Product category:
Stacking and picking, aisle trucks, tower trucks, container trucks
News Release from: Atlet | Subject: Forte UFS four way reach trucks at Dore
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 10 July 2008
Four way reach trucks are valued highly
Specialist non-ferrous metal supplier selected Atlet Forte UFS four way reach trucks because they supported a new way of working with higher storage density and offered value for money.
Specialist non-ferrous metal supplier, Dore Metal Services, said that Atlet's expertise and consultancy support had greatly improved its storage capacity and efficiency Atlet Forte UFS four way reach trucks were selected because they supported a new way of working at Dore, with higher storage density
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 9 May 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The trucks also offered value for money.
Managing director of Dore Metal Services, Mike Lane, said: "Our decision was based on budgets, specification and capabilities and we chose to work with Atlet because they were committed to working with us and getting involved".
Dore Metal Services is a privately owned company founded in 1969 and claimed to supply the UK's widest range of non-ferrous and special metal extrusions.
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Stocks include aluminium, brass and stainless steel, which are delivered to distributors and engineering businesses throughout the UK.
The company has built a reputation for being able to supply one of the most diverse ranges of aluminium extrusions in the UK, coupled with a next day national delivery service.
The business has been growing steadily in recent years and warehousing was spread across a number of sites in old fashioned buildings.
The company recognised that this was inefficient and decided to consolidate its operations into a new 3000m2 (32,000ft2) distribution warehouse at Sittingbourne.
* Optimising handling and storage processes - the new building presented an ideal opportunity for Dore to optimise its handling and storage processes.
The company had been using a variety of racking types in its existing buildings and wanted to configure the new warehouse with a combination of cantilever and 'A' frame racking that offered a flexible and efficient way of storing extrusions, tubes, bars and billets up to 6m in length.
Handling had been undertaken by conventional counterbalance trucks in the previous operation.
Dore recognised that this would not be practical in the new warehouse because of the racking density and aisle widths required to achieve the maximum storage capacity.
A number of potential lift trucks suppliers, including Atlet, were ask to provide proposals based on overall requirement.
"We had a good idea of what wanted to do and the choice came down to side loader or four way reach trucks," said Lane.
"We soon realised that a side loader didn't have the flexibility we needed but the four way reach truck was able to do everything we wanted".
Atlet proposed its Forte UFS four way reach truck because it can be driven forwards, backwards and sideways as all three wheels can swivel.
The UFS is exceptionally manoeuvrable in a confined warehouse environment and ideal for handling long loads in different types of racking.
During the selection process Dore said that a side loader truck would not offer the flexibility or performance required to support its busy operations.
The company was making a six-figure investment in the racking alone and wanted to make sure it got the best possible performance.
Atlet recognised that its proposals represented a radical change for Dore and brought in a project manager to advise and consult on the overall design of the warehouse.
This included the configuration of the racking and the aisle widths to ensure the maximum storage capacity and efficiency from the available cube space.
"Aisle widths are critical because we wanted to get more in the warehouse but with flexibility and potential for future growth," said Lane.
"This was a sizeable investment and we needed to maximise what we do safely".
Dore's original plan had been to have a series on aisles running along the whole length of the building.
However Atlet suggested the inclusion of a transit aisle running across the middle of the warehouse as this would reduce the average distance the truck would move to complete each handling task.
The aisle reduced overall storage capacity but this was more than offset by improvements in efficiency and productivity.
Ultimately the transit aisle also formed a convenient boundary between the cantilever racking at one end of the warehouse and the 'A' frame racking at the other.
"One of the things we liked about Atlet was the potential for aftercare," said Lane.
"The consultative aspects were extremely beneficial and more than we expected".
* Warehouse operation - the warehouse operates on a single day shift to support next day delivery throughout the UK using carrier services and the Dore's own vehicles.
It offers a same-day service to customers in the South East.
Operations have to be productive and efficient and picking is often completed on-demand and just-in-time to fulfil orders received throughout the day.
One of the key decisions when configuring the warehouse was whether one truck could meet the overall requirement.
The business relies on the ability to pick orders quickly and the company decided to purchase a second truck after assessing factors such as overall performance, battery recharge periods and the potential disruption to operations caused by unexpected truck downtime.
"We need to pick quickly, often within an hour to support the business requirement for rapid customer fulfilment," said Lane.
"This is why we went for the second truck".
* Company growth - the result of the changes and the investment made by Dore Metal Services has been impressive.
The company has grown by more than 28% since the move to the new warehouse, based on top and bottom line figures.
Around two thirds of the business involves supplying other stockists with highly diverse products.
The remaining third comes from direct sales to customers such as engineers and OEMs who require speciality non-ferrous extrusions.
This growth has been achieved by increasing overall efficiency without adding to the number of different lines stocked.
Throughput has been improved and the overall stock weight is around 15% higher than before thanks to the increased storage capacity on the new site.
The warehouse was commissioned to extremely tight deadlines and this meant that the new trucks were not available when it opened.
Atlet loaned two trucks for a fortnight until the new equipment was ready for delivery.
It also arranged for all of the drivers to be trained to use what for them was a completely new type of truck.
In addition to the different type of truck the warehouse is itself much higher than before at 7.5m to the top racking beam and drivers needed to be comfortable with the new operation.
"These are new methods of operation but the feedback has been very positive," said Lane.
"The trucks have been reliable and we are very pleased with them.".
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