an electrical switch, also located next to the bay door.

Turning this key illuminates a green light inside the loading bay (and a red one outside), alerting the operative that it is safe for loading to begin. The operative then presses one button to raise the bay door and another to position the dock leveller.

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