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Palletless handling of FIBC’s with TCM forklift truck for Oostvogels
Bresam Heftruck in Etten-Leur has recently delivered its 28th forklift truck to the logistics service provider Oostvogels. The 3-ton TCM electric forklift truck was purchased to enable the company to unload FIBCs using RollerForks®.
40-foot containers are delivered to Oostvogels full of FIBCs. These are stacked two deep using plastic slipsheets without pallets.
‘Using RollerForks on our forklift trucks has made unloading these containers a lot more efficient,’ says Office Manager Jos van der Linde. ‘Once the container has been parked alongside the loading/unloading platform, RollerForks can be attached to the forklift truck within a few minutes. It’s a piece of cake.’ RollerForks do not use any hydraulics, which means they can be easily swapped out for normal forks. Two FIBCs, stacked one on top of another, have a combined weight of about 2,400 kg and can be easily unloaded using RollerForks.
‘Only a brief explanation was required to familiarize our driver with the system,’ Van der Linde continues. ‘When the RollerForks are almost touching the slipsheet, you tilt the mast slightly forward so that the fork tips can slide easily under the plastic slipsheet. Once the tips of the RollerForks are under the edge of the slipsheet, the forklift truck driver lowers the load apron and manoeuvres the RollerForks underneath the slipsheet. We then put the load onto our own pallets and store these pallets in our warehouse.’
The FIBCs are filled with raw materials for the food industry. In contrast to push-pull systems, RollerForks do not require hydraulics; hence, there is no danger of contamination as a result of hose failures or other hydraulic oil leaks. ‘This is a big advantage, because it means we comply with GMP, HACCP and ISO 9001:2000 for Food, Feed and Pharma,’ says Jos van der Linde.
With a total warehouse space of 32,000 m² on the Dutch side and 14,000 m² on the Belgian side of the Hazeldonk-Meer industrial estate, the Oostvogels Group can provide customers with many types of storage and transhipment. For example:
Following extensive testing, the RollerForks® were supplied by Griptech BV (Meijer Handling Solutions dealer) and Bresam Heftrucks. Bresam Heftrucks provides an extensive range of products and services, which include buying, selling, leasing, maintaining and repairing new and used internal transportation equipment.
The ISO standards are primarily committed to quality, reliability, and precision within various industrial processes. A company adhering to these ISO standards demonstrates its dedication to maintaining high-quality management systems, ensuring robustness in forklift fork manufacturing, and precise contamination control in hydraulic fluids. Such compliance underscores the company's focus on delivering products and services that meet rigorous international benchmarks, improving operational efficiency, minimizing errors, and enhancing customer satisfaction. This commitment not only sets the company apart in terms of product reliability and safety but also reflects its ongoing investment in technological advancements and continuous improvement.
