Capital Equipment News February 2016

MATERIALS HANDLING

MOFFETT ELECTRIC FORKLIFT FOR NIGHT TIME DELIVERIES H iab, part of Cargotec, has sold three MOFFETT E4 20.1 truck mounted forklifts to FPS in the UK. FPS has

help develop this new electric MOFFETT, and we felt that our needs had really been taken into consideration. Hiab showed commitment, communication and support throughout the development to ensure no stone was left unturned. The end result was a forklift that is capable of helping our business to evolve and adapt in line with the increasing environmental and safety-led legislation that we operate within today. We were so pleased with the outcome that we decided to purchase three units”.

been in distribution and warehousing for over 80 years, with a portfolio that spans the automotive , Leisure and Maintenance and Accessories sectors. Operating from 22 sites across the UK, the company is able to meet customers’ needs on a same-day or next-day basis, something that no-one else in the market can offer. In order to achieve optimum service levels, FPS delivers palletised items from the Na- tional Distribution Centre in Sheffield to 19 regional hubs throughout the night. The company is always looking at different ways to be more environmentally friendly and re- duce noise pollution and therefore asked Moffett for a solution to help with night-time deliveries. FPS Transport Manager, Mark Wilson says, “FPS received the first prototype built E4 for an in-depth trial in 2011. Over a three year period, we produced detailed feedback to bution, WCF Wholesale Cabinet Fittings con- tracted APC Storage Solutions SA to provide an automated, total turnkey solution for the palleted storage of decorative hardware, fit- tings, accessories and legs for furniture and kitchen cabinets. The resulting warehouse – a self-supporting Rack Clad, 1 826 m 2 facility in Whitfields, Boksburg – utilises a double-mast stacker crane to achieve a fully-automated stor- age and retrieval operation for the 6 696 Euro-pallets of 1 200 mm x 800 mm that comprise WCF Wholsesale Cabinet Fittings’ central distribution operation. The scale of this automation, besides intro- ducing massive improvements to the rate of pallet handling, has streamlined the facility’s labour requirements to a staff of just five. The racking solution consists of six rows of 69.11 m each, presenting three aisles for the operation of the stacker crane. The rows are arranged in back-to-back formation – for which the double mast stacker crane, which can access the double deep bays through its telescopic fork, was required. Each row consists of seven levels, producing a height

The MOFFETT M4 electric truck-mounted is super-quiet, with noise levels of less than 60dba. It has been designed for applica- tions such as urban distribution in locations where access is restricted and low noise is paramount. It uses the latest lithium-ion bat- tery technology to power the electric drive motors, hydraulics and steering systems, meaning that when operational, it is total- ly emissions-free. As more companies are interested in their environmental footprint, Hiab has seen an increased demand for electric MOFFETTs. WAREHOUSES OF THE FUTURE: APC Storage Solutions A iming to introduce an enhanced man- agement and handling efficiency of their inventory prior to national distri-

further lower the per-pallet cost of storage.

of 13.5 m. Each pallet load weighs approxi- mately one tonne.

APC Storage Solutions SA will carry out monthly inspections of motors, cabling, PLCs, etc., and bi-annual preventative main- tenance and critical parts replacements to ensure the storage system continually op- erates at its specified performance ratings. In addition, the system integrity is monitored remotely by APC Storage Solutions SA, en- abling a rapid response time in the event of system abnormalities. APC Storage Solutions SA offers a critical response dispatch with- in four hours, with non-critical issues being serviced within 24 hours. ❂

The pallets will be automatically picked from the warehouse during the evening, to be ready for loading onto trucks during the day for transportation to WCF Wholesale Cabinet Fittings’ retail stores. About 80 loaded pallets are transported from the warehouse each day. Because the storage and retrieval opera- tion is fully-automated via the programmed stacker crane, the lighting requirements of manual stowing and picking are eliminat- ed, necessitating only maintenance lighting, drastically reducing energy requirements to

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS FEBRUARY 2016