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February 2016
Bricks & Paving
M
anitouoffers a five year rental
contract on machinery and,
to ensure maximum uptime,
a dedicated Manitou technician is
provided and remains on client’s site
for the duration of the contract.
West End Clay Bricks has relied on
Manitou machinery for the past 14
years for lifting and transporting raw
and saleable materials in its manual
operation. These applications include
moving bricks from extrusion lines
right through to loading palletised
loads onto trucks. The company pro-
duces 350 000 bricks each day.
“We had to pair the lifting require-
ments of West End Clay Bricks (which
varies fromone to six tons),” says Eric
de Wet, Area Sales Manager, Manitou
Southern Africa.
“Not only can our machines han-
dle both the various lift and reach
requirements, they are also equipped
with hydraulic load balancing sys-
tems and load sensing charts to
ensure maximum levels of safety.”
In addition, some machines are
equipped with double-pallet forks
to increase the load capacity of each
trip.
“These machines work flat-out
throughout both day and night shifts
in very dusty and muddy conditions
to achieve our high output targets,”
says Francois Aveling, Operations
Director, West End Clay Bricks. To ad-
dress these rough terrain conditions,
Manitou has equipped the entire fleet
with double filters and double fuel
filtration systems.
Apart from regular service and
maintenance, Manitou’s technician,
together withWest End Clay Brick op-
erators, conduct a 36-point check ev-
ery morning to ensure the machines
are working to spec before operation
commences. These checklists, which
cover everything from brake lights to
torque convertors reduce downtime
and add to operator’s accountability.
In linewith this, Manitou equipped
each machine with AMS 2000 engine
management and driver identifica-
tion software. This software enables
both Manitou and West End Clay
Bricks to manage and monitor driver
and machine performance through
real-time analytical reporting.
With the AMS 2000, each operator
is assigned an identification tag that
is paired to certain machines. On
the operator side, the system adds
accountability enabling manag-
ers to track the way each operator
drives the machine, how long it idles
each day and which routes were
taken. From an engine performance
perspective, the system monitors
critical performance elements. If the
machine is low on oil, for example,
the system will automatically shut it
down andnoone but the site foreman
can reset it after re-filling the oil. This
innovative software and driver identi-
fication system is drastically reducing
downtime for West End Clay Bricks.
Manitou also provided a three-day
training course with SABS certifica-
tion for all 23 operators. This train-
ing ensures that the operators are
confident when driving themachines
in the real-field conditions at West
End Clay Bricks. The training reduces
Manitou recently supplied 17machines to long-standing client
West End Clay Bricks in Westonaria. The range of forklifts and
rough terrain telehandlers is fully supported by a team of
Manitou technicians.
Manitou supplies 17 machines
From left to right: Shaun Roodt (Mine Manager),
(Manitou Area Specialist) and Francois Aveling
handover of West End Clay Bricks’ new fleet of