Tata Steel takes on 7 Bulmor sideloaders
Seven new Bulmor trucks were recently delivered to Tata’s Sheffield premises after a very thorough and competitive appraisal.
The Sheffield site runs on a virtually 24/7 basis and focuses on special steel for the aerospace and military sectors.
Bulmor had to come up with a combination of technical innovation, financial utilisation and strong support to win the deal.
In addition, a key factor in gaining the order was the Bulmor ethos of being able to manufacture bespoke trucks virtually by hand to the exact customer specification.
Indeed, the Tata Steel team was taken to see similar trucks in action at a Bulmor customer in Sweden, as well as the production facility in Perg, Austria.
In technical terms, the sideloaders lifting capacity is 15000kg at a load centre of 750 mm up to 4.000 mm lift height and residual capacity is 12.000 up to 5.800 mm. The engine is Perkins 116.5 KW with Bosch Rexroth hydrostatic drive all backed by a Siemens fleet management system which provides a weekly electronic report. The platform features load posts and roll-off protection. The Triplex full-free mast can elevate the load on to the platform without changing the total height of the truck. Lift height is 5800mm with fork tilt and adjustment capabilities. Total sideloader length is 7800mm with width of 2800mm, height is 4500mm and weight of 25000kg.
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Each truck is fitted with an elevated 1000mm wide ergonomic cabin to enhance all round vision and includes the best swiveling air sprung seat and air conditioning. Cameras show front right and rear view as well as fork tips and full street lighting complemented by 7 LED working spotlights and an automatically lit access step ensure 360˚ safety.
The speed limits to 10 mph if mast is not retracted to prevent damage of goods and truck. In financial terms the new fleet is rented on a long term plan with a final purchase clause. This runs alongside a full time in-house maintenance and spare parts service provided direct by the manufacturer.
Dan Frith of Tata Steel says: “To be able to have the new Bulmor trucks made to our exact specification and to be continually involved in the manufacturing process was a prime quality factor. By the very nature of our reputation and our customer portfolio we had to be sure of maintaining production standards and timetables. The inherent safety features also contribute significantly to overall peace of mind. What with the cost-effectiveness of the purchase and ongoing support package it all amounts to a very pleasing return on investment.”
Bulmor has models spread across three other Tata Steel sites.
