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Day: 23 November 2021

Linde launches safety app for ATEX vehicles

Posted on by David Priestman

The EX Monitoring App from Linde Material Handling notifies drivers of explosion-protected industrial trucks about the status of safety-relevant parameters and supports service technicians in diagnostics and repairs. The advantages for operators include a higher level of comfort, increased transparency, time savings and even better availability of vehicles during operations.

In order to avoid ignition sources that could lead to explosions in a potentially explosive atmosphere, the ATEX directive requires the consistent monitoring of defined, safety-relevant parameters when operating industrial trucks. Linde MH has developed its EX Monitoring App to enable the continuous monitoring of such values: It ensures maximum vehicle availability by displaying safety-relevant values and errors and providing concrete recommendations for action.

The app supports forklift drivers and fleet managers in operating the vehicle as safe and failure-free as possible. At the same time, it simplifies maintenance, diagnosis and repair.

“This makes the operation of explosion-protected vehicles in sensitive areas even more productive,” summarizes Elke Karnarski, the product manager responsible for explosion-protected Linde industrial trucks and solutions.

Many areas of the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and beverage industries, as well as logistics, are vulnerable to explosions because hazardous materials are manufactured, processed, transported and stored in such areas. Here, it is essential to eliminate any ignition sources that could cause an explosion with devastating consequences.

Industrial trucks are found in ATEX zones 1/21 and 2/22 – these include, for example, areas of production where hazardous materials are openly mixed or transferred into other containers, as well as areas where hazardous materials are stored and transported in closed containers and can be released in the event of an accident or collision. When gases or dusts combine with oxygen in ambient air, this can create an explosive atmosphere. Ignition sources on vehicles can be avoided by means of appropriate explosion-proof equipment as well as the consistent monitoring of safety-relevant parameters – which encompass up to 50 values in an explosion-protected vehicle, primarily temperature-relevant parameters, resistance values, voltages and wear.

These include the temperature of the housings of electronic control units and power modules, brake shoes, magnetic brakes and the traction motor. Up to now, it has been common practice to inform the driver of safety-critical faults by means of a flash code on the vehicle display. In everyday operation, however, the identification and handling of faults is not always carried out as it should be. With varying consequences – sometimes the vehicle remains out of service longer than necessary. Often the fault is not checked thoroughly enough. And sometimes even a visit by a service technician is inefficient because it could not be adequately prepared.

Linde’s EX Monitoring App offers a solution. It provides drivers and fleet managers in ATEX zones 1/21 or 2/22 with comprehensive condition monitoring information. The app checks the explosion-protected vehicle on the spot and shows what needs to be done in each specific case. It explains the meaning of the flash code and identifies the specific error.

The integrated two-stage traffic light system lays out the next steps simply and unambiguously: A yellow indicator signifies that the vehicle should be cooled down and a maintenance appointment made. If the light is red, it’s time to stop immediately and call a service technician! Additional assistance is provided by means of the detailed diagnostic function which indicates all values of the monitored components and parameters.

The app also displays the error history and provides specific recommendations for action. Thus, all details regarding the wear of safety-critical components and the remaining operating hours are recorded.

The EX Monitoring App from Linde MH is a USP. Already available for five series, it will be part of all future explosion-protected Linde industrial truck models.

Linde launches safety app for ATEX vehicles

Posted on by David Priestman

The EX Monitoring App from Linde Material Handling notifies drivers of explosion-protected industrial trucks about the status of safety-relevant parameters and supports service technicians in diagnostics and repairs. The advantages for operators include a higher level of comfort, increased transparency, time savings and even better availability of vehicles during operations.

In order to avoid ignition sources that could lead to explosions in a potentially explosive atmosphere, the ATEX directive requires the consistent monitoring of defined, safety-relevant parameters when operating industrial trucks. Linde MH has developed its EX Monitoring App to enable the continuous monitoring of such values: It ensures maximum vehicle availability by displaying safety-relevant values and errors and providing concrete recommendations for action.

The app supports forklift drivers and fleet managers in operating the vehicle as safe and failure-free as possible. At the same time, it simplifies maintenance, diagnosis and repair.

“This makes the operation of explosion-protected vehicles in sensitive areas even more productive,” summarizes Elke Karnarski, the product manager responsible for explosion-protected Linde industrial trucks and solutions.

Many areas of the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and beverage industries, as well as logistics, are vulnerable to explosions because hazardous materials are manufactured, processed, transported and stored in such areas. Here, it is essential to eliminate any ignition sources that could cause an explosion with devastating consequences.

Industrial trucks are found in ATEX zones 1/21 and 2/22 – these include, for example, areas of production where hazardous materials are openly mixed or transferred into other containers, as well as areas where hazardous materials are stored and transported in closed containers and can be released in the event of an accident or collision. When gases or dusts combine with oxygen in ambient air, this can create an explosive atmosphere. Ignition sources on vehicles can be avoided by means of appropriate explosion-proof equipment as well as the consistent monitoring of safety-relevant parameters – which encompass up to 50 values in an explosion-protected vehicle, primarily temperature-relevant parameters, resistance values, voltages and wear.

These include the temperature of the housings of electronic control units and power modules, brake shoes, magnetic brakes and the traction motor. Up to now, it has been common practice to inform the driver of safety-critical faults by means of a flash code on the vehicle display. In everyday operation, however, the identification and handling of faults is not always carried out as it should be. With varying consequences – sometimes the vehicle remains out of service longer than necessary. Often the fault is not checked thoroughly enough. And sometimes even a visit by a service technician is inefficient because it could not be adequately prepared.

Linde’s EX Monitoring App offers a solution. It provides drivers and fleet managers in ATEX zones 1/21 or 2/22 with comprehensive condition monitoring information. The app checks the explosion-protected vehicle on the spot and shows what needs to be done in each specific case. It explains the meaning of the flash code and identifies the specific error.

The integrated two-stage traffic light system lays out the next steps simply and unambiguously: A yellow indicator signifies that the vehicle should be cooled down and a maintenance appointment made. If the light is red, it’s time to stop immediately and call a service technician! Additional assistance is provided by means of the detailed diagnostic function which indicates all values of the monitored components and parameters.

The app also displays the error history and provides specific recommendations for action. Thus, all details regarding the wear of safety-critical components and the remaining operating hours are recorded.

The EX Monitoring App from Linde MH is a USP. Already available for five series, it will be part of all future explosion-protected Linde industrial truck models.

Transporeon aims for carbon neutrality

Posted on by Keith McKinley

On 23rd November 2021, Transporeon announced that it will become carbon neutral within three months. The company offers technology with a purpose that enables its customers to operate more sustainably. For example, Transporeon can help them make their CO2 consumption more visible with the new ‘Transporeon Carbon Visibility’ dashboard. In this context, the European Union’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate policy will apply carbon certificate trading to the transport sector from 2026 and require companies to set up an objective and efficient reporting system.

“It is only logical that we do our utmost to operate sustainably ourselves as the leading digital freight platform in Europe, where our customers together manage more than 100,000 transports per day and tender about 20bn freight volume per year,” said Transporeon CEO Stephan Sieber. “Becoming carbon neutral is the first step, but the journey has only just begun.”

Already beginning of this year, Transporeon launched the internal technology incubator ‘Transporeon4Future’ with the goal to innovate for decarbonisation and sustainable logistics. From this initiative Transporeon is launching in early 2022 the new Carbon Visibility dashboard that will enable shippers, carriers, and freight forwarders to precisely measure and report on their logistics emissions across the entire supply chain and all transport modalities and to provide tools to steer and reduce their future emissions.

More solutions will follow. For example, Transporeon is working on green tendering and assignment solutions, which will go live in 2022.

Transporeon´s own carbon footprint in 2020 falls more than 40% short compared to 2019, which was both impacted by the pandemic and own efforts which leave room for further science-based decarbonisation targets. Transporeon has therefore partnered with South Pole to undertake its decarbonisation strategy, the setting of future targets and also the selection of emission reduction projects to offset its remaining carbon emissions.

South Pole is a leading climate solutions provider and developer of emission reduction projects. Transporeon will be awarded the “Carbon Neutral Company” label by South Pole for its efforts in the first quarter of 2022.

“We applaud Transporeon for taking important steps on their climate journey, first by assessing their carbon footprint and then by taking meaningful action towards reducing their emissions,” said Renat Heuberger, CEO South Pole. “We are proud to help them on this journey and eager to see how their actions encourage other companies to take similar actions.”

“We are committed to bring transportation in sync with the world – with a sustainable world,” added Sieber. “Collaboration is the most promising way to achieve decarbonisation. That is why not only Transporeon as a company will become carbon neutral, but we also guide our network to lower their emissions in transportation. Together, we can make a difference.”

Transporeon aims for carbon neutrality

Posted on by David Priestman

On 23rd November 2021, Transporeon announced that it will become carbon neutral within three months. The company offers technology with a purpose that enables its customers to operate more sustainably. For example, Transporeon can help them make their CO2 consumption more visible with the new ‘Transporeon Carbon Visibility’ dashboard. In this context, the European Union’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate policy will apply carbon certificate trading to the transport sector from 2026 and require companies to set up an objective and efficient reporting system.

“It is only logical that we do our utmost to operate sustainably ourselves as the leading digital freight platform in Europe, where our customers together manage more than 100,000 transports per day and tender about 20bn freight volume per year,” said Transporeon CEO Stephan Sieber. “Becoming carbon neutral is the first step, but the journey has only just begun.”

Already beginning of this year, Transporeon launched the internal technology incubator ‘Transporeon4Future’ with the goal to innovate for decarbonisation and sustainable logistics. From this initiative Transporeon is launching in early 2022 the new Carbon Visibility dashboard that will enable shippers, carriers, and freight forwarders to precisely measure and report on their logistics emissions across the entire supply chain and all transport modalities and to provide tools to steer and reduce their future emissions.

More solutions will follow. For example, Transporeon is working on green tendering and assignment solutions, which will go live in 2022.

Transporeon´s own carbon footprint in 2020 falls more than 40% short compared to 2019, which was both impacted by the pandemic and own efforts which leave room for further science-based decarbonisation targets. Transporeon has therefore partnered with South Pole to undertake its decarbonisation strategy, the setting of future targets and also the selection of emission reduction projects to offset its remaining carbon emissions.

South Pole is a leading climate solutions provider and developer of emission reduction projects. Transporeon will be awarded the “Carbon Neutral Company” label by South Pole for its efforts in the first quarter of 2022.

“We applaud Transporeon for taking important steps on their climate journey, first by assessing their carbon footprint and then by taking meaningful action towards reducing their emissions,” said Renat Heuberger, CEO South Pole. “We are proud to help them on this journey and eager to see how their actions encourage other companies to take similar actions.”

“We are committed to bring transportation in sync with the world – with a sustainable world,” added Sieber. “Collaboration is the most promising way to achieve decarbonisation. That is why not only Transporeon as a company will become carbon neutral, but we also guide our network to lower their emissions in transportation. Together, we can make a difference.”

Pets at Home outsources automation maintenance

Posted on by David Priestman

When lockdown triggered a huge surge in ecommerce orders, Pets at Home recognised the importance of upgrading the maintenance and support of its automated warehouse systems by outsourcing to Invar Integration. Maintaining uptime was critical to ensuring customers received their orders on time.

Pets at Home is the UK’s leading pet care business with over 450 stores and a growing ecommerce channel.

To keep pace with the increase of online sales, in 2019 the business took the decision to introduce an automated zone-picking operation at its Northampton DC, where miles of powered conveyor and a series of carton elevators smoothly transfer order-cartons over three floors of a mezzanine system.

Auto-carton erection and sealing machines work in unison with pickers in a 24/7 operation to complete some 15,000 parcels a day, comprising orders across a diverse 10,000-SKU product range, from 25kg bags of pet food to a plethora of accessories, right down to a collar for a kitten. In addition, a further 8-9,000 daily orders for prescription medications are processed within a dedicated order assembly area.

Keeping such a highly mechanised fulfilment process running smoothly, with minimal failures or glitches, is absolutely critical to maintaining optimal performance and ultimately, ensuring customer satisfaction. Reliable on-site engineering support is, of course, essential.

When the pandemic hit, online demand surged due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, meaning there was a greater emphasis than ever to maintain performance.

Simon Phillips, General Manager at Pets at Home, explains: “Towards the end of 2019 we implemented our automated solution for ecommerce orders and then in early 2020 the pandemic suddenly struck, resulting in a huge shift to online sales.

“It was really fortuitous that we had made the decision to invest in automation when we did,” he says. “That decision wasn’t driven by capacity issues at the time, but subsequently it has allowed us to meet the phenomenal surge in demand resulting from lockdown.”

He adds: “We have seen volumes through our online channel more than double over the last year, whilst at the same time the business is going through significant double-digit growth.

As a consequence, we soon realised that we needed to increase our engineering support rapidly to maintain performance.”

To address these challenges, Pets at Home turned to warehouse automation specialists, Invar Integration, for an outsourced maintenance solution. In the spring of 2020 Invar was engaged to provide a professional team of four on-site engineers with a remit to manage a 24/7, 364 day a year service, offering a planned preventative maintenance programme, immediate failure resolution, spare parts inventory management and further back-up support – tapping into the full technical capabilities and resources of the Invar Group. As online sales boomed, it wasn’t long before Invar Integration expanded the team to five by bringing on board a full-time onsite manager to co-ordinate resources.

Invar Integration was tasked with ensuring maximum uptime with little room for failure.

A strict set of SLAs was put in place to track performance month by month:

  • Overall availability of the system has a KPI target of 96%
  • scanner read rates 98%
  • recommended spares held vs recorded spares 98%
  • planned maintenance vs completed maintenance 97%
  • and engineering shifts completed and fulfilled 99.8%

Alex Moore, Maintenance Contract Manager at Invar Integration, says: “It’s an extremely busy warehouse. We have a full preventative maintenance schedule in place spanning 52 weeks of the year, involving in-depth checks across the system, identifying and replacing components close to failure, such as drive motors, rollers or worn drive bands. And this extends right across the entire system, including the carton erectors and packing machines.

“An important aspect of our work is the provision of spares – we plan what parts to hold in stock and manage the inventory, which is vital for ensuring maximum uptime of the system,” he says.

Invar Integration’s IT systems are used to manage parts holding, directly linking into the planned preventative maintenance schedule.

Phillips explains how this has delivered significant benefits: “Invar has been really great at helping us determine what the planned preventative schedule needs to look like under this increased pressure, what spare parts we need to hold, and when we need to take the equipment down to provide a window of opportunity for planned maintenance – this has probably been the biggest learning curve for us, and has allowed us to significantly increase the reliability of the system.”

Of course, system performance is particularly critical at peak periods. “We have the retail Christmas peak,” he says. “During this period we see a good 30-50% uplift in volume and I’m happy to say that the modelled and planned maintenance and support structure put in place by Invar copes well.”

Phillips points out: “The last 12 months has seen a really big shake-down of what we would describe as a new system, so there have been some challenges to overcome. However, we have been able to utilise Invar’s industry expertise and network to resolve these pretty quickly. For instance, we had a failure on a carousel that lifts cartons up from the ground floor to the mezzanine floors, but Invar had it back up and running within a matter of hours.”

A full understanding of the many varied forms of warehouse automation is essential for any business offering a comprehensive maintenance and support service. Being a well-established systems integrator helps. “Invar has been very supportive in bringing new ideas to the table, says Simon Phillips. “They have been great at listening to us, and in trying to understand our business. We have a fantastic working relationship with them and importantly, they deliver what they said they will deliver – and that has stood them in very good stead.”

Pets at Home outsources automation maintenance

Posted on by David Priestman

When lockdown triggered a huge surge in ecommerce orders, Pets at Home recognised the importance of upgrading the maintenance and support of its automated warehouse systems by outsourcing to Invar Integration. Maintaining uptime was critical to ensuring customers received their orders on time.

Pets at Home is the UK’s leading pet care business with over 450 stores and a growing ecommerce channel.

To keep pace with the increase of online sales, in 2019 the business took the decision to introduce an automated zone-picking operation at its Northampton DC, where miles of powered conveyor and a series of carton elevators smoothly transfer order-cartons over three floors of a mezzanine system.

Auto-carton erection and sealing machines work in unison with pickers in a 24/7 operation to complete some 15,000 parcels a day, comprising orders across a diverse 10,000-SKU product range, from 25kg bags of pet food to a plethora of accessories, right down to a collar for a kitten. In addition, a further 8-9,000 daily orders for prescription medications are processed within a dedicated order assembly area.

Keeping such a highly mechanised fulfilment process running smoothly, with minimal failures or glitches, is absolutely critical to maintaining optimal performance and ultimately, ensuring customer satisfaction. Reliable on-site engineering support is, of course, essential.

When the pandemic hit, online demand surged due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, meaning there was a greater emphasis than ever to maintain performance.

Simon Phillips, General Manager at Pets at Home, explains: “Towards the end of 2019 we implemented our automated solution for ecommerce orders and then in early 2020 the pandemic suddenly struck, resulting in a huge shift to online sales.

“It was really fortuitous that we had made the decision to invest in automation when we did,” he says. “That decision wasn’t driven by capacity issues at the time, but subsequently it has allowed us to meet the phenomenal surge in demand resulting from lockdown.”

He adds: “We have seen volumes through our online channel more than double over the last year, whilst at the same time the business is going through significant double-digit growth.

As a consequence, we soon realised that we needed to increase our engineering support rapidly to maintain performance.”

To address these challenges, Pets at Home turned to warehouse automation specialists, Invar Integration, for an outsourced maintenance solution. In the spring of 2020 Invar was engaged to provide a professional team of four on-site engineers with a remit to manage a 24/7, 364 day a year service, offering a planned preventative maintenance programme, immediate failure resolution, spare parts inventory management and further back-up support – tapping into the full technical capabilities and resources of the Invar Group. As online sales boomed, it wasn’t long before Invar Integration expanded the team to five by bringing on board a full-time onsite manager to co-ordinate resources.

Invar Integration was tasked with ensuring maximum uptime with little room for failure.

A strict set of SLAs was put in place to track performance month by month:

  • Overall availability of the system has a KPI target of 96%
  • scanner read rates 98%
  • recommended spares held vs recorded spares 98%
  • planned maintenance vs completed maintenance 97%
  • and engineering shifts completed and fulfilled 99.8%

Alex Moore, Maintenance Contract Manager at Invar Integration, says: “It’s an extremely busy warehouse. We have a full preventative maintenance schedule in place spanning 52 weeks of the year, involving in-depth checks across the system, identifying and replacing components close to failure, such as drive motors, rollers or worn drive bands. And this extends right across the entire system, including the carton erectors and packing machines.

“An important aspect of our work is the provision of spares – we plan what parts to hold in stock and manage the inventory, which is vital for ensuring maximum uptime of the system,” he says.

Invar Integration’s IT systems are used to manage parts holding, directly linking into the planned preventative maintenance schedule.

Phillips explains how this has delivered significant benefits: “Invar has been really great at helping us determine what the planned preventative schedule needs to look like under this increased pressure, what spare parts we need to hold, and when we need to take the equipment down to provide a window of opportunity for planned maintenance – this has probably been the biggest learning curve for us, and has allowed us to significantly increase the reliability of the system.”

Of course, system performance is particularly critical at peak periods. “We have the retail Christmas peak,” he says. “During this period we see a good 30-50% uplift in volume and I’m happy to say that the modelled and planned maintenance and support structure put in place by Invar copes well.”

Phillips points out: “The last 12 months has seen a really big shake-down of what we would describe as a new system, so there have been some challenges to overcome. However, we have been able to utilise Invar’s industry expertise and network to resolve these pretty quickly. For instance, we had a failure on a carousel that lifts cartons up from the ground floor to the mezzanine floors, but Invar had it back up and running within a matter of hours.”

A full understanding of the many varied forms of warehouse automation is essential for any business offering a comprehensive maintenance and support service. Being a well-established systems integrator helps. “Invar has been very supportive in bringing new ideas to the table, says Simon Phillips. “They have been great at listening to us, and in trying to understand our business. We have a fantastic working relationship with them and importantly, they deliver what they said they will deliver – and that has stood them in very good stead.”

UK forklift orders soaring

Posted on by David Priestman

Rising confidence as business looks for a swift recovery from a succession of pandemic-induced lockdowns is generating unprecedented demand for new lift trucks across nearly all sectors of the market. However, as new data from the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) shows, manufacturers are struggling to keep pace with demand due to the ongoing shortage of critical components.

Following a 24% decline in bookings during 2020, orders have surged this year, with latest estimates predicting a 38% increase by year-end. Such a figure represents a 5.7% increase on the figures for pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

With industry demand expected to stay strong into next year, experts at Oxford Economics have predicted in their Autumn Economic Forecast, which has been produced for UKMHA constituent, BITA, a further 6.5% growth in bookings for 2022.

However, while deliveries have also recovered – currently hovering around levels seen in 2016, the economists have predicted supply issues could continue to disrupt delivery schedules well into next year before eventually subsiding.

“While shipments have staged a strong recovery, they are lagging well behind the growth in bookings,” states the new report. “This is natural due to lead times between bookings and shipping, but it likely also reflects wider supply chain issues that are affecting industries this year. We expect supply chain issues to persist well into next year, but they will eventually improve, and companies will continue to adapt. Therefore, the backlog will continue to rise into next year.”

The situation is by no means unique to lift trucks; virtually all aspects of the manufacturing industry are currently being disrupted due to the shortage of critical components. The situation is compounded by labour shortages, escalating fuel and energy costs, and raw material costs.

Nevertheless, surging consumer demand continues to drive the market and this is expected to remain the case during 2022, despite inflationary pressures.

One of the primary beneficiaries of the current situation has been the Counterbalance sector, which has witnessed a startling recovery. Prior to the pandemic, counterbalance bookings were in decline, falling more than 5% in 2019, with the weakness most pronounced in Class 4/5. The pandemic exacerbated the trend, with Classes 1 and 4/5 subsiding by 21% and 34% respectively last year, with the decline most prominent in the first half of the year.

Bookings staged a strong recovery throughout 2021 as pandemic restrictions eased. All classes were up well above 100% in the second quarter, while bookings for Class 1 continued to grow in Q3 but pulled back for Class 4/5 from the levels seen in the previous three months.

With industrial production predicted to rise by 5.6% this year, driven by strong consumer demand – a trend anticipated to continue into 2022, demand for the trucks is expected to remain high.

“Overall, we expect counterbalance orders to rise 33% this year. In 2022 we expect bookings to exceed 2019 levels after rising 17%,” adds the forecast.

If anything, the picture within the warehouse sector is even more positive, as growing consumer demand again influenced the market. The Oxford Economics report predicts e-commerce sales are likely to remain high going into 2022, relative to pre-Covid levels, despite shops reopening.

“We expect bookings will rise 42.5% in 2021 which will bring the sector 15% above 2019 levels,” states the report.

Tim Waples (pictured), CEO of UKMHA, said: “While these results reflect the continuous growth trend for 2021, they will make pleasant reading for our manufacturers and dealers, who have endured a torrid 18 months due to the pandemic.

“If the predictions are correct and growth can be maintained into next year, then the UK material handling sector is looking at a very prosperous 2022. It is all the more disappointing therefore, that supply issues are disrupting shipment of new trucks. Let us hope the situation can be resolved sooner rather than later – for everyone’s benefit.”

UK forklift orders soaring

Posted on by David Priestman

Rising confidence as business looks for a swift recovery from a succession of pandemic-induced lockdowns is generating unprecedented demand for new lift trucks across nearly all sectors of the market. However, as new data from the UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA) shows, manufacturers are struggling to keep pace with demand due to the ongoing shortage of critical components.

Following a 24% decline in bookings during 2020, orders have surged this year, with latest estimates predicting a 38% increase by year-end. Such a figure represents a 5.7% increase on the figures for pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

With industry demand expected to stay strong into next year, experts at Oxford Economics have predicted in their Autumn Economic Forecast, which has been produced for UKMHA constituent, BITA, a further 6.5% growth in bookings for 2022.

However, while deliveries have also recovered – currently hovering around levels seen in 2016, the economists have predicted supply issues could continue to disrupt delivery schedules well into next year before eventually subsiding.

“While shipments have staged a strong recovery, they are lagging well behind the growth in bookings,” states the new report. “This is natural due to lead times between bookings and shipping, but it likely also reflects wider supply chain issues that are affecting industries this year. We expect supply chain issues to persist well into next year, but they will eventually improve, and companies will continue to adapt. Therefore, the backlog will continue to rise into next year.”

The situation is by no means unique to lift trucks; virtually all aspects of the manufacturing industry are currently being disrupted due to the shortage of critical components. The situation is compounded by labour shortages, escalating fuel and energy costs, and raw material costs.

Nevertheless, surging consumer demand continues to drive the market and this is expected to remain the case during 2022, despite inflationary pressures.

One of the primary beneficiaries of the current situation has been the Counterbalance sector, which has witnessed a startling recovery. Prior to the pandemic, counterbalance bookings were in decline, falling more than 5% in 2019, with the weakness most pronounced in Class 4/5. The pandemic exacerbated the trend, with Classes 1 and 4/5 subsiding by 21% and 34% respectively last year, with the decline most prominent in the first half of the year.

Bookings staged a strong recovery throughout 2021 as pandemic restrictions eased. All classes were up well above 100% in the second quarter, while bookings for Class 1 continued to grow in Q3 but pulled back for Class 4/5 from the levels seen in the previous three months.

With industrial production predicted to rise by 5.6% this year, driven by strong consumer demand – a trend anticipated to continue into 2022, demand for the trucks is expected to remain high.

“Overall, we expect counterbalance orders to rise 33% this year. In 2022 we expect bookings to exceed 2019 levels after rising 17%,” adds the forecast.

If anything, the picture within the warehouse sector is even more positive, as growing consumer demand again influenced the market. The Oxford Economics report predicts e-commerce sales are likely to remain high going into 2022, relative to pre-Covid levels, despite shops reopening.

“We expect bookings will rise 42.5% in 2021 which will bring the sector 15% above 2019 levels,” states the report.

Tim Waples (pictured), CEO of UKMHA, said: “While these results reflect the continuous growth trend for 2021, they will make pleasant reading for our manufacturers and dealers, who have endured a torrid 18 months due to the pandemic.

“If the predictions are correct and growth can be maintained into next year, then the UK material handling sector is looking at a very prosperous 2022. It is all the more disappointing therefore, that supply issues are disrupting shipment of new trucks. Let us hope the situation can be resolved sooner rather than later – for everyone’s benefit.”

Dunelm ready for DIRFT move

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Dunelm Group Plc is set to move into its new Daventry (UK) warehouse at Prologis RFI DIRFT this December, creating up to 70 new jobs in the local area by the end of January 2022.  The new site will be helping the retailer meet customer demand ahead of the festive period and then from January will be become a key element in the growth of Dunelm’s furniture business and providing better delivery service levels.

The move supports Dunelm’s focus on innovating and improving its customer proposition, as well as the growth in home delivery and click & collect operations that resulted from the pandemic.

Dunelm is one of the country’s leading homeware retailers, operating 175 shops across the UK. The company has taken a 10-year lease on the new logistics building at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) in the East Midlands, the leading rail served logistics park in the UK, which will be home to the Dunelm Home Delivery network and furniture range.

Classed as a nationally significant infrastructure project, DIRFT is one of the most successful intermodal (road/rail) logistics parks in the UK. From its location in the logistics ‘golden triangle’, at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network, the site has excellent road links to the M1 and M6 motorways, and to the West Coast Main Line. Home to household names such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, the site’s transport links have played a significant role in keeping goods and services flowing around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to do so during the current supply chain crisis.

“We’ve worked with Dunelm for a long time, and seeing this project come to completion is testament to the strength of our relationship,” said Tom Price, capital deployment and leasing director at Prologis UK. “The new facility will be pivotal in helping the business further grow its online retail operations and create a significant number of jobs for the local area. DIRFT continues to be an incredibly popular prospect for businesses looking to harness the power of multimodal freight and further extensions to the site will provide even more opportunities for businesses which want to strengthen their presence in the golden triangle.”

Dunelm’s new building will also reflect the company’s ambitious targets around sustainability and carbon reduction, with an EPC ‘A24’ rating, a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’ and features such as 15% roof lights, rainwater harvesting, and LED lighting. The building has also had its environmental credentials certified by The Planet Mark and is mitigating 100% of the embodied carbon involved in its construction. Thanks to Prologis’ partnership with climate action charity, Cool Earth, the construction of DIRFT III DC4 will help protect 136 acres of rainforest, over 30,000 trees, and support 652 people in Sololo, Southern Papua New Guinea.

Richard Street, Supply Chain Development Director, Dunelm Group PLC, said: “Our new DIRFT warehouse facility is an important move for Dunelm – not only is the location excellent for better serving our customer needs but the new site will make a significant contribution to our improving our environmental footprint.”

Dunelm ready for DIRFT move

Posted on by David Priestman

Dunelm Group Plc is set to move into its new Daventry (UK) warehouse at Prologis RFI DIRFT this December, creating up to 70 new jobs in the local area by the end of January 2022.  The new site will be helping the retailer meet customer demand ahead of the festive period and then from January will be become a key element in the growth of Dunelm’s furniture business and providing better delivery service levels.

The move supports Dunelm’s focus on innovating and improving its customer proposition, as well as the growth in home delivery and click & collect operations that resulted from the pandemic.

Dunelm is one of the country’s leading homeware retailers, operating 175 shops across the UK. The company has taken a 10-year lease on the new logistics building at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) in the East Midlands, the leading rail served logistics park in the UK, which will be home to the Dunelm Home Delivery network and furniture range.

Classed as a nationally significant infrastructure project, DIRFT is one of the most successful intermodal (road/rail) logistics parks in the UK. From its location in the logistics ‘golden triangle’, at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network, the site has excellent road links to the M1 and M6 motorways, and to the West Coast Main Line. Home to household names such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, the site’s transport links have played a significant role in keeping goods and services flowing around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to do so during the current supply chain crisis.

“We’ve worked with Dunelm for a long time, and seeing this project come to completion is testament to the strength of our relationship,” said Tom Price, capital deployment and leasing director at Prologis UK. “The new facility will be pivotal in helping the business further grow its online retail operations and create a significant number of jobs for the local area. DIRFT continues to be an incredibly popular prospect for businesses looking to harness the power of multimodal freight and further extensions to the site will provide even more opportunities for businesses which want to strengthen their presence in the golden triangle.”

Dunelm’s new building will also reflect the company’s ambitious targets around sustainability and carbon reduction, with an EPC ‘A24’ rating, a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’ and features such as 15% roof lights, rainwater harvesting, and LED lighting. The building has also had its environmental credentials certified by The Planet Mark and is mitigating 100% of the embodied carbon involved in its construction. Thanks to Prologis’ partnership with climate action charity, Cool Earth, the construction of DIRFT III DC4 will help protect 136 acres of rainforest, over 30,000 trees, and support 652 people in Sololo, Southern Papua New Guinea.

Richard Street, Supply Chain Development Director, Dunelm Group PLC, said: “Our new DIRFT warehouse facility is an important move for Dunelm – not only is the location excellent for better serving our customer needs but the new site will make a significant contribution to our improving our environmental footprint.”

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