|
Thorworld cuts handling costs at BACO
Switching to a mobile yardramp and modular loading dock to unload materials
is providing cost savings in excess of £50,000 a year for Baco Consumer
Products Ltd, a business of Alcoa.
The made-to-measure equipment was supplied by Thorworld Industries Ltd,
to serve the warehouse at the company's Amersham site which does not have
loading bays. Installed as part of an on-going programme to increase efficiency
and drive down costs, the ramp and dock are providing BACO with a host
of benefits.
Imported aluminium coils used to be transferred from containers to curtain-sided
vehicles at the port of entry, so they could be more easily offloaded
on site. Up to 10 containers arrive each week, with extra handling costs
to BACO at around £100 per unit.
A forklift truck now utilises the 10 tonne yardramp to offload the coils,
which are in crates or on pallets, and then carries them into the warehouse.
The Type 6 yardramp is ideal for fast loading and unloading of vehicle
trailers by fork truck where there are no suitable loading bays. Featuring
solid beam construction and hydraulically operated down to 890mm, it has
a serrated deck for positive traction in all weathers. It's fitted with
a built-in-tow bar for towing by fork truck and has a trailer safety jack.
The warehouse also stores imported bin liners and other types of plastic
bags. These come stacked in cases, approximately 4,000 per container.
Since they are not on pallets the cases previously had to be off loaded
by hand at a third party site and put on to pallets before being delivered
to Amersham, at an extra cost of £70 per container.
Thorworld installed the modular dock to allow BACO to do the unloading
itself. It features an electro-hydraulic extending lip dock leveller.
This allows operatives to remove the first row of cases and place them
on pallets before moving further into the container. As they move towards
the back of the container, they use a pallet truck to take the loaded
pallets to the doors for collection by forklift truck.
The dock, which is fitted with steps, was built on to sloping ground outside
the warehouses roller shutter doors. It is also used to load and unload
a variety of other goods. To meet BACO's world-class safety standards
it features a 'dead man's button to prevent trapped fingers or limbs,
a raised lip to prevent pallets from falling off the edge and high side
rails.
As well as saving over £50,000 a year, the Thorworld equipment allows
for increased flexibility and improved lead times, key to any value-generating
drive in the supply chain. BACO is also able to carry out its own quality
inspection on incoming products rather than relying on a third party.
With the high level of savings being achieved the yardramp paid for itself
in three months and the modular dock payback period will be around 18
months.
BACO logistics manager Jason Stribling said that Thorworld was the only
supplier they spoke to that was prepared to meet and exceed the level
of safety requirements within their specifications and cost parameters.
As well as its yardramps and modular loading docks, Thorworld specialises
in the supply of a wide range of loading and unloading equipment and loading
bay accessories, such as dock shelters and sals, dock levellers, kpaes
nd boards, dock and vehicle bumpers, Truckladmobile yardlifts, hand and
powered pallet trucks, counterbalanced container lift trucks, a pedestrian
operated tailer moving system, and a choice of walk, fixed and wheelchair
access ramps, together with a comprehensive selection of safety and protection
accessories, to help ensure safe, efficient, profitable working and the
protection of vehicles, plant and personnel.
For further information about RentARamp mobile yardramps and modular loading
docks, as well as other Thorworld loading bay equipment and accessories,
and to receive a copy of their latest product range catalogue, contact:
Thorworld Industries Ltd, Station Lane Industrial Estate, Old Whittington,
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 9QX. Tel: 01246 260981 Fax: 01246260493
Email: info@Thorworld.co.uk web: www.Thorworld.co.uk
|
