Slick solution for bulky storage
Manufacturer Hydrobolt revamps its storage system with Wickens Engineering bringing efficiency and health & safety benefits.
Hydrobolt makes and distributes fasteners, stud bolts and pipeline products. It had employed a raw materials storage system that involved a manual process for picking bar and tube sections, which was inefficient and raised health and safety concerns for the operators involved.
They needed a system that would offer increased capacity to cater for future demand while addressing any health and safety issues. The ultimate aim was to have a more organised and safer stores environment where products could be located and moved quickly to the production processes without the need for manual handling.
Following a site visit, Wickens offered a bespoke cantilever racking and guide rail system solution.
During the planning phase, Wickens cooperated with Combilift, a specialist forklift manufacturer, to ensure that the interface between the two systems is working perfectly. The Combilift side loader trucks are now used to transport materials across the site in a fast, yet safe manner, and they are guided along the racking aisles by a Wickens guide rail system that prevents accidents and damage to the new racking system.
More than 200 metres of 4,000mm high cantilever racking were installed in the Hydrobolt warehouse, giving a capacity to store in excess of 2,000 tonnes of material over seven storage levels.
Hydrobolt operations manager Ian Butler says: “Wickens managed to build a healthy working relationship with us and they offered the whole package of services, exactly what we were after.
"Health and Safety concerns are now fully resolved, while we gained a large amount of additional storage space for future growth.
"In addition, it allowed a smoother material flow and speeded up the whole manufacturing process as raw materials could be delivered straight from stock to saws and machines. Smaller teams are now required to complete both stocking and handing, none of which are carried out manually. Less human resource and reduced operation times have boosted the efficiency of the whole production process.
Even if Wickens were not able to provide some services like testing and certifying our racking themselves, they would bring the expert in and make sure our needs are met."
