Day: 7 November 2019

UK footwear retailer schuh has boosted its processes with DENSO handhelds.

With 132 stores in UK and Ireland, increasing customer demands and large stock numbers, schuh needed to upgrade to a more advanced technology. “Our paper-based system was very time-consuming and unfortunately not as accurate as we wanted. When we started looking for a more modern solution, our partner Banctec highly recommended DENSO WAVE EUROPE”, says Mia Winstone, Store Systems Support & Administrator at schuh. “We use the BHT-1505BB model of the handheld terminal, which can be connected to a tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth. That way, we can easily transfer data.”

“Our products are much more visible in our stores and we can help our customers quickly in case their size or desired colour of a shoe model is not available, because our warehouse management is always up to date”, Winstone continues. The BHT-1505BB handheld terminal has helped schuh make sure that their products are available on the shop floor more quickly, and no product is stuck in the stockroom and not on display. “We now know much better which stock is on hand and can make effective demand and supply forecasts,” says Winstone. “Our employees save so much time and are very happy about the increased efficiency. Additionally, the handheld terminal is very easy to operate and it does not take up time getting used to its functionality.”

The BHT-1500 handheld terminal series has a light, compact and highly portable body weighing just 128 grams, the lightest in the industry among handheld terminals in the same class. Another plus, according to DENSO, is the quick scanning performance, as well as its unique scanning angle, and its ergonomically designed body. The BHT-1505BB model is Bluetooth HID-enabled, enabling easy data transfer to tablets and smartphones. The BHT-1500 series is resistant to drops from a height of two metres.

Linde Material Handling has added a new generation of IC counterbalance trucks to its portfolio, thus creating a fit-for-the-future ‘Swiss Army knife’ of intralogistics. The hydrostats in the load capacity range of 2.0 to 3.5 tons take the interaction between man and machine to the next level and set new standards in terms of availability, efficiency, sustainability and safety, says the company.

Newly developed from scratch, this forklift generation is based on an extensive data survey: Almost a thousand forklift drivers and fleet managers from 26 countries evaluated vehicles during multi-hour “truck clinics” and expressed their wishes ranging from step design to easy accessibility for servicing. “We listened closely to our customers and passed on their comments to our development engineers,” says Stefan Prokosch, Senior Vice President Product Management Industrial Trucks Counterbalance at Linde Material Handling. The efforts have paid off, as he points out: “The new vehicles support and protect the drivers in an unprecedented way; they are the most cost-efficient trucks on the market and make material flows even more transparent and productive thanks to wireless communication.”

Industry 4.0 ready

A significant innovative feature is that the trucks come fully networked as standard: Subject to the most stringent security standards, relevant vehicle data are transmitted to a central cloud server in Western Europe which can be accessed by customers and sales partners. In turn, data can also be received and processed. In this way, hereafter it will be possible to carry out over-the-air software updates and activate functions such as the load weight display. Stefan Prokosch: “In the future, we can adapt forklifts to changing customer needs throughout their entire life cycle – even needs that we do not know about yet.” Already now, connectivity is a clear advantage when it comes to servicing: Truck Health Management, remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance enhance vehicle availability and help to reduce costs.

Increased safety and productivity due to improved visibility

Unrestricted all-round visibility is an important prerequisite for quick, precise and safe goods handling when operating forklifts. Particularly in this respect, the Linde Material Handling designers have created a revelation: The fields of vision through the lift mast alone have been increased by a whopping 20 percent compared with the predecessor model. Slim A-pillars and asymmetrical mast profiles open up additional viewing windows that make it easier to position the load with millimeter precision. The flatter counterweight allows a better rear view; the reinforced glass roof combines maximum visibility with the best possible protection.

The weatherproof cabin of new Linde models H20 to H35 also offers optimum side visibility – thanks to fully glazed doors. Additionally, the “Protector Frame” concept with overhead tilt cylinders and load-bearing frame ensures mast stability and maximum residual load capacity. In terms of safety, Linde Material Handling pursues its “Vision Zero”: In the long term, the number of accidents is to be reduced to zero. Lighting options such as LED Stripes and VertiLight for non-dazzling illumination contribute to this endeavor – as do “intelligent passengers” including the warning and assistance systems Linde Safety Pilot and Linde Safety Guard which provide important additional information to the driver, thus helping to prevent mistakes and accidents. The Linde Load Assist is fitted as standard. It actively intervenes as soon as the load approaches the capacity limit.

Technology at the service of people

The most important influential factor in material handling, however, is still the human operator. And the more ergonomic and safer their environment, the better they work. This is why the new Linde forklift generation was designed with the driver taking centre stage: The truck’s step has a height of merely 465 millimeters and is more than twice as wide as before. A range of twelve different driver seat options is available – all the way to a heated super-comfort seat with separately adjustable backrest and automatic weight adjustment. The cockpit offers more than 10 centimeters of increased headroom; freely configurable switches have been integrated into the armrest (Linde Load Control). All forklifts are equipped with an electronic seatbelt monitoring function: If the driver is not wearing a seatbelt, the forklift will travel only at creep speed.

Maximally sustainable

According to Linde Material Handling expert Prokosch, the IC drive will remain the number one choice for many customers for the foreseeable future due to its strong performance and straightforward use. “That’s why we attached great importance to optimizing the energy consumption and increasing the handling capacity, while reducing emissions at the same time.” Linde Material Handling has achieved this by using a modern, maintenance-friendly industrial engine, integrating a particulate filter as standard and further optimizing the Linde hydrostatic drive. Prokosch continues: “Our measurements show that our forklifts are up to 30 percent more economical than those of our competitors and they are also clearly superior when it comes to handling capacity. This makes them even more cost-efficient throughout their entire service life. At the same time, they are more resource-friendly and produce less hazardous greenhouse gases.”

A modular concept

The series is ringing in a new era at Linde Material Handling also from a conceptional point of view: It marks the end of the design separation of IC and electric forklifts. All new counterbalance trucks in the load capacity range of 1.2 to 5 tons will from now on be based on a uniform modular concept. “We want to offer our customers equivalent vehicles for all applications – regardless of the type of drive,” explains Prokosch. In this way, Linde Material Handling makes it easier for customers to embark on the transformation process towards sustainable drive concepts. There is a compelling reason why forklifts with diesel, fuel gas and natural gas drives are the first to be manufactured in line with the new platform concept: “We wanted to meet the Euro V emissions standard for this load capacity class with a new vehicle and offer our customers an IC forklift that sets even higher benchmarks in the industry and is prepared for any Industry 4.0 applications,” says Prokosch, “We’ve done exactly this with our newly launched forklift model.”

Fender Steel was founded in 1983, and has built a strong reputation based on reliability, service and product knowledge. The company specialises in supplying reinforcing steel and associated products, together with building materials to the construction industry on a wholesale basis.

The company’s head office is located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. It operates five manufacturing depots across the UK, providing nationwide service to the construction industry, this includes civil engineers, house builders and ground workers.

As part of its offering, Fender Steel supplies reinforcement steel mesh. This product is indispensable for reinforcing concrete parts in reinforced concrete construction. To assist with the difficult task of loading and unloading the bulky reinforcing mesh, in the safest and most economical way, Fender Steel contacted B&B Attachments to provide a material handling solution to this industry wide handling issue.

B&B Attachments specialises in the design and manufacture of bespoke forklift truck attachment solutions, creating products for customers with specific material handling requirements. Following discussions with Fender Steel, B&B supplied the construction suppliers with a mesh grab attachment.

The mesh grab attachment consists of four pincers which slot between the apertures, enabling the operator to handle bundles of the steel reinforcing mesh in one single lift. Each pincer is powered by a hydraulic cylinder. The mesh attachment is designed as fork mounted, which means it can be fitted or removed from a forklift truck in a matter of seconds. This allows the forklift truck to return quickly to other duties.

Multidirectional sideloader and order picking specialist Hubtex is celebrating 20 years of success in the UK.

As a subsidiary of HUBTEX Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, HUBTEX UK is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the development and production of specialised Electric Multidirectional Sideloaders, Order Picking Solutions and Special Equipment for handling long, difficult and bulky goods.

Over the past 20 years the HUBTEX UK team have worked with a whole host of clients from a wide variety of industries, including timber, steel and aluminium stockists, building materials, plastics, glass, automotive and aviation sectors. As well as this, HUBTEX UK have worked with waste management, wind and solar power plant engineering.

The company says it success over the years could be attributed to its customer-focused attitude. Using their consultative approach to solving materials handling requirements, supplying industry leading products and offering first-class sales service from their experienced technicians, HUBTEX UK staff are thrilled to have provided this first-class service to all of their clients.

The HUBTEX UK team would like to thank everyone for supporting them over the years and are looking forward to many more successful years ahead, it told Logistics Business.

For more information about HUBTEX UK please visit their website https://www.hubtex.co.uk/

To simplify the process of loading trailers with paper reels in line with industry best practice recommendations, Hyster Europe has specially optimised the J5.5XN6 electric lift truck.

“When transporting paper reels by road, it is typical industry best practice to load and position the reels down the centre line of the lorry trailer in single file to help evenly distribute weight and improve stability,” says Josie Burrell, Industry Manger for Hyster Europe.

“This would ordinarily require a 7-tonne capacity lift truck with an attachment spacer to reach over the trailer bed and handle the reel,” she continues. “However, the Hyster® J5.5XN6 lift truck with tilting carriage option and a reel clamp attachment makes all of this possible with a 5.5-tonne capacity lift truck instead.”

The electric Hyster® J5.5XN6 lift truck design extends capability in arduous paper reel handling applications more effectively than simply increasing the lift capacity. This is combined with a hydraulic tilting carriage which increases reach by 250mm at lorry bed height, ideal for efficiently loading reels onto a trailer in the correct position.

To help reduce costly potential damage to paper reels, with the truck mast on full forward tilt, the Hyster® tilting carriage option truck brings the paper reel clamp back to a horizontal level. This, combined with the stability of the extended load centre, helps the paper reels to be placed down flat, reducing damage to the edge of the reel.

A chain slack prevention valve also helps avoid wrapper damage. When the clamped load is stacked and the mast lowering function is operated, this feature prevents the mast chain from losing tension. Therefore, when the clamp attachment arms are opened, they do not slip and damage the roll wrapper.

“The right choice of attachment is key for both efficiency and damage avoidance in paper reel handling operations,” says Josie. “However, there are a number of additional options and upgrades that may help too.”

This includes environment protection features, such as a belly pan, tilt cylinder boots and a sealed drive axle to prevent the ingress of dust. Also available are camera solutions to support operator accuracy, truck-to-truck, truck-to-object and truck-to-pedestrian detection systems and Hyster® Tracker telematics for fleet management.

The agile electric Hyster® J5.5XN6 lift truck also offers space saving benefits, with a compact design and zero turn radius (ZTR) axle making it easy to manoeuvre in both the warehouse and the loading bay, and tough enough to withstand all weathers when used outdoors.

“Organisations in the paper supply chain are often keen to reduce their carbon footprint,” says Josie. “This electric lift truck offers zero emissions and a low energy performance mode option, providing an environmentally friendly solution but with no compromise on performance.”

Like the rest of the Hyster® range of lift trucks and warehouse equipment, the Hyster® J5.5XN6 forklift offers a low cost of ownership, with long service intervals, maintenance free AC traction and hoist systems and easy serviceability. Paper applications worldwide receive service and support from local Hyster distribution partners.