Month: September 2020

Rite-Hite, the Loading Bay safety business, has passed a major milestone in Loading Bay safety – the delivery of its 20,000^th Global Wheel-Lok system in Europe.

The news follows soon after the company announced that manufacture of the system has also commenced in Germany to serve its European customer base.

Proven in market for more than 20 years, the Global Wheel-Lok is designed to secure any type of trailer to the Loading Bay, preventing well-known incidents such as vehicle creep (‘dock walk’), and accidents caused by a vehicle leaving its bay too early.

Traditional wheel chocks can be unreliable, especially in poor weather conditions, and are often not strong enough to prevent a vehicle from pulling away unexpectedly. They also require someone to physically manhandle them into position and remove them after use.

With Rite-Hite’s system, the driver simply reverses their vehicle to the Bay where wheel guides ensure accurate positioning onto the Global Wheel-Lok. As the tyre crosses the locking arm, the barrier rises and, using the energy of the trailer, follows the tyre until the trailer stops against the dock bumpers. The tyre is then locked in place, and a simple ‘green/red’ lighting system indicates to the driver – and the Loading Bay workers – that it is safe to continue.

When loading/unloading is completed, the Loading Bay worker presses the ‘unlock’ button to release the locking teeth, and a green light is displayed to the driver. The locking arm follows the trailer tyre back to its original resting position, and the vehicle is safe to leave.

Thorsten Mauritz, the Marketing Manager for Rite-Hite in Europe, says that Rite-Hite has a proud track record in Loading Bay Safety: “Our Global Wheel-Lok system has been protecting lives and improving safety for more than two decades, and is still recognised for its innovation and ease of use.

“Thousands of customers worldwide have come to trust the confidence and assurance that Global Wheel-Lok delivers in enhancing safety and supporting operational efficiency. It is one part of a range of solutions designed and proven to improve safety, security, productivity, energy savings and environmental control within a logistics environment,” he says.

 

Prologis, owner and developer of industrial logistics parks, has further strengthened its footprint in London with the acquisition of 4.5 acres of strategic industrial development land, adjacent to Prologis Park Beddington Lane in Croydon.

The site, which has consent for industrial logistics use, will provide additional space for logistics companies looking to serve both Croydon and the central London market. In addition, the acquisition will allow the sector to cope with an increase in demand, fuelled by COVID-19, which saw online sales as a percentage of total retail sales jump from just 18% in February 2020 to 32.8% in May.

“The importance of the logistics sector to the health and wealth of the nation has been highlighted during the ongoing pandemic”, said Oliver Bycroft, Vice President in the leasing and development team at Prologis UK.  “With the volume of online sales unlikely to drop back to pre-COVID levels, finding available logistics space close to urban centres such as London will become more challenging.”

 Over the past 18 months, the property company has invested over half a billion pounds in London and the Home Counties, to ensure it can provide the urban logistics facilities its customers need, and continues to invest in this important urban logistics location.

“The UK retail market is changing, as more and more people order goods online; because of this, our customers, who include household retail names such as Amazon, Argos and John Lewis, need logistics facilities close to where people live and work, so they can fulfil deliveries of goods ordered online efficiently and sustainably,” Bycroft continues.

“We are in the process of working up our proposed scheme, although there is currently a window of opportunity for us to tailor the layout to meet the requirements of individual occupiers. We are conscious that many, particularly e-commerce, last mile, and parcel operators, have specific needs and we are keen to keep an open mind and explore these types of requirements further.

In addition to providing much needed industrial logistics space, the expansion of Prologis Park Beddington Lane will provide a further boost to the local economy, with the creation of new jobs and ongoing investment in the local area. The development will also provide occupiers with a range of sustainable features, including charging points for electric vehicles, enabling goods to be delivered more sustainably. Additionally, as the location is close to public transport links, employees will be able to travel to work easily and sustainably, helping to reduce local congestion.

In the new normal, we’re all going to have to get used to doing things differently and hygiene is something that will play a greater part in all our lives. That’s why SALTO incorporates BioCote the market-leading antimicrobial technology in our electronic smart lock range.

Whatever type of logistics, warehouse or distribution centre building you’re managing, you will have a greater or lesser number of doors and that means each person that uses the door transfers the bacteria on their hands to the door handle every time they go through it. However, the addition of BioCote’s antimicrobial technology helps reduce microbes on SALTO door handles and improves hygiene creating a cleaner, more hygienic environment for all users, staff, visitors etc.

The more hygienic the handle, the less chance of cross-contamination. This helps to reduce the spread of microbes as they are not then transferred from door to door and surface to surface. That’s why SALTO includes BioCote in our range of standalone wire free electronic lock products to contribute to customers existing cleaning and hygiene regimes. And now, more than ever, this technology is proving its worth.

BioCote has been successfully tested against a feline strain of coronavirus, showing a reduction of 90% in two hours, which is a positive indicator of the antiviral properties of the technology. Previous testing has revealed that BioCote delivers 99.9 percent, 24/7 protection against an array of microbes including Influenza A H1N1, E.coli, Salmonella, and antibiotic-resistant CRE, VRE, and MRSA.

The invisible silver-ion technology is integrated with the handle during the manufacturing process – so not only will our access control give you complete control over who can access what, when and where – you can also ensure staff are protected while doing so. BioCote cannot be wiped off or worn away, enhancing hygiene management and reducing the possibility of cross-contamination, and the finish is long-lasting and maintains its antimicrobial performance over the expected lifetime of the SALTO electronic lock products.