Successful IMHX for Yale Europe Materials Handling

Yale Europe Materials Handling says it enjoyed a successful IMHX 2019, which took place from 24 – 27 September at the NEC in Birmingham. Yale worked closely with its UK partner, Briggs Equipment, to deliver an event that showcased a range of materials handling solutions, as well as the benefits of a close manufacturer-partner-customer relationship in driving productivity.

Taking place every three years (and biennial from 2021), IMHX is the UK’s largest event for logistics and supply chain professionals with tens of thousands of visitors estimated to have passed through the exhibition’s doors.

Yale Brand Manager, Iain Friar, said: “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our return to IMHX for another fantastic event. We’ve demonstrated a wide range of solutions for boosting productivity, from robotics and alternative power solutions, to pallet and Very Narrow Aisle trucks – as well as the customer success stories of our longstanding partnership with Briggs Equipment.”

Close partnership
“At Yale, we pride ourselves on the close relationship we enjoy with Briggs Equipment, who help to deliver our company philosophy of “People. Products. Productivity.”, said Iain. “Our combined understanding of our customers’ industries and the challenges they face, enables us to offer the ideal solution for their application, coupled with the ongoing support of a knowledgeable, experienced dealer.”

Marston’s is a prime example of this close partnership. As a trusted supplier, Briggs was invited to Marston’s West Thurrock facility to advise on how to make the best use of their warehouse space. Briggs quickly grasped the challenges of the brewery’s site and supplied a range of customised Yale® equipment, including LPG forklifts with keg clamps, low level order pickers, and reach trucks. Marston’s is no stranger to Yale products, and its nationwide fleet now stands at over 200 Yale trucks, all of which are serviced and maintained by Briggs engineers.

To demonstrate the success of this ongoing partnership between Briggs, Marston’s and Yale, Marston’s kegs were the load of choice for the Yale® MP20 pedestrian pallet truck on display at IMHX. This proved to be a useful icebreaker with new prospects looking to find out more about how the pedestrian pallet truck and precision control tiller head can help optimise productivity in their operations.

A pallet of sweet treats, kindly provided by another Yale customer, could also be spotted on the Yale MTC13 Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) truck. Capable of lifting up to 17m, Yale VNA trucks offer greater cube utilisation by optimising pallet storage and retrieval at high levels and in very narrow aisles. This allows warehouse managers with limited space to fully utilise it and increase storage density.

UK debut for Yale robotics
Yale displayed its robotic MC15 counterbalance stacker for the first time in the UK. Visitors watched as the counterbalance stacker autonomously lifted a pallet from racking and carried it across the stand, simulating a warehouse application.

“The robotic counterbalance stacker generated a great deal of interest. Visitors were particularly curious about how the Driven by Balyo technology enables it to operate without the need to install additional infrastructure, and were impressed to hear how easily the truck can switch between manual and autonomous modes” said Iain.

Yale robotic trucks are a cost-effective solution for applications seeking increased uptime and productivity, without the additional cost of installing and maintaining a dedicated physical infrastructure. The trucks use existing structural features to generate their own map of the working environment, so there is no need to bury wires in the floor or mount reflectors on the walls.

The current Yale robotics fleet includes a counterbalance stacker, tow tractor, and low-level order picker, all of which can integrate fully with existing Warehouse Management System (WMS) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, allowing real-time adjustments to be made.

Going green
Alternative power solutions continues to be a growing topic within the materials handling industry and Yale industry experts were on hand to discuss the most appropriate energy solutions for specific applications at IMHX. This year the Yale stand featured an all-electric line-up, including a lithium-ion powered MP20 pedestrian pallet truck.

Iain Friar concluded: “It was a pleasure to speak to both new and existing customers at IMHX and have the opportunity to demonstrate how the close partnership we have with our dealers can benefit them. We are passionate about providing tailored solutions, helping operations maximise their productivity and efficiency, without compromising on ergonomics or total cost of ownership. We are already looking forward to returning to the next IMHX!”