By using a JCB Teletruk telescopic lift truck instead of a traditional counterbalance forklift, specialist recyclers WasteCare are saving 40 minutes on each trailer at its Leeds headquarters. An average 15 to 18 trailers arrive for unloading and cross re-loading each day.
This means a theoretical 10 -12 hours is saved each day. In practice the time saved is absorbed by a greater HGV throughput without the need to increase the size of the site. WasteCare estimates it is achieving a 40 % increase in site capacity.
In this way JCB Teletruks are helping WasteCare cope with incredible growth in business. The recycling and waste management company acquired ten JCB TLT 25D Teletruks in June 2010 for use across its network of depots. Four of these 2.5 tonne diesel Teletruks have replaced seven traditional, masted counterbalance forklifts at WasteCare's busy Leeds headquarters.
Yard Manager John Kell: "Working with JCB Teletruks is faster and safer. The JCBs have changed the way we work."
John added: "We used to work with long fork extenders which are cumbersome and awkward to use especially with double deck trailers because you can't see onto the top deck. With fork extenders it took two men and two forklifts to tip a 40 foot trailer. Now it is one man, one forklift."
"Fork extenders don't fit totally snug to the forks so you've always got some play and therefore some wobble on the pallet. It's not an easy job. But with the Teletruk we can see where the forks are at the top of a double decker. We've more control and therefore we suffer far less damage to IT equipment and monitors."
John Kell is also impressed by the forwards fork tilt to near vertical, enabling pallets of waste to be tipped easily into high sided containers. Also, bins and cages of scrap IT equipment can be emptied into high sided containers by means of a 360 degree rotator.
Established in 1980, WasteCare offers a specialist WEEE recycling and waste management service to industrial and business sectors. Management reporting tracks specialist IT equipment from collection to recovery after the secure wiping of hard drives, regardless of type, volume or location.
Recyclable equipment is collected by WasteCare and transported as required to the relevant specialist operation within the 14 regional depot network. The company's sites act as regional collection and transfer stations for onward transport as required through the network.
In addition to transferring materials on and off trailers, Leeds headquarters is home to the company's specialist electrical and computer goods recycling facility. Incoming IT goods are transferred into the secure store according to the WEEE Directive, as part of the company's branded WeeeCare operation.
Approximately half of WasteCare's 100 strong vehicle fleet - which ranges from vans with tail lifts through to artics with double decks - is based at the Leeds headquarters. Space on the site is restricted and curtainside trailers are now parked to allow access from one side only.
With the variety of loads handled at Leeds, WasteCare has fitted the Teletruks with weight indicators. The Teletruks can reach straight inside WasteCare's small vans equipped with tail lifts, where previously hand pallet trucks or counterbalance FLTs with fork extensions were used.
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