January 07, 2009 - In today’s unpredictable economy it is difficult to forecast exactly which goods will be in greater demand, so it is difficult to plan for the type of equipment that will be needed to move them around the warehouse. This is where short term rental trucks provide a flexible and economically viable warehouse fleet solution, often in as little as 24 hours’ notice.
“Our larger customers, such as the electrical retailers and food companies, actually take up to 30% of their fleet on short term rental,” says Allan Parsons, head of short term rental at Briggs Equipment. “Reach trucks are a key factor in helping them manage demand in their warehouses. One of our large customers, an electrical retailer, takes 130 Cat® trucks from us just to cope with the Christmas period. We were able to work with them to provide custom modifications to their STR fleet, kitting out over 70 trucks with automated carton clamps, preventing slippage and making block stacking easier. Combined with 10 trucks with 11m masts for the high racking we assisted in significantly reducing damage and made the handling of goods more efficient.
Reach trucks need to be able to work in double deep racking, where pallets are stored two deep. This type of racking is popular with slower-moving stock as it increases the use of floor space by reducing the number of access aisles and thereby increasing storage capacity. Special telescopic forks are required to retrieve the furthest pallet from the rack to put the pallet 1200mm deep into the racking.
In addition, many of Briggs’ customers use drive-in racking. The trucks drive into the racking to load or retrieve pallets, which are stored on cantilevered rails running throughout the system. It is used where high density storage is required, allowing a greater number of pallets to be stored per cubic metre than other storage system. To operate in drive-in racking, specially adapted reach trucks are required with a narrower chassis and a shorter overhead guard.
In a busy warehouse environment, accidents and damage occur as a direct result of operators cutting corners and trying to save time. However the Cat ® NRN Reach truck has some in-built features to help manage safety in the warehouse. The innovative mast design improves safety through increasing the driver’s ability to see through the mast. The progressive steering technology on these trucks slows down the steering wheel reaction at faster speeds, making the truck more stable.
The safety curve feature also slows down the truck when the driver turns into a very sharp curve. Unstable situations are particularly likely to happen when working at heights or with heavy loads. So the NRN’s in-built technology automatically reduces the truck’s speed when working at height with heavy loads. It also adapts the driving speed to the lift height, ensuring that the speed of the truck is limited or reduced at higher lifting heights.
The NRN’s presence detection system disables all hydraulic functions when no driver is on the seat. This prevents mast trapping accidents, which can be fatal.
- Ends -
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Briggs Equipment UK
Briggs Equipment UK Ltd is a leading materials handling service provider and sole distributor of Yale Materials Handling products in Great Britain. Providing a wide range of equipment for a broad customer base, Briggs provides innovative, tailored and cost effective solutions on a nationwide basis. With its headquarters and national support centre in Cannock, Briggs people assist and advise in the delivery of long term solutions that enable customers to develop more efficient and results driven businesses.
For further information, please contact:
Tiffany Clowes
Changeworks Communications
T. + 44 (0) 1785 247588
E.
Company Contact:
Scott Bullock
Briggs Equipment
Orbital Way
Cannock
WS11 8XW
T: 01543 430 455
W: www.briggsequipment.co.uk
Tags: rental, short term rental, trucks, reach trucks, safety,
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