www.hubtex.com

Compact sideloaders optimise space in narrow aisle warehouse

Hubtex space-saving compact sideloaders are helping Item speed the storage and despatch of long profiles and other components used in its kit building system. Item knows that managing movement of its products efficiently in its narrow aisle warehouse is essential to maintaining the short delivery times that are a competitive advantage in the marketplace. 

Hubtex sideloaders are not only able to operate in the 2,190 mm-wide aisles in Item’s warehouse in Hilden, Germany, they can also handle all its system components – especially the mostly aluminium 6 m long profiles – in an efficient way. Item’s logistics manager Jürgen Stommel explains: “Because of the restricted space between the rack rows, Hubtex developed a very compact four-way sideloader for us. The trucks allow us to accommodate an additional 35 m long rack row. If the aisles were just 100 mm wider, we would lose a complete row of racking.” The loaders are, in fact, at work from five to seven hours a day and Stommel reports 80 per cent utilisation.

Since the warehouse was opened in 1995 its original size has quadrupled to 8,500 m² and the Hubtex fleet has increased from two to four 5 tonne capacity trucks. Hubtex has refined the design of the sideloaders in this time and Item’s requirements have also changed. “We’re always looking at ways to build an even better truck,“ explains Hubtex salesman Bernd Walters. “Innovations have been introduced on Item’s new sideloaders or retrofitted to existing trucks if the modification was particularly useful. We have also increased the sideloaders’ capacity over the period, too.”

Investing in all the new technology available has kept Hubtex ahead of its competition. Christian Plischke, responsible for the Item fleet cites an example: “Hubtex built a two-piece battery cover at our request and equipped it with handles so that we can exchange batteries faster and more easily.”

Another special feature of Item’s Hubtex sideloaders is the fork spreading carriage. that enables the distance between the forks to be adjusted from 560 to 3,100 mm to allow safe handling of all lengths of material. Also, the trucks feature fork level adjustment which means that one fork can be moved up or down to allow easier unloading of a lorry on a slope, for example. The drivers of the trucks are seated in an ergonomically-designed L-shaped cabin. This was adopted from observing the amount of time a driver needs to spend looking in one direction. Plischke explains: “The L-shaped cabin allows the driver to face the length of the rack and so he does not have to twist his body and head for long periods.”

Good service back-up is essential when equipment is in continuous use. Hubtex partner Gabelstapler-Center Kamen provides this service for Item. Stommel says: “We have had little trouble with the Hubtex trucks and if we do get an issue, it is sorted out very quickly. Once, when we had a defective multi-functional joystick, it was changed within a day.” Even though it has had a lot of good experience with Hubtex trucks, Item has from time to time checked the market to see if any comparable alternatives suitable for its facility were available but without success. “To know we are using the right product is comforting,” says Stommel. This is underlined by the sideloaders’ longevity: “A 20-year-old Hubtex truck is still in use at our Italian subsidiary. If Item buys new sideloaders for the main warehouse in Hilden, Germany, our distributors in other European countries inherit the older trucks. This extends the life of our truck investment and, as our subsidiaries use the same warehouse concept, they can use the sideloaders without any problems.

Hubtex Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
Lars Beuel
Industriepark West
Werner-von-Siemens-Strasse 8
36041 Fulda

Tel.: +49-661-8382-223
Fax: +49-661-8382-120
Internet: www.hubtex.com

 

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