Venlo, the Netherlands – The groundbreaking RollerForks® improves Teijin Kasei Europe’s handling operations. The palletless handling of intermediate flexible containers, or FIBCs, has become the most natural thing in the world.
Plastic slipsheets instead of pallets
The distinctive sound of the RollerForks has become music to the ears of manager Maurice Beurskens. He can now watch as driver Ferenc Beelen unloads two big bags at a time using only a plastic slip-sheet under the load rather than a conventional wooden pallet. Goods are unloaded and handled more efficiently – pallets are now used for internal storage only.
“The first thing I thought when I saw the RollerForks for the first time was: is this it? Compared to our previous push-pull system the RollerForks looked quite simple” says Maurice Beurskens.
Push-Pull gives damage and malfunctions
The use of push-pulls was seen as a necessary evil because there was no other option available at the time. “Lift truck drivers had to learn to work with it. Moreover, two trucks were needed; one equipped with a push-pull and one with standard forks for transporting a load to our temporary storage. The second driver often had a long wait while FIBCs were placed on pallets.” Similarly time was lost due to problems with the push-pull. It appeared that the irregular shape of the FIBCs work well with the push-pull equipment. Cylinders broke, steel deformed and repairs had to be carried out regularly. “The unloading of the containers was slowed down and costs increased,” emphasizes Beurskens. “This was not only due to the weekly repairs, but also because drivers accidentally damaged the packing of products during handling operations. In order to prevent all possible product impurities we have to reject damaged FIBCs and recycle them. This is big waste of money taking into account the market value of one kilogram of high-quality polycarbonate.”
RollerForks reduces handling times by at least 30%
The system has already been shown to work for a variety of loads. “We have been using RollerForks® for some years now but also other facilities of us are using them now ” ends Maurice Beurskens. “The drivers were able to use them straight away and it is a fast way of handling. We reduced handling times by at least 30%. This matters when you have to unload dozens of containers every week. We are also able to do all the work with just one lift truck. The Rollerforks® can be used as standard forks as well. The sound of the rollers reminds me of the good choice we made.”
Changing to RollerForks® means:
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30 % reduciton in handling times |
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damage reduction for products, so lower costs |
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less repairs, so lower down time |
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a volume increase of 8% in sea containers because of palletless handling |
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FIBCs are transported without any difficulties |
For more information, please visit the page about plastic pallet products of the Rollerforks website.
