Month: June 2019

Hiab, part of Cargotec, will connect the majority of its equipment* as a standard feature from factory, starting in the second half of 2019. Customers will get equipment prepared for the future and enabled for its Connected Services, such as HiConnect(TM).

HiConnect lets Hiab customers receive insights to improve safety and utilisation, as well as keeping track of service needs based on actual usage. Connectivity also enables a new level of service support, such as remote diagnostics and troubleshooting.

Advanced Hiab equipment has for several years had the ability to record usage and equipment status. This data has been captured in the equipment and only used in service instances by Hiab. With connectivity, all data can be accessed anytime, anywhere – enabling business-critical insights for Hiab customers.

“This is our most important cross-equipment investment ever. It will accelerate our ongoing work of innovating our equipment offering, connected services and new solutions to improve our customers’ business. For Hiab it’s a big step towards becoming the load handling service and solution provider we want to be,” says Jan-Erik Lindfors, Hiab’s Vice President for New Business Solutions.

The aim is to connect all of Hiab load handling equipment, which has the technical capability, over the next few years from factory. Furthermore, present customers will get the option to retrofit connectivity for used equipment. The retrofit option is available to order now for a broad selection of Hiab products.

*all electronic controlled equipment

Combilift’s latest innovation, the Combilift Container Slip-Sheet (Combi-CSS), has been designed for quicker and easier mechanised loading of products (particularly long ones) into containers. First unveiled during Combilift’s 20th anniversary last year, this product is now in serial production. The Combi-CSS addresses the challenges associated with the combination of forklifts and manual labour often required for this application.

Using a forklift to lift and manoeuvre the product laterally into the container and another forklift operator to push the load into the container from the end is time consuming and not overly efficient. Following the launch of the Combilift Straddle Carrier a few years ago, feedback from customers in the containerisation sector prompted Combilift to look at how these procedures could be improved.

The result is the patented Combi-CSS; a low, free-standing platform with a dual-directional motor-driven pulling mechanism, on which a Hardox 500 steel sheet rests. It has a capacity of 30,000kg and allows a full load of product to be prepared behind the container on the sheet and loaded onto a 20’ container in just three minutes (and six for a 40’ container).

Once loaded, the sheet is guided into the container by the mechanism underneath, which consists of four hydraulic cylinders moving in sequence. Hydraulic pins on the ends of the cylinders move up, fitting into holes cut into the sheet to secure it, while the cylinders pull the sheet forward, ensuring safe loading without any risk of product damage.

When the goods are fully loaded within the container, a hydraulic rear barrier gate, fixed to the end of the platform, swings across the container opening and is locked in place across the entire width of the platform. This holds the material within the container while the metal sheet is slipped out from underneath it, hence the name.

Combilift MD Martin McVicar said: “I am confident that companies dealing with containers will embrace this new product, as they did the Straddle Carrier, due to the improvements it offers in terms of safety, speed and efficiency.”

Yale dealer Charles Service last week welcomed guests to Chelles, France for the grand opening of the company’s new premises. Charles Service is the official Yale dealer for departments 77 – 93, 94 and 91.

The opening marked a new beginning and a fundamental step in the company’s history, highlighting the effort and commitment of its employees and partners in helping to rebuild the business after it suffered a major setback. In 2018 a fire swept through the Charles Service site, destroying many of the offices in the building and putting the future of the business under pressure.

For Charles Service, the event was more than just a re-opening, it was also an opportunity to thank the various stakeholders and partners who have supported the company during this period of transition.

“The inauguration of the new premises was a very special moment for the entire Charles Service team. It represents the end of a difficult time for the company, but a common positive spirit has kept us moving forward during this period and today we are back at our headquarters with the desire to provide our customers with an even better service!” said Cederic Bremard, CEO at Charles Service.

This spirit of moving forward and growth was evident throughout the event as Charles Service shared the latest innovations in materials handling with an audience that was interested to discover the most advanced technology in the field.

As a long term partner of Charles Service, a wide range of Yale solutions were on display, including Yale robotics, featuring industry-leading Baylo geo-guidance navigation technology. Balyo provided insight into the challenges and opportunities automation and robotics present, before sharing Yale robotics solutions with the audience and giving them the opportunity to ask any questions.

Yale solutions for retail and logistics applications were also showcased with rider stackers, pedestrian pallet trucks, and the award winning MP20-25T rider pallet truck all on display along with a selection of forklifts and alternative power options.