STILL partners with glass supplier

Laddaw is the UK distribution centre based in Bardon, Leicestershire and is the largest European distribution centre in the Belron Group. Alongside this extensive B2B business is the Autoglass brand, the well-known vehicle glass repair and replacement company. The business has recently taken delivery of a brand new fleet of STILL machines, John Cooper, Belron's Head of Supply Chain, was keen to express his enthusiasm: “Our partnership with STILL is built on integrity and trust. We could see immediately the ‘can-do’ attitude of STILL’s team and their desire to work with us, their willingness and professionalism is why we chose them as a partner.”

Laddaw are proud to have received delivery of a mixed fleet consisting of 50 trucks (including STILL’s RX 20 electric counterbalance, RX 70 IC engine trucks, OPX’s, FM-X’s and EXV-SF machines) to run their 15-year-old glass picking operation. Rob Gorton (STILL UK National Key Accounts Manager) commented: “The team here have been wonderful to deal with, we have such a positive relationship and a real connection with all team members. The collaboration and communication has been a key factor in our relationship.” The operation at Autoglass is one which requires care and precision so the materials handling requirements were of paramount importance. Kevin Warn (Belron UK Ltd Distribution Centre Manager) remarked: “The stability of STILL’s OPX product is quite remarkable, our operation requires these trucks to travel at high speeds around corners (carrying fragile glass products) our previous trucks couldn’t handle the required speeds but STILL’s machines are working at optimum which has improved the overall site productivity.” The OPX series is STILL’s new, all-round, horizontal order picking machine which is designed for maximum performance. This series provides a great variety of different machines and functions which are suited to this type of application.

Justin Gibbons (Belron UK Ltd Technical Training Manager) explained the importance of recycling for the company: “We recycle on average 10,000 tonnes worth of glass and the STILL counterbalance trucks which primarily operate outside have massively improved this operation. With the new clamps, we are now able to rotate the glass at about 4.5 metres and a full rotation only takes 18 seconds, this has more than halved the time of our previous machines.” The company have high focus on their Health and Safety and Justin Gibbons has been delighted with STILL’s safety features and the innovative FleetManager: “This software was a huge selling point for us, we are able to slow down individual machines, run full reports for transparency and analyse specific skill sets but most importantly this system can be implemented on a regional level within our other distribution centres. All the infrastructure is there which is something we couldn’t find anywhere else on the market.” The site now has twelve STILL FM-X reach trucks which boast a 10.3 metre lift height and are used in both wide aisle and drive in racking storage areas.

This world-class reach truck offers Active Lateral Stability (ALS) which reduces oscillations at a maximum lift height meaning a reduction in waiting time by up to 80 percent. James Herbert (Belron UK Ltd Forklift Operator) commented: “We are all really impressed with the STILL machines, they are quick, smooth to drive, easy to operate and the seats are really comfortable which we need when doing long shifts.”

In addition to the new family of trucks at Laddaw, STILL have also installed a new battery management facility which is fully maintained by STILL and is described by John Cooper (Belron UK Ltd Head of Supply Chain) as “the best solution on the market.” STILL have taken ownership of this important maintenance work to reduce the impact on battery life and thus reduce costs for Laddaw throughout the contract term.