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■ Case Studies
Aisle be there
A large distribution company made good use of
its facilities by designing its warehouse around
the Aisle-Master articulated truck.
When Rochdale-based warehousing and point of view, General Manager Andy
distribution company CFT opened a Czernuska could not be more pleased:
second depot in the West Midlands, it “The Aisle-Master’s articulated concept
based the layout of its storage area and and its versatility has greatly speeded
racking configuration around the up stock rotation. As it works both
capabilities of an Aisle-Master articulated inside and out it has also drastically
forklift. reduced the time needed to take loads
CFT’s new operation at Wednesbury to and from the trucks and storage
distributes a wide variety of palletised goods bays.”
to customers across the West Midlands region Aisle-Master Ltd not only offers a
from its 30,000 sq ft warehouse. MD Chris range of LPG and electric powered
Flynn was keen to find a much more flexible articulated trucks, but also gives
and space saving alternative to a specialist advice on warehouse design
counterbalance forklift, and when he spotted and racking configuration, and this
an Aisle-Master at an exhibition he realised he expertise was applied at CFT’s new
need search no further. premises to achieve the best possible
The versatility offered by CFT’s LPG storage density from the outset. with the extra workload involved.
powered Aisle-Master has enabled a current In common with many other Aisle-Master Aisle-Masters can work in aisles of just
total of 1,500 pallet locations to fit customers, CFT is a member of Pallet-Track, 1.75m, with capacities to 2 tonnes and lift
comfortably in the warehouse, and the narrow offering a flexible service for customers no heights of up to 11.5m. All LPG models are
aisle widths leave room for further racking to matter how large or small their consignments. fitted with three-way catalytic converters as
be installed in conjunction with the ongoing As business continues to expand, CFT can standard, with CNG power also an option.
growth of the company. From an operational rely on this all-round forklift to keep pace www.aisle-master.com
Case savers
Crocodile Packaging came up with a snappy
solution to an automotive product
manufacturer’s packaging needs.
Crocodile Packaging has dramatically area of concern for the
reduced the cost of exporting to the Far company and Autoliv
East for Autoliv Spring Dynamics Limited approached Crocodile to
– one of the world’s leading manufacturers resolve its packaging issues.
of automotive safety products. Crocodile supplied Autoliv
Over 50% of new cars incorporate Autoliv with cases made of oriented
products and the company’s Milton Keynes strand board (OSB) which, as
operation makes springs for the drive motors a processed wood product, is
in seat belts, manufacturing 80 million seat exempt from international ISPM 15 replacing individual components, such as the
belt systems a year. Over a million springs a regulations. These cases were manufactured integral pallet base. Because Crocodile’s OSB
week leave the plant, a large proportion of to a size of 1200mm x 800mm to suit cases simply clip together, replacement of
them destined for the Far East. Autoliv’s company-wide racking. Crocodile’s case components is much easier, and
This vast volume requires a substantial OSB cases are a third cheaper than the assembly and dismantling are also simplified.
amount of packaging, previously a costly and plywood packaging previously used by Once unpacked at their destination, the
wasteful part of the operation. The plywood Autoliv and they are also re-useable, making Crocodile cases are dismantled, fumigated
cases that Autoliv previously used for its non- them, over the long term, many times more and then stacked flat, making them
European exports were expensive and, once cost-effective than the plywood option. considerably cheaper to ship back. They are
despatched, they were never seen again. The Inevitably, wear and tear to the cases will returned to Milton Keynes in 40ft containers
advent of ISPM 15 regulations controlling the occur over time and some may need to be for re-use.
use of wooden packaging was an additional replaced, but they can often be repaired by www.crocodile.uk.com
64 ShD April 2007 www.PressOnShD.com
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