Product category:
Industrial Vehicle Safety
News Release from: Linde Material Handling UK | Subject: Palletline contract
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 July 2006
Linde lines up at Palletline
Founded in 1992, Palletline was the UK's first national network dedicated to pallet distribution.
Founded in 1992, Palletline was the UK's first national network dedicated to pallet distribution Operating from a main hub in Birmingham with regional hubs at Greenford, west London, and Preston, the company today employs some 130 staff, with major clients including blue chip organisations such as Parcelforce and J Sainsbury plc
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 5 Sep 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Uniquely among pallet networks in the UK, Palletline is wholly owned by its membership, all of whom are leading road hauliers.
Currently Palletline has 60 member companies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each year covering some 15 million miles and making more than 8000 deliveries a day on behalf of the network.
The materials handling activities are extremely intensive with trucks being used around the clock five days per week.
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They are operated at consistently high efficiency levels, as a fast turnaround of vehicles is essential to maintain excellent customer service levels.
The HGVs have to be unloaded rapidly, efficiently and above all safely, so stability and performance were crucially important factors when Palletline was considering a new fleet of fork lift trucks.
After a rigorous tender process, and subsequent detailed discussions with Linde Creighton , the midlands-based Linde national network company, Palletline decided that the equipment proposals submitted by Linde Creighton met the criteria for continuous, intensive working conditions.
Palletline was seeking a cleaner, quieter alternative to the diesel trucks it had been using and which had been causing negative environmental issues within the depot.
After looking at all the alternatives with Linde Creighton, Palletline decided that a proposal to use LPG trucks offered an environmentally-friendly solution at the Birmingham facility .
Linde presented a solution which would meet Palletline's stringent requirements - namely, the unique Linde volumetric refillable LPG system.
Refuelling now takes no longer than a road vehicle, less storage space is required and once refuelled lasts an entire shift.
Linde was awarded the contract based on its ability to offer trucks with specifications matched to the customer's needs, as well as competitive prices.
Benn Laverick, day operations manager, comments, "We worked closely with Linde Creighton to achieve our objectives and we are very pleased with the result".
There are 33 Linde 39X , two tonne capacity, H 20's in the main fleet with a small reserve fleet to cope with seasonal peaks and particularly busy periods.
The trucks move thousands of pallet loads during a typical shift with the Birmingham hub operating almost every day of the year.
The new Linde trucks are much cleaner and quieter in operation than the previous model, which has created a more agreeable working environment.
They are fitted with upswept exhausts so that emissions are quickly removed by the overhead extractor fans at the site.
An extension to the standard overhead guard has been installed at Palletline's request to enhance protection for the operator in the event of mishaps.
The trucks provide the operators with outstanding ergonomic comfort and the intuitive functionality that is so essential in this demanding application.
The trucks were phased in so that the operators could acclimatise gradually and adapt to the new and simplified method of driving and operating the trucks.
"Linde has certainly met our expectations and provided excellent support".
"We have regular meetings to discuss performance and fleet management, which means we can continue to find new benefits from the contract," comments Benn.
Linde Creighton key account manager, Tim Abraham, has worked with Benn and his team to ensure that Palletline remain delighted with their new trucks.
As Tim explains, "We have removed many of the non-core items created by operating a large fleet of MHEs that were historically the responsibility of Palletline".
"We now manage and control these on their behalf thus simplifying the whole process, which enables Palletline to focus fully on looking after its own customers' needs.".
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