Fragile manoeuvres for crockery maker

Steelite exports to more than 120 countries and has experienced rapid growth in recent years. This has led to investment in the improvement of production and health and safety at its factory. Kiln manager David Davies noticed a manual handling issue in the manoeuvring of the kiln carts. Two men would move the carts in and out of the kilns which required care and precision as the loads are extremely fragile. This made the operation a difficult task. After analysing the application, Tractive Power proposed a single-user working system using its TP250 Tractive unit. The pedestrian tug units are battery powered, pedestrian operated and designed to address manual handling issues such as pulling, pushing and manoeuvring of awkward or heavy wheeled loads in the workplace. A bespoke coupling attached to the kiln cart allows it to be moved in a safe and secure manner. Davies commented: "The TP250 unit has helped stabilise the kiln cart load which now only takes one man to easily manoeuvre the loads safely into the kilns. It was the precision and control that really surprised us. Tractive Power programmed the electric pusher to a perfect speed for our application and was also able to change the acceleration and braking to ensure all aspects of the operation were gradual. Despite the Tractive unit being extremely powerful, the controllability was second to none. The operatives have noticed a vast improvement in the manual handling of the carts." Picture: One-stop shop: moving kiln carts is now a one-man job at Steelite International, thanks to pedestrian tug units