Slough, Berkshire…

Toyota Material Handling UK is launching a major safety campaign for 2012 entitled ‘Taking Care with Toyota’. The campaign features a number of initiatives for customers, prospects, and for their own team, all designed to help reduce injury and accidents in the workplace.

A new survey by Redshift Research shows health and safety is one of the top 6 factors companies consider when acquiring a new forklift. On average, 60 people are killed every year in workplace transport accidents and a further 2,000 suffer serious injuries. Forklift trucks are involved in nearly a quarter of these incidents.

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Cork…

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Ireland has urged companies to take health and safety seriously – because of money saved by reducing accidents at work. The call came in Cork during the launch by IOSH president Steve Granger of the safety programme ‘Get the best’.

“We want business leaders to understand that they won’t just feel the moral benefits of keeping staff free from injury….they will also feel the huge financial bonuses that come with employing someone who really knows what they’re talking about with health and safety.” For more information, visit www.safestartup.org

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Dublin…

Taking Care of Business is a new wide-ranging initiative being undertaken by the Health & Safety Authority designed to support and assist small businesses to deal with health and safety in their workplaces.

The aim of the programme is “To make safety and health contribute in a manner that is tailored specifically for any small business, so enabling it to reduce the incidence of accidents and ill health; to motivate workers and maintain their involvement and to assist the overall success of the business.” To view a short video, log on to www.hsa.ie – and click on the ‘Taking Care of Business’ link.

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Graham Archer has a wish for 2012… “Let’s not put a For Sale sign on everything we own!”

To illustrate a point I wish to make, I bring you a photograph of a bus operated by Lothian Buses in and around the city of Edinburgh.

When I saw it, I was struck by a number of features – by its general cleanliness, sparkling bright windows and visually attractive colour scheme. And by the fact that it carried no advertising of any kind, other than the name of the company that owns it.

Gazing upon it, I wondered: Why can’t our capital’s buses look like this? Why can’t they be clean and bright and free of advertising?

Like Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat, ours come in many colours. There’s the forty shades of dull, and often dirty, green bus. There’s the almost whiter than white bus that doubles as a wedding car. There’s the dark and light blue and yellow bus that replicates the Dublin county colours. And finally, if the price is right, there’s the Vodafone-wrapped red bus.

One could understand such variation were it not for the fact that they all belong to the same operator – Dublin Bus.

The significance of my point is this: Because buses are a prominent part of our city landscape, because they occupy an ever-present place in our visual environment – why can they not be a more attractive presence? Must commercialism have its way with everything we own or could buses not delight our lives a little more by revealing themselves in all their glory, free of the various commercial messages that they currently carry?

Is everything that we own up for sale and is there no limit beyond which the marketing industry cannot reach? This struck me recently when waiting for a DART. I saw this red train approaching just when my normal green DART was due. For a moment I wondered if I was in another country. A red DART? That was something I had never seen before. Then, all became clear – the red train was nothing other than a standard green train that had been ‘branded’ in an advertisement for a Middle Eastern airline.

Lansdowne Road is another good example. Despite the fact that Irish taxpayers made an exceedingly large donation to help fund its redevelopment, it was an insurance company that secured the naming rights – and for less money than you and I paid.

We have seen this concept sold to us in an even more grandiose form under the title ‘public private partnership’. Public private partnerships, we were led to believe, were to be the answer to all our prayers.

Under some form of franchising arrangement, the private sector would take responsibility for financing and for the heavy lifting, while we taxpayers could sit back and reap the benefits that their input would bring. By allowing private enterprise to get involved in delivering State projects, things would be delivered faster, on budget and on time.

That was the theory. It was a concept we were encouraged to embrace with glee. Well, not this writer. As I see it, public private partnerships are little more than surrender notes issued by the Government. Take the M50 as one example. Were we such a poor country…were we such a penniless people…were we so broke that we couldn’t even afford to build a bridge across a river…and a pretty average river at that.  The River Liffey is not the River Plate!

How many times has that bridge and its sister structure in Dublin Port been paid for and how wealthy have their operators become at the expense of Irish motorists?

Elsewhere, we have seen PPPs work in similarly unsatisfactory ways. Take the motorway project into Co. Meath where the local authority has agreed to underwrite any fall-off in revenue that the private operator might suffer. As a result, when motorists choose to avoid the tolled road, the taxpayer still ends up footing the bill.

In West Cork, there’s a school built under a PPP. There, if one wants access to the building after school hours, permission must be sought by calling a number in the North of England.

As we begin a new year, amongst the wishes I would make is this: To see an end to the concept of public private partnerships…in projects and in our national mentality, generally. We don’t need anyone but ourselves to get things done. We are not so broke that we have to beg and borrow and put a For Sale sign on everything we own. Let’s make that our national New Year resolution…and why not begin with those buses? As our experience in Edinburgh shows – life could be a lot brighter if we did.

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“

Age does absolutely nothing to diminish that extreme moment of disappointment when your scoop of ice cream falls from your cone.

Jim Freiberg

What I’m looking for is a blessing that’s not in disguise!

Kitty O’Neill Collins

Prejudice is a great time-saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.
E.B. White

These are my set of principles. If you don’t like them, sure I have another set.

Groucho Marx

Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. An optimist invented the aeroplane, a pessimist the parachute.

George Bernard Shaw

There’s always a right way and a wrong way. But why is it the wrong way always seems more reasonable?

George Moore

Whenever I start to think the world is moving too fast I go to the Post Office and stand in a queue.

Billy Connolly

Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.

Groucho Marx

There has to be something very strange in a man who, if left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn’t try it on.

Billy Connolly

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Pictured with the IMWA Van of the Year Award are Niall Philips, Sales & Marketing Manager of Volkswagen Group Ireland and model Hannah Devane. (Photo: Shane O’Neill/Fennells).

The Crafter, with 44 points, finished ahead of the Fiat Ducato EU5 on 38 points and the Fiat Doblo Workup on 29 points.

The nine voting members of the IMWA van jury cast their votes on the basis of value-for-money, reliability, versatility and lasting residual value.

Presenting the award to Niall Phillips of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland, Paddy Murphy of sponsors, Continental Tyres Ireland, commented: “The VW Crafter is a worthy winner of the Irish Van of the Year title, ideally suited to the needs of Ireland’s commercial vehicle operators. In the current tough market conditions for commercial vehicles, we are sure that the award will contribute in no small way to the ongoing success of the Crafter.”

The Crafter succeeds the Mercedes Benz Vito, last year’s winner. At the same ceremony the Kia Rio was voted Continental Irish Car of the Year 2012.

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Mercedes-Benz in Ireland has welcomed the news that the new Mercedes-Benz Actros has been voted International Truck of the Year 2012.

This is the fourth occasion on which the flagship of its commercial vehicle fleet has won the coveted award. It first won the award in the year of its introduction in 1997 – a success repeated in 2004 and 2009. The latest version is due to arrive on the Irish market early this year

Key features include the degree of comfort it will provide for long-distance drivers, its driving dynamics, fuel economy, low emissions and the level of profitability it can deliver for owners.

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Volkswagen has launched its new high-spec Multivan Business – a mobile conference vehicle designed for executives on the move – onto the European market.

The spacious rear interior is fitted out with six Nappa leather covered seats, including two Pullman seats, all of which have individually adjustable heating controls. Other features include an integrated cool box to keep drinks and snacks fresh, as well as a table that slides away when not in use.

The Multivan Business has wireless internet, a voice enhancement system to facilitate free and easy communication between occupants by boosting voice volume via the vehicle speakers, and a Dynaudio sound system for high-quality listening enjoyment. A multimedia socket for iPods and iPhones is also available.

The vehicle is powered by a choice of Diesel and petrol engines – all of which can be combined with the 7-speed DSG gearbox and an electronically controlled 4MOTION four-wheel drive.

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RTITB, the largest forklift truck training accrediting body in the UK and Ireland, and which is recognised by the Health & Safety Authority, has announced that they will be exhibiting at Truckfest Peterborough, to be held on 6-7 May 2012, appearing as an associate sponsor and helping celebrate the event’s 30th anniversary.

RTITB will be joining hundreds of organisations from throughout the logistics industry at the East of England Showground, Alwalton, Peterborough. It will promote the use of the association’s Master Driver Consortium and the Master Driver Registration Scheme (MDRS), as well as sponsoring the 2012 Best Small Fleet award.

Since its inception, the Truckfest has grown to an impressive scale, with approximately 103,000 attendees recorded at 2011’s Peterborough event. Five Truckfest events are now being held throughout the year, including, for the first time one in Ireland, with the event being staged in the Kings Hall, Belfast on 18-19 August this year.

Tickets can now be purchased via the official Truckfest website: www.truckfest.co.uk

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www.rtitb.co.uk.

JUNG machinery skates are helping industry to manoeuvre long, heavy vessels into premises that are inaccessible by truck and where there are no lifting facilities.

The boat-building sector is a case in point: Pendlewood for example, a well-established manufacturer in Lancashire, builds live-aboard canal barges. However the company’s new premises presented two problems: Firstly there were no lifting facilities, and secondly access provision made it impossible for a truck to enter the building to off-load. The JUNG machinery skates, supplied by Movetech UK, have now solved the access problem – making it possible for Pendlewood to manoeuvre the long, heavy loads from the road into the premises, negotiating a slight slope along the way. The skates work on tarmac without sinking in as well as on the concrete factory floor, and are also used when 22-tonne boats are finished and moved outside for collection.

JUNG skates are used worldwide to move machinery such as large printing presses, medical scanners and machine tools. The range of equipment includes hydraulic jacks and machinery skates as well as a bespoke range of special transporters to fit custom loads. Movetech owns exclusive rights to distribute in the UK.

www.movetechuk.com/industrial

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One-Stop-Shop for protection cover in the forklift sector

Five years ago Cork-based MBC Insurance launched the MBC Forklift Protector Insurance facility – designed specifically for people in the forklift truck business. The facility covers the areas of sales, service and hire of these machines – as well as the training of forklift truck operators and the transportation of the machines and ancillary equipment.

The introduction of the MBC Forklift Protector Insurance facility came about as a result of the company’s research into the forklift insurance market, which showed huge diversification in terms of covers provided and premiums being charged. MBC, which is partnered with Travelers Insurance, set about designing a single policy with unique, industry specific, covers.

One of the main areas where forklift operators are exposed is in respect of the hire aspect of their business. Whilst many forklift companies ensure they get the hiree to sign a Contract Hire Agreement, there are others who don’t – and, in such cases, forklifts are hired out without any clarity around who is actually insuring the forklift from both a damage and liability perspective. The MBC Forklift Protector carries Contingent cover so that the forklift company is protected in such circumstances.

The area of mandatory forklift inspection is another hot area of debate, with many operators outsourcing the service to an outside agency or purchasing the covers from an insurance company. Some operators carry out the inspections themselves – however, in all such cases it is essential to be mindful of complying with the Safety Health & Welfare in Work Act 2007, which states:

“Regulation 53 sets out a range of duties for any competent person who conducts statutory examinations of lifting equipment. Such examinations are separate from maintenance examinations.  The competent person may be an employee of the organisation or external to it. If the person is an employee, he or she has to be in a position to exercise independent judgement.”

Many operators arrange the motor insurance section of their cover on a ‘Fleet Insurance’ basis. However, MBC believe that the motor insurance requirements for operators are best served with the underwriting on a ‘Motor Trader’ basis. This allows the operator to drive any vehicle in their custody or control as a forklift operator, without constantly referring to their insurers, which is the case under Fleet Insurance.

With the success of the facility, the cover has been extended to include Commercial Legal Protection and the Inner Limits under the Public Liability section for Forklift Inspection Services.

Further information can be obtained about the MBC Forklift Protector Insurance Scheme at www.mbcinsurance.com

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County Cavan-based poultry producer Manor Farm has handed management of its forklift pallets to LPR (La Palette Rouge), operator of the Europe’s leading pallet pooling system.

The contract will see LPR manage all pallet movements for the company’s production of around 850,000 birds per week at its modern processing facility in Co Cavan.

Founded in 1775, Manor Farm parent company Carton Brothers laid the foundations for today’s chicken industry when it introduced modern packaged chickens to Irish stores in the 1950s. The company now supplies its customers through major supermarkets, local stores and butchers, as well as exporting abroad.

John O’Brien, production manager at Carton Brothers, comments: “Working with LPR was a simple choice. They have an in-depth knowledge of the sector and a strong understanding of our business model – how we work with both our suppliers and our customers to deliver more than half a million birds a week to dinner tables across Ireland and around the world.

“We’re a family firm and we wanted a logistics partner that had strong values. LPR fits the bill, they’re more competitive than others and their pallet quality is superb.”

LPR, a division of Euro Pool System, is working across Manor Farm’s supply chain to reduce administration of the pallet pool, undertaking all pallet collections from retailer distribution centres, sorting every pallet for every trip and carrying out repairs where required.

Jane Gorick, managing director of LPR adds: “As a dedicated FMCG supplier, we understand the issues faced in the retail supply chain and deliver efficiencies and savings both above and below the line. We’re looking forward to developing a long-term partnership with Manor Farm which sees continual improvements to both internal processes and environmental performance.”

Manor Farm has control over its own feed mill, growing farms, hatchery and production plant – all based in Ireland. The production plant at Shercock has recently completed a major €13m overhaul and is now one of the most modern and sophisticated in Europe.

www.lpr.eu

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A new book by management consultant Ron Basu, published by Gower, has just become available – and should be of interest to those in the supply chain sector. Logistics, including the practical business of materials handling, and supply chain management are synonymous, and are a vital part of the supply chain process.

Managing Project Supply Chains begins with an overview of the basic concepts of Supply Chain Management (SCM) and shows that supply chains in some shape of form are required to deliver products and services that we, or our organisation, need – or think are needed!

This 144-page book demonstrates how customised supply chain management can be applied to project management – ensuring project resources are delivered as required in order to reduce delays and ensure cost-effectiveness.

The book explains that supply chain management is relevant to all businesses and to all operations – whether they are large or small, manufacturing or service, private or public service. Typically, a major project involves several stakeholders working together with controlled resources to deliver a completed project. Often it has many suppliers, contractors and customers; it will have procurement and supply, demand planning and scheduling; it often lasts several years and has long lead times.

Managing Project Supply Chains is available online at www.gowerpublishing.com at £23.85 website price.

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First shown to the public a year ago at the Irish Times Motorshow in the RDS, the battery-powered Renault Kangoo ZE van is now on sale in Ireland.

The Kangoo ZE is available from €16,200 – which includes the government incentive grant of €3,800 for electric vehicles – and will be aimed at contractors and other traders who need a van for transporting goods.

The van can travel up to 170km (about 100 miles) on a single charge. Recharging can be carried out either at home or at public charge points being installed across Ireland. Renault say that when driven more than 15,000km a year, cost-of-ownership of the vehicle will compare well with that of the diesel version of the same van.

Available in both 2 and 5 seater versions, the Kangoo has a 5-year warranty. The battery is leased at a cost of €75 plus VAT per month over 4 years, with a limit on annual use set at 15,000kms.

Renault’s stated objective under its alliance with Nissan is to become the world’s biggest producer of electric vehicles, aiming for a global production capacity of some 500,000 EVs a year.

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…Heavey RF Mobile Voice improves picking accuracy by 600%

Glanbia Consumer Products, the largest branded food supplier into the Irish grocery sector and part of global nutritional solutions and cheese group Glanbia plc, has transformed its warehouse distribution following the implementation of a Heavey RF Group automated mobile voice technology €1m contract.

Glambia Consumer Products produces household brands such as Avonmore, Premier, Yoplait, Kilmeaden, Snowcream and Petits Filous. It currently employs around 650 people at eight locations throughout Ireland and processes almost 300 million litres of milk annually. The business unit supplies over 4,000 customers with almost two million consumer packs each day.

The company has now implemented the Heavey RF VocalPoint™ automated voice solution across five of its Consumer Products sites, including two milk manufacturing facilities and three food and milk/cream warehouses. Heavey RF also worked closely with Glanbia’s IT team to implement an interface to Glanbia’s SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software.

The installation in one warehouse has boosted productivity by up to 95% and has improved stock picking accuracy by 600%, resulting in a reduction of credit claims by 45%. Pick speed has improved from 160 to 260 cases per hour.

“The Heavey RF VocalPoint voice implementation has had a direct impact on our bottom line,” commented John Mee, Supply Chain Manager, Glanbia Consumer Products. “While we always had good customer service levels, with the improved traceability voice provides our customer approval ratings have soared. Heavey RF took the time to walk through the operation and helped us create a bespoke solution in what is a complex and demanding environment,” he added.

“Improving the accuracy of warehouse stock selection and delivery is vital for all distributors and manufacturers but especially in the case of perishable goods with sell-by dates as in the case of Glanbia,” commented Ronan Clinton, CEO of Heavey RF.

The Heavey RF VocalPoint solution replaced a paper-based manual system with resulting benefits in accuracy and productivity. Instead of managing and processing unwieldy paper, the warehouse and manufacturing solution provides automated voice directions to users, leaving their hands and eyes free to concentrate on the task at hand, and ultimately maintaining high standards of satisfaction amongst their customers.

Irish owned Heavey RF Group is an international total solutions provider delivering mobile data technology and integration software for industrial clients in a wide range of markets. It manages the supply, installation, integration and complete 24/7 support of handheld and vehicle mounted mobile terminals, wireless infrastructure, wireless security and voice directed applications. Heavey RF has been working with mobile solutions for over 12 years and employs 25 people in Dublin and London.

www.heaveyrf.com

photo caption: Ronan Clinton, CEO, Heavey RF (left), with John Mee, Supply Chain Manager, Glanbia Consumer Products

Ms Silvia Valles Barrera, who achieved a distinction in the FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding two years ago, has attained the overall winner award of the 2011 Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year competition at the international congress of FIATA in Cairo.

Early in 2011 Silvia won the European sector of the award and was one of four finalists in competition for the ultimate award when she competed against the winners from the Africa & Middle East, Americas and Asia & Pacific regions.

Dublin-based Silvia, who is a native of Spain, is an employee of Hawthorn Logistics and is responsible for managing clients’ international forwarding arrangements. Hawthorn Logistics provides global shipping and warehouse facilities to exporters and importers.

The awards competition, run by the International Freight Forwarders Association (FIATA), is open to candidates representing the countries and national freight associations in four geographical regions of the world.

In 2010 Ms Barrera achieved distinction level in the FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding, which is delivered by the Irish International Freight Association.

“Silvia has done our association proud by winning this prestigious competition against competitors from the four corners of the world and we congratulate her and her employer Hawthorn Logistics,” said Colm Walsh, CEO of the Irish International Freight Association at the presentation of the award at the FIATA Congress in Cairo.

photo caption: At the award ceremony in Cairo: (left) Andrew Kemp of the TT Club, sponsor of the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year award; the winner, Ms Silvia Valles Barrera, and President of FIATA, Jean-Claude Delen.

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Axor – the truck which Mercedes-Benz claims ‘weighs less but works like a heavyweight’ – could prove a savvy investment for those who want to turn less weight into more money.

In one recent deal, Dublin-based fuel distributor Reynolds Logistics proved that less can become more when the truck/trailer weight equation is right.

After equipping their fleet with six new Axors, Reynolds found that the weight saving from their lower tractor body weight could be transferred to their tank trailer carrying capacity with the result that each truck could carry an additional one thousand litres per trip. Scaled up over the space of just one day, this meant that the combined Axor fleet was able to deliver an additional 30,000 litres compared to previously.

All the Axor models purchased by Reynolds Logistics are equipped with Euro 5 engines and Telligent engine management systems. Other features include Daytime S-Cabs, small centre axles, alloy wheels, aluminium air tanks and fixed fifth wheels. The greater fuel efficiency is achieved through BlueTec technology and a range of other economic enhancements.

photo caption: Fergus Conheady, Commercial Vehicles Sales Manager for Mercedes-Benz, pictured with Andrew Reynolds, Chief Executive Reynolds Logistics at the delivery of the new Axor fleet.

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Crawley, Sussex…

The current period of economic hardship could have positive implications for third party logistics (3PL) companies, according to Michael Potts, MD of 3PL specialist Flightstore, who says that logistics service providers who stay positive in their outlook could actually benefit from a continued downturn.

“If the economy declines as forecast, companies with their own storage and distribution operations will come to see warehousing and transport as a very high fixed high cost,” he says, adding: “When companies come under pressure to cut costs, the services offered by the 3PL sector become even more attractive.”

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Southampton…

The findings of an independent research paper, conducted by the University of Southampton, and commissioned by logistics company Import Services, has shown Port-Centric Distribution (PCD) successfully addresses key retail supply chain challenges of time, cost and carbon emissions.

29% of retailers and 38% of suppliers strongly agree the implementation of a PCD model cuts costs in the supply chain. A further 31% of retailers and 40% of suppliers agree it also brings significant benefit by reducing transit time to market. The full survey results can be accessed through:

www.importservices.co.uk

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Alton, Hampshire…

A total of twenty-four nominations from nineteen different companies across the UK, Europe and beyond, will vie to earn an ‘Archie’ at the Fork Lift Truck Association’s Awards for Excellence 2012, which will take place on Saturday 18 February at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole.

FLTA Chairman Martyn Fletcher commented: “This year’s finalists – the pick of the year’s best products and services – represent those companies who have created something innovative and original that will make a real difference.” Voting for Awards 2012 is now open at: www.fork-truck.org.uk/awards

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Mauritania, West Africa…

Three large Hitachi Zaxis excavators will be used to help clear one of the biggest ship graveyards in the world in Nouadhibou Bay, Mauretania. Around 300 vessels, which range from 200 to 1,200 tonnes, many containing dangerous substances – including oil residues, asbestos and insulation materials – have been abandoned there over the past 20 years.

The operation is now underway to clear the decaying wrecks. The three ZX870-3s will be used by Dutch company Mammoet Salvage to remove and break 70 of the floating carcasses. The European Union is investing €28.8 million in the project.

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The Komatsu construction and forklift manufacturing group is doubling its contribution towards relief efforts for those areas devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami which hit the country last year. Many of the group’s own plants and offices were badly affected by the disaster and are still recovering.

Including the recent donations, the Komatsu Group’s relief efforts have been calculated to amount to about $20.5 million. The aid comes largely in the form of construction equipment, forklift trucks, temporary housing units, power generators and other equipment, all leased to municipal authorities free of charge.

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Panama City…

The expansion and doubling of the Panama Canal capacity (Third Set of Locks Project) is expected to provide substantial benefits to international supply chain operators. When completed in 2014, shipping costs will fall when more and larger ships can use the expanded canal by way of wider, deeper and longer locks.

When begun in 2007, Panama’s then president, Martín Torrijos, said that the project will generate enough wealth within the country to reduce poverty by about 30% and will transform Panama into a First World nation. The expansion project includes an extra shipping traffic lane along the canal by the construction of a new set of locks.

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Paris…

While sales of car tyres in Europe are generally healthy, the market for heavy truck tyres is significantly down, according to the manufacturer Michelin. Late last year the company announced that in order to streamline its operations it would be selling its 9.98 percent stake in the Korean manufacturer Hankook Tire.

Meanwhile, in line with a report that carries recommendations on how to improve European road safety up to 2020 and the commission’s view that there needs to be a coherent approach to road safety, the European Parliament has called for a Europe-wide obligation for winter tyre fitment on all vehicles.

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Oevel, Belgium…

On 1^st December 2011 the 2,000,000th axle left the production line at the DAF Vlaanderen plant at Oevel in the municipality of Westerlo, Belgium. “This is a tremendous milestone in the history of DAF’s axle and cab factory”, said Harrie Schippers, President-Director of DAF Trucks N.V.

DAF Trucks N.V., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks, builds around 475 axles per day at the plant using the latest robotic technology. Production follows the ‘just-in-time’ principle, and sends axles to the DAF plant in Eindhoven and the Leyland factory in the UK at precisely the right time.

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Hamburg, Germany…

Carrier Transicold, a global force in transport refrigeration, unveiled NaturaLINE, the world’s first container refrigeration system to use the natural refrigerant CO2 at the recent Intermodal Europe Show, exactly one year after the company announced it had developed and begun testing the technology.

The NaturaLINE design improves upon the existing PrimeLINE unit’s ability to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 28%, thereby helping shipping lines save fuel used in generation of electricity. This, in turn, helps to hold down operating costs as well as reducing emissions related to power generation.

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A Year of Materials Handling in Ireland

HANDLING NETWORK’S annual A-Z Listing of forklift brands available to buyers in the Republic of Ireland.

Despite upheavals and casualties across most business sectors throughout Ireland last year and before, the handling equipment industry has survived largely intact – underlining the inherent strength and resilience of the industry’s manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. Irish forklift suppliers have proved their ability to fulfil an essential need during a difficult trading environment – that is, to enable businesses to move, store and distribute product in a reliable, efficient and cost-effective manner.

This comprehensive A-Z listing of forklift brands available in the Republic is intended as an aid to Irish buyers. All these suppliers are ready to offer free advice to companies investing in new or used equipment – as well as to those requiring long or short term forklift hire, servicing and repairs to their existing equipment.

To see the full listing of forklift brands available in Ireland click on here.

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Yale and its dealer representative for Russia, Universal Spetstechnica LLC (UST), invited six key account customers to the Masate Warehouse Manufacturing facility as part of a major accounts initiative in Russia.

Joel Joa, Yale Warehouse Equipment Sales Manager (left), is pictured here escorting customers and dealer representatives from UST around the production facility at Masate, Italy. The customers, from Moscow, Nevinnomyssk and Nizhny Novgorod, are all in the process of expanding their operations and purchasing new equipment for their materials handling fleets.

Russia and CIS Yale Territory Manager, Sergey Vasiliev, and Joel Joa, Yale Warehouse Equipment Sales Manager, hosted the customers and representatives. “Russia is currently seeing an increase in demand for materials handling equipment as companies within the country continue to innovate and expand,” said Sergey.

“During their two-day visit, our customers took part in an extensive tour of the manufacturing facility at Masate, observed a demonstration of the latest electric counterbalance and warehouse products, and had the opportunity to talk with the warehouse equipment designers and product managers.”

Joel Joa commented: “The feedback was extremely positive. Many of the visitors were impressed with the product range manufactured in Masate and also the scale of the facility. This was the first time that that these potential customers had visited one of the production facilities where Yale products are manufactured,” he said. “The visit gave them great insight into the investment being made in manufacturing in Europe by Yale’s parent company, as well as the ergonomic and productivity benefits of the products.”

Yale Europe Materials Handling is part of Ohio-based NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG), which employs about 5,000 people worldwide. Yale, whose products are also manufactured in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, is represented in the Republic of Ireland by Forklift Services & Handling Equipment Ltd, Wilton, Cork.

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“We have learnt through talking to customers that maintaining excellent staff relations is a critical issue in the high pressure world of order picking” …Hugues Van Espen, Director of Marketing, TMHE.

Hugues Van Espen, Director of Marketing at Toyota Material Handling Europe, talks here about the order picking process in warehousing and distribution centres – and how engendering respect, for both the operator and the equipment, is critical in maintaining good workforce relations.

Since developing the industry’s first low-level order picking truck some forty years ago, Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) has been at the forefront of the order picking market.

It is not surprising that in order to eliminate the cost and responsibility for human labour, many companies have explored the option of automation in the order picking process. But factors such as cost – and the continuously changing size, shape and weight of individual items – can prohibit such a move, thereby ensuring that the human factor will continue to be the most important element in the order picking process for many years to come.

However, TMHE, by working with major customers across Europe, has identified that there is an opportunity to do more when it comes to making the most of the human factor.

The use of order picking within FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), or ‘daily goods’, such as groceries – combined with the drive towards on-line shopping over the last decade – has seen the requirement for trucks used in order picking increase relative to other product segments. But whilst the demand for order picking trucks increases, the constant element in most applications is the human factor. That is quite simply because you need human hands to pick the goods in the most simple and effective way.

Operator Respect Programme

“We have learnt by talking to customers that maintaining excellent staff relations is a critical issue in order picking,” explained Hugues Van Espen, Director of Marketing, TMHE. “As a result we have developed our Operator Respect Programme, which provides some important additional tools to help our customers maximise performance and efficiency within their businesses.”

Cost analysis of most order picking operations will show that the people involved in the process represent by far the largest cost – and that can be as much as 90% of the total cost in triple-shift 24/7 operations. It is not surprising therefore that many companies have explored the option of automation, in order to eliminate the cost and responsibility for human labour.

At the same time there are many factors that can prohibit the implementation of full automation. These include the continuously changing size, shape and weight of individual items in a rapidly changing consumer world, as well as the significant peaks and troughs that are experienced by most companies from season to season. Add to this the fact that the payback period for a sophisticated automated order picking system can approach decades rather than years, and the providence for automation can become limited.

This is further aggravated by the fact that many companies involved with these handling processes are working as third party suppliers without the benefit of a contractual commitment that would cover such a long payback period. So, as the prospects for full automation are limited, it remains evident that men and women will continue to be the backbone of order picking across Europe.

Truck design has continually advanced over the past forty years, resulting in order picking trucks and other warehouse machines that are carefully designed to provide an effective and ergonomic order picking experience to maximise productivity and reduce the risk of injury. However, TMHE, by working with major customers across Europe, have identified that there is an opportunity to do more when it comes to making the most of the human factor.

Driver Reassurance:

Toyota’s Operator Respect Programme includes two key elements: Firstly, a Driver Reassurance Pack that is provided by TMHE with new order picking trucks. This pack provides material that explains to the driver the key ergonomic and safety benefits that the new truck will provide in his or her working day.

“We have for many years had a reputation for developing carefully designed trucks with excellent ergonomic features. Safety, of course, has always been absolutely vital. But we realise that in the high pressure world of order picking there is not always time to fully communicate these benefits to the people who are going to derive the most from them…that is, the drivers,” says Van Espen.

Part of the thinking behind the driver reassurance concept stems from the high cost of recruitment and driver training in a marketplace that often involves high staff-turnover rates. The driver reassurance concept aims to help develop the most positive relationship between Toyota’s customers and their operatives, thereby helping to reduce staff turnover rates and subsequently driving down costs.

Pride in Performance:

The second part of the Operator Respect Programme is a scheme called Pride in Performance. This is another process that aims to help TMHE customers maintain the best workforce relations. “Pride in Performance is a package of materials that our customers can use within their own training programmes. It sets out the key role that staff play within logistics operations – and the impact they can have on productivity, accuracy, and reduction of accidents and errors.

“The programme helps drivers to appreciate the value of the trucks that they are driving, by comparing them to the cost of cars, for example. It also includes a simple measurement system to help companies, and their operatives, to keep track of accidents and errors, in order to reduce risks, and consequently drive down costs,” explained Van Espen.

Active in more than 30 countries across Europe, TMHE is the regional division of Toyota Material Handling Group (TMHG), which itself is part of Toyota Industries Corporation – the global leader in materials handling equipment. Now headquartered in Sweden, TMHE has a European office in Brussels and operates production centres in Ancenis (France), Bologna (Italy) and Mjölby (Sweden). TMHE has in the region of 4,500 service engineers, within a total workforce of around 7,500 employees – along with a network of independent distributors and dealers.

Toyota in Ireland

The Toyota brand has been a major player on the Irish handling equipment scene for some four decades. TMHE is represented in the Republic by Toyota Material Handling Ireland Limited, a 100% Irish-owned company that imports, distributes and provides full back-up support for its sales and service network of forklift truck dealers.

www.toyota-forklifts.ie

Japanese government-backed deal to integrate forklift businesses

Three major Japanese groups: Innovation Network Corporation of Japan – which is a public-private partnership providing financial, technological and management support to businesses – Hitachi Construction Machinery Company and Nissan Motor Company have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding designed to integrate their respective forklift truck businesses.

The name of the new company will be UniCarriers Corporation, and it will be headed up by former president of Uniden Corporation, Mr. Satoru Omori. Hitachi Construction Machinery Company is already 100% owner of the Japanese forklift truck manufacturer TCM Corporation.

Nikkei Report says TCM was ranked fourth, with an 8.4% market share, in Japan last year. Nissan Forklift Co. was ranked fifth, according to Nikkei Report, with a 6.8% share of the domestic market. Together, the two forklift businesses would have 15.2% of the Japanese forklift market. Toyota is ranked first, Mitsubishi second and Komatsu third in Japan.

Subject to receiving the necessary approvals from government authorities, the forklift subsidiaries of Hitachi and Nissan will be integrated and operated under the new company by spring of this year. The majority of the voting shares of the new company will be held by INCJ, which will inject a total of 30 billion yen into the new company.

Market recovery

Led by demand in emerging markets, the global market for forklifts is expected to continue its recovery from the financial crisis and grow considerably into the future.

With stricter environmental regulations being applied in developed countries, there is a growing need for environmentally-friendly products that meet such tougher emissions regulations. Many Japanese forklift manufacturers do not have sufficient scale to gain market share even with their technological prowess, which makes strategic mergers, acquisitions and restructuring vital for them to capture business in new, growing markets.

The consolidation of business resources resulting from the integration, together with INCJ’s additional funding, will enable the new company to develop to a scale that would not have been possible if attempted by each individual company. As shareholders in the new company, Hitachi Construction Machinery and Nissan will continue to support its growth by providing technology or other business know-how and engaging in joint development projects.

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When it comes to handling in industrial applications, cardboard production is one that can take serious toll on forklift trucks, as dust and particles generated by the manufacture of the corrugated board are potentially lethal to these machines.

At major cardboard manufacturer W.E. Roberts, where the forklift fleet has recently been replaced by four new 2-tonne Mitsubishi Grendia Diesel lift trucks, financial director Richard Puffette commented: “Over the past three years, our business has grown by 150 percent. This means that our fleet of four trucks must work 24 hours a day, six days a week – and since the new Mitsubishi trucks were introduced, both efficiency and throughput have increased.”

To prevent damage to the trucks, special filters and covers from the Mitsubishi Dust-Plus Protection Package were fitted to safeguard the engine and other systems. Further protection comes in the form of FlexControl. This options package includes oil-cooled disc brakes and has been specially designed to reduce wear on transmission components and tyres through features such as automatic deceleration, controlled power reversal and smooth start, a system which prevents wheelspins.

The drivers at the plant report that they’re impressed by the trucks’ high build quality and driver comfort. The new trucks are responsible for handling loads throughout the 100,000 square foot facility – from loading raw materials into manufacturing machinery to loading finished goods into lorries.

The Mitsubishi range of handling equipment is distributed in Ireland by Dublin-based Henley Forklift group.

www.henley.ie

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The high-speed passenger train operator Eurostar has chosen Linde’s award-winning CiTi truck to handle palletised goods at the London end of the France-UK tunnel rail link.

Dave Bridges, Eurostar Despatch Manager explains: “We were looking for a product that would be safe enough for use in a busy pedestrianised environment. In addition to the CiTi truck’s light weight, its easy charge battery makes it extremely safe for use around the general public.”

An ideal solution for the movement of goods across demanding terrain – such as cobbles, manhole covers and slopes – the CiTi truck is compact, lightweight and can be stowed in-vehicles prior to use. It’s as light as any hand pallet truck but offers the additional benefits of a traction motor, electromagnetic disc parking brake and three-layer drive wheels that have the ability to negotiate obstacles up to 70mm.

The truck’s maximum load capacity of 500kg makes CiTi perfect for urban deliveries to retail outlets, restaurants, bakeries, tool hire and construction locations, as well as office and home deliveries, DIY and garden centres.

The CiTi truck has also been given the PIEK Certificate for Quiet Delivery – useful for out-of-hours deliveries in built-up urban and residential areas.

www.linde-mh.ie

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Hyster Europe has launched an electric tow tractor, the LO5.0T, the first such machine from this major manufacturer.

The new tow tractor can pull 5 tonnes and is designed to meet the needs of manufacturing operations – such as carrying materials to production lines – making it ideal for the automotive and engineering industries and indeed for any type of line feed operation. Applications include automotive assembly and component supply operations, industries operating parts line feed, mail and parcel distribution services, transport and healthcare services and wholesale distribution.

The machine has powerful acceleration, with a maximum travel speed of 7.0 km/h with load and 12.0 km/h without load. Featuring a high performance 2.6 kW AC traction motor, 24V (465 or 620 Ah) battery and regenerative braking, the tractor offers excellent energy efficiency and low cost of operation.

The new unit is based on Hyster’s recently launched low-level order picker. It features a universal rear flange that makes the machine suitable for many types of applications, and includes ‘scooter control’ – with finger-tip controls mounted on a tilted plate to help reduce the operator’s arm and shoulder movement and minimise driver fatigue.

The work platform has low, easy ‘on and off’ access, helping minimise operator movement and saving valuable time. A creep speed button also allows the operator to move the tow tractor to the next drop off location without having to mount the vehicle.

The new tow tractor is available with cold store adaptation, and can be ordered with a choice of two start systems – a key switch or a key pad – along with a choice of chargers with three different lateral battery extraction options.

The Hyster range of materials handling equipment is available in the Republic of Ireland from Irish Lift Trucks.

www.irishlifttrucks.ie

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The JCB Teletruk’s ‘forwards reach’ telescopic boom feature seems to have established itself as the ideal solution in the waste handling and recycling industry.

One of the main benefits of the unique Teletruk design, the forwards reach feature can dramatically increase available yard space – a critical factor in the handling of bulky waste product. This is because lorries can be loaded from one side only, instead of having to allow yard space to access a lorry from both sides. With curtainsider trailers only one curtain needs opening – and flatbeds can be parked against walls, not in the middle of the yard. This means that HGVs making three-point-turns and shunting around the yard can be a thing of the past.

Apart from the space saving benefits, there’s also the question of safety. ‘One-side only loading’ means that the forklift has to do far less travelling – which means that there is less danger to pedestrians, be they co-workers or visitors to the premises.

Forward reach lift performance on the JCB Teletruk is adequate for almost all palletised loads. For example, the 3.5 tonnes capacity Teletruk 35D will lift 2.1 tonnes at 2m forward reach (standard fork carriage/integral side shift). And there is ample residual capacity for the vast majority of pallet loads.

Control of the forks is greater than with a conventional masted forklift, as the carriage can be tilted forward and back through a 111 degree arc. The benefit from this greater control comes to the fore when handling non-palletised loads: greater back-tilt keeps the load safe and secure, while controlled forwards tilt allows non-palletised loads such as welded assemblies to be picked for travel with perfect control and accuracy.

www.masterlift.ie

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Health & Safety organisations – along with many business and employers associations – have welcomed the recent publication of the Löfstedt Report, which reviews current legislation concerning safety in the workplace.

Handling equipment suppliers – such as access hire specialists Facelift – have supported the call for a ‘sane approach’ on needless rules and regulations, and the restoration of common sense to safety in the workplace.

In the view of many, over-enthusiastic application of health and safety rules has given rise to the “jobsworth” syndrome – an attitude that too often comes into play when there’s even a whiff of the notion that a task might be even slightly hazardous. The term comes from the phrase “I can’t do that, it’s more than my job’s worth.”

Handling Network, while always promoting good safety practices in the workplace, takes the view that a large dose of common sense is essential in these matters. In the past we have highlighted the comments of Dr David Brown, Chief Executive at the Institution of Chemical Engineers, who warned that repeated misrepresentation of Health and Safety rules encourages ‘jobsworths and killjoys’ – adding that this misguided approach can eventually result in health and safety professionals who identify real hazards being dismissed as ‘crying wolf’. In other words, when over-enthusiastic application of health and safety rules becomes the norm, genuine hazards can be downgraded.

There are the people who repeatedly use the mantra “Health and Safety says No!” as an excuse to avoid engaging in tasks – and then caricaturing anyone who questions health and safety rules as someone indifferent to workers’ safety.

The current debate highlights the call for safety legislation with common sense. For should the ‘jobsworth’ attitude bring Health and Safety laws into disrepute, there is a real danger that when a genuine hazard arises, those who draw attention to it will be ignored, eventually putting lives at risk as a result.

THE LÖFSTEDT REPORT

The recent independent review was commissioned by the UK Government in March 2011 and appointed Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, Director of the King’s Centre for Risk Management at King’s College, London, as chairperson.

Professor Löfstedt’s report is entitled “Reclaiming Health and Safety for all’. In it he has made recommendations aimed at reducing the burden of unnecessary regulation on businesses while maintaining health and safety performance.

While accepting that the scope for changing health and safety regulation is severely limited by the requirement to implement EU law, Löfstedt recommends that the Government works more closely with the Commission and others, to ensure that both new and existing EU health and safety legislation is risk-based and evidence-based.

In particular, Löfstedt identifies the self-employed and small businesses sectors as an example where current legislation poses extremely onerous and expensive obligations – and suggests that there is a strong case for exempting those whose work activities pose no potential harm to others.

In the UK, Judith Hackitt, chairperson of the Health & Safety Executive, commented: “Professor Löfstedt’s insightful report will go a long way to refocusing health and safety on those things that matter – that is, supporting those who want to do the right thing and reducing rates of work-related death, injury and ill health.

“We must have a system of health and safety which enables employers to make sensible and proportionate decisions about managing genuine workplace risks – simplifying and streamlining the stock of regulations, focusing enforcement on higher risk businesses, clarifying requirements, and rebalancing the civil litigation system. These are all practical, positive steps.”

THE HEALTH & SAFETY AUTHORITY

The aim of our own Health & Safety Authority is to make occupational safety, health and welfare an integral part of doing business in every Irish workplace. Yet nowadays, owners of small enterprises in Ireland are apt to tremble at the very mention of health & safety legislation.

In recognition of the concerns of small businesses, the Irish Authority has recently launched a programme called Taking Care of Business – billed as a new wide-ranging initiative designed to support and assist small business to deal with health and safety in their workplaces.

The primary aim of the new HS&A initiative is: “To make safety and health contribute in a manner that is tailored specifically for small business, so enabling it to reduce the incidence of accidents and ill health; to motivate workers and maintain their involvement and to assist the overall success of the business.”

But the proliferation of red tape remains. And unfortunately there are some ‘safety officers’ – officially appointed or otherwise – who will highlight, and clamp down upon, every single workplace task where even a slight hazard might exist…often to those who are not willing to take proper and reasonable care and take responsibility for their own safety.

Everyone has a right to be safe at work. But health and safety isn’t always someone else’s responsibility. With Irish businesses already overburdened with regulations and legislation, perhaps an intelligent debate about “Common Sense Safety” in this country is well overdue.

nealsherman@europe.com

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Back in 1917, when engineer Eugene Bradley Clark in Michigan, USA, decided to tackle the problem of how to move heavy materials quickly and safely, he came up with the ideal solution…he invented the forklift truck.

Today, Clark is addressing the more complex challenges in materials handling technology. The company’s current focus involves new Clark machines and innovative product features that increase operational capacity – either when working in the warehouse, in production and recycling, or during loading and unloading of commercial vehicles.

Auto Speed Boost

From 2012 onwards, Clark will offer automatic speed boost for the C 20-35D Diesel powered range – available when the gear is in the neutral position or when the inching pedal is depressed. In neutral, if the forklift driver activates the lift control, the engine speed will increase automatically and proportionally to the lever activation. The desired lifting power can then be continuously accessed without increasing the engine speed via the accelerator. When the vehicle is in gear, the driver can approach a rack in a controlled manner by actuating the inching pedal – a significant advantage when it comes to work safety, precision and comfort.

Mini Joystick

Clark has introduced a frequently requested option, particularly in fleet management: actuation of electro-hydraulic valves via mini-levers or mini-joysticks integrated in the armrest. Integrated direction switchover is also included, along with setting options for individual ergonomic adjustment. This option increases driver comfort, reduces fatigue and so boosts productivity in work routines.

New battery change table

A new battery change table is also now available on the GTX 16-20s and GEX 16-20s Electric truck series. The battery change is made via a hand lift truck and change table combination. This system offers more flexibility and offers a cost saving in equipment acquisition of around 27%, even if you only have two vehicles with side battery replacement. Since the battery change table requires less floor space than conventional dual change tables, additional storage space is gained. The battery is secured for transport with a foot lever to prevent the battery rolling away accidentally during the change-over.

More information on the latest Clark products and features can be obtained from the brand’s Irish distributors, Peter Keogh Forklift Maintenance, Rosemount Business Park, Dublin 15. Contact: pkforklifts@msn.com

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CROWN celebrates 25 years of manufacturing in Germany

For a quarter of a century Crown has been manufacturing lift trucks for the European and worldwide market at the plant pictured here in the Bavarian town of Roding in southern Germany.

One of the world’s largest manufacturers of forklift trucks, Crown Equipment Corporation was founded in the USA in 1945 and is now one of the world’s largest producers of electric lift trucks – with an IC-engine powered range added in 2010. Since the company first started manufacturing materials handling equipment, Crown products have won numerous industry accolades.

Steinbock takeover

Back in 1986 Crown took over the production facilities of the German forklift truck manufacturer Steinbock and started production of the PTH 20 hand pallet truck. Shortly after that, the manufacturing facility was extended to include production of components for other lift truck series. By 1993 the plant started to produce electric forklift trucks – customising lift truck models for European market requirements. In 1994 Roding started the production of the WE range of stackers – the first German-designed Crown product to be manufactured in Roding. In the next few years further European-designed models were added to the production lines, such as the GPC range of low-level order pickers and the WP range of powered pallet trucks.

As the new millennium dawned, Crown made the strategic decision to concentrate the company’s entire European lift truck manufacturing operations in Roding, building larger and more complex products such as the award-winning ESR Series of reach trucks. In 2002 Crown extended the production facility and to this day continues to invest in the latest manufacturing technology. In 2005 the company closed its plant in Galway, Ireland, which had been manufacturing Crown’s smaller range of trucks.

Bright future

Thanks to the steady growth of Crown’s international business, the Roding plant has continued to grow. Over the past 25 years the product range has increased and the production area has expanded to its current dimensions of 15,000 m2. “Business contracted during the financial crisis, but now we’re back at pre-2008 production levels,” explains Ken Dufford, Vice President Europe at Crown late last year. “What makes Roding special is the consistently high quality of its products, as well as its flexibility in responding to specific customer requirements. That’s what helped us weather the crisis. So we’re looking forward to the future with optimism, in the conviction that the plant will continue to grow.”

Products made in Roding include low-level order pickers, reach trucks, rider and hand pallet trucks, powered stackers and tow tractors. Up to 85 percent of the components used in Crown products are developed and manufactured by Crown in custom-built facilities.

In the Republic of Ireland, the Crown product range is distributed by Castle Mechanical Handling, based at Damastown Industrial Park, Dublin 15.

www.castlemh.ie

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Designed to give optimal aisle performance and greater space-saving over conventional counterbalance and reach trucks, the complete re-shaping of the Bendi B420HL, engineered to offer improved performance and driver comfort, has already proved a success with users.

Having successfully taken the original Bendi B420 model to new heights with the B420 AC, Translift Bendi’s managing director Simon Brown (pictured) is particularly enthusiastic with the results – and has replicated these changes onto the company’s flagship High Lift truck.

“Our engineering know-how in tandem with input through client feedback has transformed the 420 AC model and, as a result, we’ve also been able to incorporate those enhancements into our market leading B420 AC High Lift,” says Brown. “The push for ever greater height in articulated forklifts is ongoing, and through innovative reengineering we’ve been able to add 10% residual capacity to the 420 AC HL whilst providing improved battery swap-overs for double shift applications,” he explains.

“Meanwhile, by updating the steer and lift motors with a more powerful & controlled unit, the speed and energy efficiency has been increased by 20% whilst reducing operating noise significantly.

“Maintenance downtime is inevitable and can be costly,” continued Brown. “We’ve reduced this by a staggering 60% by making it easier to gain access to the truck’s components. Meanwhile, a more appealing driver environment has been achieved with an increased leg and headroom, in addition to a multi-position adjustable steering column and armrest. But the biggest single area of improvement has been the swap to AC to align it with the rest of the range. This added power transforms the drive and lift speeds.”

From aisle performance which has improved by 100mm due to fitting of 220 rotation and safety improvements through to ergonomic design and superior engineering, the B420 HL AC multi-purpose articulated forklift truck has also retained many of the original features preserving its status at the helm of the Bendi range.

The Bendi range of articulated forklift trucks is available from The Forklift Centre, Lr Ballymount Road, Dublin 12.

www.forkliftcentre.ie

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A major dairy foods producer’s decision to rationalise its warehouse handling operations provides an excellent example of how automated and manual handling systems can work well together.

Leading chilled dairy foods company Dairy Crest, producer of quality brands such as Clover Spread and Country Life butter, dispatches some 2,500 pallet loads daily to over 500 delivery points from its €44 million Nuneaton national distribution centre.

With a footprint of 27,000 square metres, the facility comprises two fully-automated high bay warehouses – one handling cheese maturation with storage capacity for over 35,000 pallets and a second with the capacity to store 10,000 pallets of finished products.

Incoming goods at the NDC are transferred from trailers to one of four automated receiving conveyors using Jungheinrich ERE 225 powered pallet trucks with fixed stand-on platforms. Because of its compact design, the ERE is particularly suited to working within confined spaces such as lorries.

DRIVER PROTECTION

The ERE’s powerful 3-phase AC drive motor delivers high performance, while the truck’s ShockProtect system protects the operator, forklift and load from vibration. The trucks are also fitted with Curve Control for increased safety when cornering.

Following a profile check, each incoming pallet’s identity is verified against information held on Dairy Crest’s warehouse management system (WMS) before being sent to its allocated location within the store. A rapid pallet transport monorail system delivers each pallet to its allocated aisle where it is put away in the racking by automated crane.

Finished products ready for dispatch are stored in a two-tier picking hall, where there are 1,000 picking locations at ground floor level. The aisles are replenished by five storage and retrieval cranes.

A fleet of Junghenrich ECE 220 low-level order pickers is at the heart of the picking operation. In all, the company operates 33 order picking trucks, 12 ride-on pallet trucks and four electric and diesel counterbalance trucks. The ECE 220 offers high acceleration and travel speed with low energy consumption – factors that were particularly important at a facility with such a high throughput.

To plan the optimum picking route, the ECE 220s are fitted with radio data terminals. Once picked, orders are delivered by the order-picking trucks to a marshalling area where they are loaded onto trailers using the Jungheinrich ERE trucks.

INTERCHANGEABLE BATTERIES

One of the reasons for switching to Jungheinrich was the fact that the batteries used to power both the order pickers and the ride-on pallet handlers are interchangeable. This means that Dairy Crest has been able to minimise the number of batteries it uses – resulting in cost savings of 18 percent.

“Picking and loading is very hard on a truck’s batteries,” says Warehouse Operations Manager, Brandon J. Moss. “Apart from the significant cost benefits that have resulted from reducing the number of batteries we need, we have also been able to allocate an area of our charging bay to other things.”

“By automating the bulk pallet operation and then designing the picking operation to be as flexible as possible, Dairy Crest’s Nuneaton site is an excellent example of how automated and manual handling systems can work together,” says Jungheinrich’s Craig Johnson, Jungheinrich UK Ltd’s marketing manager.

In the Republic of Ireland, the full range of Jungheinrich materials handling equipment is marketed from the German company’s Irish subsidiary based at Maynooth Business Campus, Co Kildare.

London…

The world’s first International Traffic Foundation has been launched by navigation specialists TomTom. The foundation will bring together key stakeholders from academia, industry and policy-making in a bid to tackle congestion, which is reckoned to cost the economy some £20 billion annually in the UK.

“The impacts of congestion on businesses are manifold, from increasing journey times, mileage and fuel costs, to reducing productivity,” said Giles Margerison, Director of TomTom Business Solutions in the UK and Ireland. The not-for-profit International Traffic Foundation will nurture talent in the field of traffic management.

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Ascot, Berkshire…

The British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) and City of Bristol College have announced a new strategic partnership, with the aim of ensuring the continued availability of qualified engineers for the forklift truck industry. City of Bristol College is the UK’s largest training centre for the forklift truck industry.

As part of the initiative a new training facility, the BITA Academy, will be created at the College’s Transport Technology for Fork Lift Truck facility, with all students working exclusively on forklift products. While course programme content will be tailored for BITA and its members, courses will be open to all companies.

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London…

Through a new online routing and approvals service, hauliers operating in and around London can now get instant approval of ‘London Lorry Control Scheme’ compliant routes. Costing from only £1 per vehicle per month, the mapping software service is available at www.londonlorrycontrol.com/routes.

Instead of having to fax in proposed routes to London Councils and then waiting for days to receive approval, the new service gives instant approval online. It automatically generates a compliant route for the size of the vehicle, avoiding width, weight and height restrictions, as well as printing off a driver’s route card.

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“

One of these days the ‘don’t knows’ will get in, and then where will we be?

Spike Milligan

If voting changed anything, they’d abolish it.

Ken Livingstone

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want – and deserve to get it good and hard.

H.L. Mencken

We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English.
Winston Churchill

When someone says he agrees to a thing in principle, it means he hasn’t the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.

Otto von Bismark

We tried to set up a small anarchist community, but people just wouldn’t obey the rules.

Alan Bennett

Being criticised by Geoffrey Howe is like being savaged by a dead sheep.

Denis Healey

Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it’s important.

Eugene McCarthy

They say that in America anyone can become President. I’m beginning to believe it.

Clarence Darrow

Generally speaking, politicians are generally speaking.

John Sergeant

Vision of a New Era…or a Bargain Sell-off?

Make a careful note, says Graham Archer…and prepare yourself for that day, sometime in the dim and distant future, when your children’s children will tug your trousers and ask: “Grandad…what were you doing when NewEra was formed?”

For the benefit of those whose attention was focused on the art of survival, NewEra is the latest gimmick to hit the headlines – an institution set up to manage Government’s shareholdings in certain semi-state companies.

According to the blurb, its purpose is to carry out corporate governance of behalf of the Government with a remit that covers ESB, Bord Gáis, EirGrid, Bord na Móna and Coillte. It will review investment plans, identify possible synergies, advise on and oversee any restructuring that these companies may require.

In addition, it has set up a Strategic Investment Fund to invest money from the National Pensions Reserve Fund in the Irish economy – an initiative that is described as the forerunner of a Strategic Investment Bank.  (Does anyone out there remember the ICC? Isn’t that what it was established to do…before Government sold it off?)

Ominously, the NewEra announcement tells us that Government will be seeking funds from private investors and looking at options for the sale of State assets in which regard NewEra will be called upon to advise on valuations and the best way of selling them.

As readers might expect, Graham Archer has an opinion or two in relation to this development, starting with the name New Era itself – a spin doctor’s creation, if ever I heard one. When Sir Alexander Fleming invented penicillin, it was the beginning of a new era. When Karl Benz invented the motorcar, it too was the beginning of a new era. So it was when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

But, to describe something as New Era that simply involves the transfer of someone from the National Pensions Reserve Fund to the National Treasury Management Agency is going a shade too far.

My second gripe concerns the need for NewEra – whatever its shape or form. Is it not the case that amongst the responsibilities vested in the CEOs and Boards of Directors in these state companies is the requirement to carry out corporate governance, review investment plans, identify possible synergies and advise on and oversee any restructuring?

Why must we have the expense of yet another state company to oversee these functions. Surely that is what we pay these high flyers their huge salaries to do? And besides, what skills will a lady (already appointed) from the National Pension Reserve Fund have that are not already available on the boards of these companies? Given that the national pension reserves are being pilfered to pay for the irresponsible activities of banks and ministers, one would think that it would be better to leave the lady where she is.

Another curious dimension to this announcement can be seen in the fact that ESB, Bord Gáis, EirGrid, Bord na Móna and Coillte are the only state companies chosen to feel the warmth of her embrace.

How well are Aer Lingus, Aer Rianta and others being managed that they too do not require corporate governance oversight…or to have their investment plans reviewed? Why not CIE or the VHI or numerous others one could think of? Do they not need the corporate governance skills that the lady from the National Pensions Reserve Fund possesses?

It seems to me that the intention behind NewEra that is carefully concealed behind a veneer of corporate waffle is a plan to sell off all or part of these aforementioned companies – a plan that underlines, once again, how dim-witted Governments and civil servants must be.

Can they not remember Eircom and the problems created as our telecoms provider was sold on from Billy to Jack as its debt got bigger and its reserves dwindled? Have they not seen what happened in Britain after transport companies, energy suppliers and water providers had been privatised? It is surely true that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

From where I’m sitting, it is evident that Government is hell bent on flogging off the five state companies that make up NewEra even though it could be argued that they are the ones that least need to be sold.

I don’t hear the people calling out for privatisation of these organisations. Like Eircom, these companies have been built up with the hard earned backing and support of Irish taxpayers. There is no clamour for them to be sold to men in mohair suites.

On the contrary. Taking Coillte for example, I don’t ever want to take a walk in the woods only to find my passage blocked by some chap in a mohair suit – or any other attire for that matter. That is not what I expect in a so-called free and independent republic that our forefathers toiled to create.

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