17 January, 2023

New Electric Forklift Launched

Posted on 17 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Baoli, the forklift manufacturer that is part of the KION Group, is launching a newly developed electric forklift series across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The new trucks are cost-effective models designed for operation with lift capacities from 2.5 tons to 3.5 tons.

Electric forklifts are more environmental friendly compared to internal combustion solutions and therefore gain importance. To protect the environment and operator, Baoli is now launching a completely redesigned electric counterbalance truck family. The KBE 25-30-35 models have a load capacity of 2.5 t, 3.0 t and 3.5 t respectively. “This new generation of Baoli electric trucks aims at only one thing: Exceeding customer expectations! In terms of quality and reliability we are offering our customers a new reference in our market segment with the right level of performance at an affordable price. With the new KBE family we address all material handling standard applications,” says Francesco Pampuri, Director Brand Marketing & Management.

Robust, safe trucks for a wide range of applications

This new generation has been developed for suit almost all industries – from retail to manufacturing, from indoor to outdoor operations. The new machines draw their power from 80 V lead-acid batteries with a capacity of 360-450 Ah for the 2.5 t models and 500-600 Ah for the 3.0 t and 3.5 t models. Maintenance-free Li-Ion batteries will become available. “The solid workmanship of our machines ensures very long and smooth operation for our customers, whose safety is always our top priority,” Pampuri continues.

State-of-the-art production facility

The new KBE family is manufactured at the new production plant in Jinan (Shandong province), the fifth Chinese production site of the Frankfurt-based KION Group. The dimensions underline the growth aspirations KION has for the Baoli brand: the manufacturing area covers nearly 223,000 square meters – the equivalent of over 31 football fields. The new factory meets the highest manufacturing and quality standards and will allow Baoli to upgrade its range of forklifts for the entry-level segment to a completely new technological level.

Range of equipment

The KBE trucks come with a large number of technical features that make them reliable, safe and easy to operate. For example, the newly designed mast, which is up to 6,500 millimeters high, gives operators an excellent view of the load and its surroundings. It also features the “soft landing” safety function which reduces the lowering speed when the lift height is less than 100 millimeters. The new series features the latest-generation KION control unit, high quality electric motors and hydraulic components as well as the easy to read display. A driving program allows the operator to choose between economical, efficient or performance-oriented operation. Newly developed diagnostic tools can be operated via an app on any standard smartphone further increase the ease of operations.
BAOLI did not only focus on making the new electric trucks reliable and safe but also put an emphasis on driver comfort. For example, the spacious and comfortable driver’s seat offers operators a perfect all-round view through the standard overhead guard. Baoli is offering the truck with half or full cabins as well as retrofittable cabin kits if needed at a later time.

Excellent services

“Because we know what our customers really need, we make the decision very easy for them with the new KBE family because we offer simple, safe, yet very robust trucks without unnecessary extras. With easy-to-configurate and simple offer design and uncomplicated order processing, we also ensure a very high level of customer satisfaction,” Pampuri says. Baoli makes their forklifts available from stock out of their Italy-based distribution center in order to increase the flexibility of customers.

Fashion Retail Fulfilment Centre

Posted on 17 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

When online fashion retailer ASOS embarked on setting up its fourth fulfilment centre, the company turned to tried and trusted materials handling partner, BS Handling Systems. ASOS took possession of the keys for the 437,000 sq. ft. Lichfield, UK, warehouse in January 2021 and had less than eight months to make the site fully operational by August of that year to support the Black Friday peak in November.

“In October 2020 we began a very rigorous tender process to identify suppliers who would not only deliver competitive and high quality solutions, but also work as part of a team in a flexible, adaptable and responsive manner,” explains Gary Beveridge, Director of Supply Chain Development for ASOS. Having previously worked with BS Handling Systems on a number of major projects, it was clear that they would be able not only to deliver the right solution, but also to adapt to the inevitable design changes that pop up as a project of this nature progresses.

“The first phase of BS Handling Systems’ support provided the major conveyor and despatch sorter elements. Later followed design and installation of additional smaller works including our secure caged area for high value items such as jewellery and belts; a hanging garment storage system that transports inbound goods on hangers (GOH) from goods in up to the top floor of the pick tower, and a conveyor solution to get waste cardboard boxes from all five storage floors of the pick tower out to the waste skips in the yard.”

Storage capacity of around 7 million units of stock

The site go-live was planned for August 2021, providing a storage capacity of around seven million units of stock and outbound capacity of a million units of stock shipped on customer orders each week. BS Handling Systems was responsible for creating the conveyor ring which helps move 1200 inbound cartons or returns totes, as well as
1200 outbound totes an hour through the pick tower. In addition, the company had to design, build and install a high speed despatch sorter with a capacity to handle up to 14,000 parcels an hour.

New stock, in cartons, is unloaded from delivery trucks and placed on the inbound conveyor system. This transports stock through two DWS (Dimensioning-Weighing-Scanning) systems and ultimately to its storage location in shelving on one of four put away zones on each of five storage floors of the pick tower. Outbound picked items are placed in colour coded totes – black for multiple orders and green for singles – these totes are transported down to one of four outbound tote sortation zones on the ground floor.

From here, the totes are delivered to one of four packing lines which BS Handling Systems designed and installed. Each line comprises of 20 packing benches and a conveyor with DWS systems to transport the packed goods to the despatch sorter inducts or direct to the loose load trailer despatch line. Four 2 x 2 Intralox ARB sorters – one per infeed line – divert the product to one of two banks of high-speed sorter inducts which merge the packages onto the despatch sorter or direct to the loose load trailer line.

Versatile high speed despatch sorter

The despatch sorter had to be capable of handling a wide range of package sizes and weights, from small items such as jewellery right up to large boxes with coats or pairs of boots. It had to be able to handle these varying sizes rapidly without error, as the long-term capacity target is four and half million units going out to customers each week during peak.

BS Handling Systems also designed and built a waste cardboard box removal system. This consisted of three steel chutes running from the top floor of the pick tower down to the first floor where the boxes dropped onto a dunnage conveyor belt taking them out to the automatic waste baler in the yard.

To avoid blockages occurring in the steel chutes, BS Handling Systems designed a clever, but simple ‘traffic light’ system at each input station on every chute. When arriving at the chute, the light is red and the operatives cannot put waste down the chute. The operator presses the ‘request use’ button, and once the light turns green they have a set period of time to safely dispose of the waste down the chute – locking out the other floors. This avoids too many boxes going down the chutes at one time and either blocking the chutes or over-loading the conveyor at the bottom.

The project also required BS Handling Systems to design and install a conveyor system that enabled the unloading and loading of goods from and into truck trailers. The solution included six man rider telescopic boom loaders; these booms improved the efficiency of unloading and loading goods directly from or into the back of the trailers.

A true partnership founded on a ‘can-do’ attitude

Beveridge added, “the team at BS Handling Systems did a fantastic job throughout. They are exceptionally easy to deal with and very responsive, always demonstrating a ‘can-do’ attitude. Without hesitation, they are willing to go ‘above and beyond’ to make sure that the end product delivered to ASOS is absolutely the best we can achieve. They now have a team of ten engineers on site providing 24/7 maintenance for the facility; this team works closely with GXO who run the operation for us. The maintenance team has integrated really well into our structure here in Lichfield. They have their own caged area on the ground floor with all the spares required to ensure we can keep the fulfilment centre running.”

More than just a supplier

“Rob, Stephen and the BS Handling Systems team have worked with ASOS for a long time and we consider them more than just a supplier. The timelines we had to achieve here at Lichfield were tight and it was comforting to know that we could trust BS Handling Systems not only to do a really professional job, but also to go above and beyond whenever it was necessary. There’s no question that, however challenging, they will always do what’s best for ASOS,” concludes Beveridge.

Fashion Retail Fulfilment Centre

Posted on 17 January, 2023 by David Priestman

Storage capacity of around 7 million units of stock

Versatile high speed despatch sorter

A true partnership founded on a ‘can-do’ attitude

More than just a supplier

Globalisation: Manufacturing Moves Closer to Home

Posted on 17 January, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

New research has revealed the emergence of major shifts in globalisation, as companies rush to move manufacturing closer to home to protect against supply chain disruptions while increasingly protectionist policies are breaking the world into trade blocs.

The latest Trade in Transition study, commissioned by DP World and led by Economist Impact, captured the perspectives of company leaders as they navigate the latest disruptions to global trade – from the conflict in Ukraine to inflation and extended covid-lockdown policies in some markets.

Its key finding is that 96% of companies confirmed they are making changes to their supply chains due to geopolitical events.

The change has been swift. In the space of just a year, the number of companies shifting their manufacturing and suppliers– either to their home markets or nearby – has doubled compared to 2021. This is driven mainly by efforts to reduce costs and the risk of disruption. But the shifts are not even. While 27% of companies said they were decreasing the length of their supply chains due to geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine, another 33% plan to expand into more stable and transparent markets.

Inflation threat

The persistent threat of inflation was cited by 30% of the executives as having the most significant negative impact on trade over the next two years. Inflationary pressures are seen in input costs — from supply shortages – and transport, through high energy costs and shipping capacity constraints. In a scenario of monetary tightening, companies across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific anticipate exports to be 1% lower than under a business-as-usual situation due to decreasing production and demand.

If inflationary pressures continue, exports in the Middle East and South America are expected to be hardest hit, declining by 3.52% and 2.74% respectively. Only Africa is expected to see its exports rise by 0.26%.

A fragmenting world

The fragmentation of the world into trade blocs was also cited by 10% of respondents as limiting the growth of international trade. Beyond the war in Ukraine, US-China tensions and cyber warfare are preventing the efficient functioning of economies worldwide. This is leading to increasingly protectionist policies such as the US Infrastructure Bill and the CHIPS and Science Act, which aim to incentivise and prioritise US and North American manufacturing. Similar protectionist policies are popping up all over the world, leading to further fragmentation of the global trade system.

Businesses are finding ways to respond and grow. Altering supply chains either through diversification, regionalisation, or reshoring to build resilience is one response.

The global survey of 3,000 company executives found that companies in North America and Europe are most likely to outsource more than half of their services within their region. This is followed by 40% of companies in South America, 36% in the Middle East, 32% in Asia-Pacific and 18% in Africa, outsourcing within their regions.

The widespread and increasing adoption of technology is another way to build resilience into the supply chain. Some 35% of respondents said they were currently implementing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to facilitate the tracking and monitoring of cargo, while another 32% of companies are adopting digital platforms to enable direct business with customers or suppliers.

Speaking at the launch of the report at the World Economic Forum in Davos today, DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said:

“The report is tangible evidence of how globalisation is changing as companies are forced to adapt to new challenges. By bringing production closer to the final customer, firms can reduce the number of touch points involved in the supply chain and build greater resilience into the flow of cargo around the world. But the trade environment is always changing. The next challenge that will alter these trends is an economic slowdown looming over regional markets. Agility, real-time visibility and end-to-end supply chain capabilities will be critical to ensuring companies can continue to find new efficiencies in an increasingly challenging environment.”

John Ferguson, Practice Lead for New Globalisation at Economist Impact, added:

“The shift to regionalisation and reshoring has been sharp, but unsurprising given the triple threat of higher costs, increased risks and government incentives or requirements to do so. Furthermore, businesses in previous decades have only had to focus on the economic aspects of trade, being price, quality and delivery. Now they have to account for other non-economic factors such as resilience and sustainability. All of which is having a drastic shift in supply chains, which we are witnessing both in the survey results and global trade patterns shifts”.