FREE Loadhog Lid and Pally
June 12th 2008 Loadhog provides practical, easy-to-use solutions that offer immediate benefits – the latest of which is the Pally.
As its name suggests, the Pally is a pallet and dolly in one. According to product manager Ed Stubbs, one of the fundamental differences between the Pally and other (generally wheeled) products designed to do a similar job is that when the Pally is being used in its pallet form the complete load is transferred from the wheels to the pallet bearers.
"With most wheeled solutions, in situations where the unit needs to be stationary, a simple friction brake is applied. The wheels are still load bearing and in contact with the ground, it's just harder to move them than it would be with the brake off. It's like a supermarket trolley – if you push it hard enough you can still move it and if it's on a steep enough hill with a full load it can still roll away," says Stubbs.
"The best way to brake something is to take the wheels away, because then it can't move. It's not a question of friction any more, it simply won't shift!"
In grocery retail the Pally is particularly appealing because of the growing trend for suppliers to use merchandising units right across the supply chain.
"With the Pally we have produced a unit that will function as a pallet down a supplier's production line, which they can stack, which they can rack, which they can secure in transit. And likewise when it gets to retail they flick a pedal and they can wheel it to the shelf. The beauty is that it can function completely as a pallet or completely as a dolly," says Stubbs.
In comparison with, for example, moving a palletised load using a hand operated pump truck, the Pally requires much less effort and reduces levels of manual handling – operators simply press the pedal and the load is ready to go. There is no need for further mechanical handling equipment, so no time is spent locating it and no space is wasted in storing it.
Although the Pally incorporates dedicated handle locations, once the castors are engaged, the majority of users tend to manoeuvre the load simply by pushing or pulling it, and often use the half-euro sized Loadhog Lid to secure the load in place of wrap or banding. The fact that no further specialist equipment is needed to move the load means that it is particularly suited to use in confined spaces. This is further enhanced by the ability to operate the unit via identical pedals at both ends – a feature that is key to the Pally's versatility.
Although trials for the Pally have so far mainly been in grocery retail and mail environments this is by no means the whole scope when it comes to applications. In particular, production environments potentially have much to gain from adopting the Pally.
"In manufacturing environments so many people are moving loads from A to B, or from one stage of manufacture to another using pallets and pump trucks and it's really time consuming. It's here that the Pally can save everyone a huge amount of time and effort because it eliminates the need to find and operate a pump truck in a potentially restricted environment. So I think that it also offers real added-value as a very simple replacement for pallet and pump truck," says Stubbs.
To find out more about the Pally and be in with the chance of trying the product for free, respond to this article using the "What next?" box at the top of the page.
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