Yusen Logistics required a bespoke powered access solution that could support both routine stock-taking and safe working practices within a high-volume indoor environment at their warehouse site in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK. Given the valuable and sometimes fragile nature of the stock – which includes modern electrical goods – and the frequency of access required, a flexible and efficient method for working at height was essential.
Nationwide Platforms worked with Yusen Logistics to adapt the Dingli 1612PA electric scissor lift, already proven at its Northampton facility. Two key modifications were developed: tailoring the SkySiren PCS pre-crush sensing technology for use on this scissor model, and creating a safe method for digital stock-taking at height.
Challenges
Operators at Wellingborough routinely access high-level racking to perform stock counts. Traditionally, this meant raising the platform to view inventory, lowering to ground level, and then entering data onto a laptop, a repetitive process that slowed throughput and created room for error.
The process also carried inherent risks. Overhead obstructions such as beams and ducting created the potential for entrapment when manoeuvring in tight spaces. At the same time, there was no safe way to use laptops at height, meaning improvised workarounds were being used, exposing both operators and equipment to risk. Together, these factors highlighted a dual challenge: improving the efficiency of stock-taking while ensuring stronger safeguards against one of the most common accident types in warehouse operations.
Nationwide Platforms worked with Yusen Logistics to adapt its SkySiren® PCS™ system – long established on boom lifts – for the Dingli 1612PA scissor. SkySiren PCS uses ultrasonic sensors to monitor an operator’s surroundings in real time. If an obstacle is detected overhead or to the rear, the system automatically slows and stops the machine before contact, giving the operator time to reassess and manoeuvre safely. If the operator continues while a hazard remains, a pressure-sensitive bar mounted in front of the controls provides a secondary safeguard. If pressed, the bar cuts machine movement instantly, triggers a strobe light, and sounds a high-decibel alarm until the hazard is cleared.
This dual-layer protection is unique in that it works in both lift/lower and drive mode. For logistics operations, where repeated movements are needed for stock-taking in narrow aisles, this adds a continuous layer of assurance without disrupting workflow.
A second requirement was enabling operators to conduct digital stock takes directly at height. Working with Dingli, a dedicated laptop tray was designed and approved for mounting to the platform’s handrails. The tray secures devices safely, allowing operators to update inventory systems in real time without compromising stability.
Outcomes
The modifications enabled Yusen Logistics to deploy a single, multi-functional machine that improves safety and supports operational efficiency. Both innovations reflect a dynamic and bespoke response to specific customer needs, developed through direct collaboration between the OEM, the rental provider, and the customer.
Matt Parfitt, Head of Market Development at Nationwide Platforms, said: “This project highlights how collaboration is key for enhancing efficiency and safety on a project. It’s important to have pre-established features built into the machinery, but it’s also important to adapt our machinery to the needs of a particular project.
Krzysztof Bacanski, Warehouse Team Leader at Yusen Logistics, said: “The Dingli 1612PA has been a fantastic addition for our requirements, especially when there are space restrictions such as in a storage facility like this one. With the tailored enhancements, it’s maximised our productivity while enabling us to keep on top of our inventory. Sustainability and safety are essential to our strategy at Yusen Logistics, so being able to use a hydraulic-oil-free machine with an intelligent safety system aligns perfectly with our operational values.”
