Simple but important

It is easy to be seduced by high technology, illustrated by the number of people who dream of owning a supercar while knowing that in most cases a mass produced family car is a better option. The same tenet applies to loading bay technology.

Scissor lifts, dock levellers, shelters, automatic doors and curtains are highly sophisticated engineering solutions but ramps, bridge plates and accessories are every bit as important in a hard working loading bay.

You may think that a ramp is a ramp is a ramp, but that is not necessarily true. sara LBS works closely with its customers to design and supply high quality loading ramps and bridge plates. With many years of engineering experience across different industries sara LBS is able to find the best solution to meet the specific demands of any application.

For instance, sara LBS ramps come in a number of standard sizes, but the company can also make them to any length and the width can be increased to suit the specific requirements of particular applications. In fact sara LBS’s designers regularly develop bespoke ramps for individual customers.

All ramps are manufactured to British and European standards, including a 100% safety factor, and are certified accordingly. They are usually made from aluminium for corrosion free reliability and easy handling due to their low weight. Strength and rigidity are provided through the design geometry.

Bridge plates come in an infinite number of different forms and varieties. As their name suggest the aluminium or steel plates allow you to bridge from one point to another and/or from one level to another. Typically they could provide a gentle ramp that would allow a fork lift or pallet truck to move onto and egress from the bed of a scissor lift or the floor of a shipping container; in such a case sara LBS would have ensured that they are designed to cope with the maximum likely load, plus a generous safety margin.

Another common duty is to provide a bridge over a pipe or cable running across the floor. Typically this is a temporary situation, but sometimes the pipe or cable, and their ramps, will be a permanent fixture. They can also be used to bridge trenches and as gangway ramps, pit covers, kerb ramps and – increasingly – to allow wheelchair access from one level to another.

sara LBS can also provide bridge plates and ramps in a number of industrial strength polymers, for situations where noise needs to be kept low, or where an industrial appearance is not desirable.