Alongside these innovative products, a free service that has long been offered by the Irish manufacturer is a warehouse layout and material flow consultation to ensure that customers make the best possible use of their space – one of their most precious commodities. In the current circumstances when businesses face the challenges of implementing social distancing, advice from Combilift’s team of design engineers is more valuable than ever.
Speaking during a recent virtual press conference Martin McVicar, CEO and co-founder of Combilift, outlined the company’s new approach which uses technology to replace personal site visits to enable customers to continue to benefit from Combilift’s expertise at a time when space optimisation is crucial.
Overcoming challenges for manufacturers
One consequence of the Coronavirus for Combilift’s customers in the manufacturing sector in particular has been the challenge to get back to normal output levels whilst creating extra space in production areas so that employees maintain safe distances from each other. Combilift’s expertise in the design and layout of premises can help overcome these challenges by maximising the production areas – which is where profit is made, whilst reducing the space for storage of raw materials and finished products – which engenders costs. By optimising both these areas companies can comply with safety requirements whilst maintaining output.
Virtual and digital consultation
Combilift’s free design and layout service has always been a great tool for resolving problems for customers and enabling them to maximise space. These were previously carried out by technical personal visits but have now been replaced with a remote system.
Using in-house developed technology as well as WhatsApp calls with customers whilst they walk around the premises and take shots of specific areas, Combilift design engineers can get a good overview of requirements. Using measurements supplied by clients they can supply 3-D designs and animations within a very short time frame. “We have seen a much increased take up of this free warehouse service,” said McVicar. “Many companies are not encouraging vendor visits but they are making time available to communicate with us. Within 24 hours of speaking to a customer we can produce a 3D design.”
Safety measures at the manufacturing plant.
To ensure continued production, Combilift has introduced a two-shift system instead of its traditional one shift operation. This means that there are only around 350 employees per shift on site in the 46,500m² manufacturing facility. It has also segregated the plant into 8 segments. Employees are scanned by thermal cameras when they arrive on site and if their temperature is above normal this is signalled to the HR department as well as the employee. Clocking in is now done via a touchless key fob and doors are kept open whenever possible. Those that cannot remain permanently open have been fitted with copper coatings which significantly reduces the time that a virus can be harboured on the surface compared to steel. There are multiple hand sanitizers strategically placed across the whole facility, floor markings indicate the 2m distance to be maintained by employees and it is mandatory to wear face masks. The company has closed its main hot canteen and has opened smaller canteens in the eight new factory segments. “I give regular updates by video instead of the personal staff assemblies that we previously did every six weeks and this ongoing communication ensures that employees are continually informed and therefore understand that the measures we are taking are in everyone’s best interests,” said McVicar.
See a video of the measures that Combilift has implemented here: https://youtu.be/y2hmwFQ6baU
| Case Study: Combilift forklifts are the trucks of choice for Garnalex Garnalex has made substantial investments in its new extrusion factory in Nether Heage, Derbyshire to revolutionise the way aluminium windows and doors are fabricated, installed and sold. It has also invested in a fleet of Combilift multidirectional forklifts which play an integral role in ensuring maximum efficiency in this advanced facility. CEO Roger Hartshorn was one of Combilift’s first customers around twenty years ago when he used the original C-Series trucks in a previous company he owned, and he had no hesitation in choosing Combilift once again, stating that “the trucks are now a standard in the industry, crucial to high levels of safety and operational flexibility.”
The scale of production in the 100,000ft² factory, which can extrude four tonnes of aluminium an hour, requires a coordinated approach, and as well as doing the heavy lifting, the Combilifts are fitted with weighing scales, bar code scanners, QR code readers and PCs. These feed information into the bespoke management and tracking system developed by Garnalex’ in-house software team, enabling the precise location of all products to be identified at any time. Garnalex initially took delivery of two 4 tonne C4000 trucks and a Combi-CB with 2.5 tonne lift capacity, all with LPG power, 4-way capability and painted in special Garnalex livery colours. Two more C4000 models are on order, chosen for their ability to be used as universal trucks, outside as well as inside, for handling long lengths of raw materials and finished products in all areas. They offload incoming logs, 7m long, four to a pack, which each weigh around 800Kg. The exact weight of each load is checked, a barcode is affixed to the logs before they are taken to storage and then to one of the two extrusion presses. The trucks bring 7m long baskets of extrusions - identified by QR codes - to the ovens, and back to storage areas once the cooking process has been completed. The 5.5m triplex masts enable them to pass under low doorways, and lift goods to high storage bays when extended. They also handle and load the 3m long, 3 tonne boxes of scrap that are sent back to Wales for recycling. The Combi-CB, the first truck of its kind to combine compact counterbalance design with multidirectional capability, can carry pallets as well as longer loads and is also used for handling plastic extrusions at LB Plastics, now part of the Garner Holdings group and co-located in Nether Heage. “This truck’s clever design and versatility is a great asset,” said Roger. Roger continues: “Before we had Combilifts in the companies I used to own, we had tried all sorts of different pieces of equipment in a bid to improve handling and storage such as sideloaders, but once we discovered the C4000 we had the ideal solution. Martin McVicar and Robert Moffett came up with a good idea that that just keeps on getting better. The engineers at the factory in Ireland continue to enhance and customise products to individual requirements as they did for us by incorporating the technology we needed. It’s important that we know exactly where our products are at all times, and with our new forklifts and GarnerSys to integrate them into the operation of the factory we do.” |
