Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has recently taken delivery of a new fleet of Hyster forklifts at its Paisley bottling operation. Barloworld Handling, who supplied the new trucks, provides fleet management services for Chivas Brothers' operations throughout Scotland covering more than 100 units.
The Chivas Brothers headquarters in Paisley, near Glasgow, is a major whisky production site where up to 13 million cases are produced every year. Brands such as Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet are bottled onsite following years of ageing in maturation warehouses located throughout Scotland.
Barloworld Handling, the leading materials handling equipment supplier to the Scottish whisky industry, has supported Chivas Brothers operations throughout Scotland for many years, and in Paisley provides a range of handling solutions in the dry and finished goods warehouses.
Robert McLean, Dry Goods Manager at Chivas Brothers' Paisley site, explains "We have up to 35 lorries to unload each day, which contain palletised cases, empty bottles and labels that must be stored, picked and then fed into the bottling hall. The forklift trucks are an important part of this."
A fleet of Hyster electric counterbalance trucks operates in the dry goods warehouse, including new compact Hyster E1.75XMS four wheel trucks with cushion tyres. The trucks operate for a full single daily shift and Barloworld's service includes Total Battery Management (TBM), incorporating Hoppecke's Trak-air technology.
Robert adds "Barloworld's TBM has led to reduced utility bills and charging time, and maximised truck availability".
Across the site in the finished goods warehouse, Hyster H2.50FT Fortens Advance+ forklifts operate in the intense storage and loading operation. The 2,500kg LPG forklifts are used for loading up to 60 lorries and containers a day, which can increase to over 100 during busy periods. Fitted with either forks or push-pull attachments to handle loads on slip-sheets, the trucks were favoured by Chivas Brothers drivers in pre-order trials.
Gary Gibson, Finished Goods Manager, explains "The drivers like the comfort, visibility, manoeuvrability and performance of the Hyster trucks. Simple features such as the reverse horn button on the rear handle make a big difference".
The Fortens Advance+ features Hyster's DuraMatch transmission which delivers smooth direction changes without using the brake pedal or even stopping the truck, significantly reducing brake and tyre wear in the continual forward/reverse operation. In addition, the drivetrain is protected and the low maintenance oil immersed brakes help to ensure a low cost of operation.
"The Hyster trucks are used intensely and have proved reliable. The Fortens trucks in particular are tough, but I believe that it is Barloworld's service that is responsible for the high performance received across the site," Gary adds, praising the pro-active support and standards delivered by the Barloworld onsite engineer Angus Pearce and his apprentice.
The Chivas Brothers finished goods warehouse was also one of the first operations to receive Hyster's new E2.50XN four wheel electric counterbalance truck that provides class leading reliability, energy efficiency and productivity. The compact 2,500kg electric truck features cushion tyres for indoor use and delivers a low cost of operation.
Barloworld is the UK distribution partner for Hyster and has a network of 1,000 support staff including 500 engineers nationwide. The company provides a wide range of handling solutions for Chivas Brothers operations throughout Scotland including access platforms, cleaning equipment and Pyroban protected explosion proof trucks for drain, fill and vatting operations and maturation warehouses.
Barloworld currently provides intelligent fleet management services for more than 100 units for Chivas Brothers.
Add a Comment
No messages on this article yet