Camera system assists double stacking forklift truck

Thousands of pallets meters high and double stacked. Each pallet containing Maxi-Cosi's, the famous child car seats that are produced and developed by Dorel. The production company of these car seats uses forklift trucks with reach forks to (re)move the pallets. One part of this process that they cannot do without is the camera system. Orlaco cameras are claimed to be indispensable.

Working both safely and comfortably in a warehouse, where any number of pallets are stacked up to ten meters high, and double deep at that? In their Helmond warehouse, Dorel proves that it can be done. "Especially when it comes to a product like car seats for children, where safety plays such an important role, you have to manage things very carefully. It is essential that the driver of the forklift truck is able to work accurately, and that the products remain undamaged. The camera system from Orlaco is an absolute necessity here. Without it, the driver would have a hard time seeing," says Rico van den Heuvel of Dorel.

Double deep

Dorel designs, develops, tests, and manufactures child car seats. To be as efficient as possible within the space available, Dorel stacks their pallets double deep. "Because we have fewer aisles, this provides more pallet places," says van den Heuvel. "We have 22,500 pallet spaces in the warehouse for the completed products, and another eight to nine thousand pallet spaces for the components and assembly.

"Each day about 350 to 550 pallets go out of the warehouse, and an equal number comes in daily. Using forklift trucks, equipped with reach forks, the driver can position the pallets on top of one another. With a potential stack height of more than ten meters in the large warehouse, this is no easy task. From the driver's seat, it is impossible to see where the fork is being placed. Without a camera system, the driver has to guess where the fork is positioned, greatly increasing the risk of damage." That's not an option for Dorel, according to van den Heuvel. "If a pallet with 24 child seats falls, you can just imagine what the damage could add up to. Want to see what you're doing? Then a camera system is a must."

For working with the double deep stacks, the compact camera is mounted in the middle of the forklift truck's fork. A good position for the driver who can then see what the fork "sees". A glance at the monitor shows the driver how and where to place the pallet. "Because the driver has a good view of the surroundings, it's possible to work more accurately and prevent damage to company property," says van den Heuvel. "With the mounted camera system on the forklift truck, our drivers enjoy a pleasant and convenient work experience."

Dorel has been working closely with Orlaco for years. "We benefit from positive service, largely because Orlaco thinks with their clients and comes up with logistics solutions when needed. We regularly test forklift innovations for Orlaco, like the LED and infrared cameras. Recently, we tested split camera images in which we could see the side view and front view at the same time on one monitor. When we come to them with a problem, Orlaco finds a solution," says van den Heuvel.