Glenmorangie goes for another round

A well-established supplier to the whisky industry in Scotland, Briggs has won a contract with The Glenmorangie Company. The firm's latest order comprises six Hyster four-wheel electric counterbalance forklift trucks, ranging in size from 1.6 tonnes to 3 tonnes, a 2.0S ride on pallet truck and a JLG 1930ES scissor lift.

Briggs is supplying all of the machines on a five-year contract hire basis, including full servicing and maintenance support, which will be provided by engineers based at its Cumbernauld depot.

Reliability was a key consideration for The Glenmorangie Company. The Highland distillery, which produces 10 million bottles of single malt a year, operates a fleet of 17 forklifts across five sites, 15 of which have been supplied by Briggs. Following a review of its requirements and a highly competitive tender, The Glenmorangie Company awarded the contract to Briggs based on its low total cost of ownership proposal. The excellent standard of customer service it receives from its materials handling partner was also a deciding factor.

Five of the new Hyster forklifts are being put to work at The Glenmorangie Company's purpose-built bottling plant in Livingston, West Lothian. The forklifts will be used for general pallet movements in the production and goods in/out areas by a team of dedicated operators who work a single, Monday to Friday shift. The remaining trucks are being deployed at the Ardberg Distillery in Port Ellen, Islay.

Tam Taylor, standards co-ordinator at The Glenmorangie Company, says: “A reliable, energy-efficient materials handling resource is essential to the smooth running of both our state-of-the-art production facility and the Islay distillery. It's therefore reassuring to know we can count on Briggs for a cost-effective solution that will meet our needs, today and in the future.”

The Glenmorangie Company chose the Hyster J-series truck for its robust build quality, but primarily because it offers the lowest level of energy consumption in its class. To ensure a sustainable future for its brands, the distillery has made it company policy to minimise the environmental impact of its operations wherever possible.