| TOMRA TAKES A SAFER LIFT FROM PENNY HYDRAULICS
PRESS INFORMATION Issue Date: 11 February 2010 Ref: PEN10/07 Leading
recycling equipment manufacturer Tomra Systems has installed a bespoke version
of the Penny Hydraulics Load Lift inside its latest VW Transporter service vehicles
to transport palletised specialist components without the need for manual handling.
In addition to simplifying the handling of heavy and valuable equipment the Load
Lift allows a single engineer to carry out maintenance tasks when two or more
people were previously required. “We have safer and better working
practices,” says David Saul, Project Manager at Tomra Systems. “We are
also able to send one engineer and one set of tools to each job which is more
efficient and productive. But the payback we have achieved is incidental because
above all else I wanted our engineers to be safe.” Tomra designs and
manufactures sophisticated automated waste sortation and processing equipment
that is installed at numerous retail sites throughout the UK. Its service engineers
visit these installations regularly to inspect the equipment and carry out routine
maintenance work. The replacement of cutting heads is one of the tasks that must
be completed from time to time. These heads are precision instruments designed
to rotate at thousands of revolutions per minute deep inside Tomra’s machinery
to cut and shred items such as aluminium cans and plastic bottles so that they
occupy less space and are easier to store, transport and reprocess. Cutting
heads and other large components are crated and palletised for transportation.
Each load weighs many tens of kilograms and is too heavy to be lifted safely and
within existing manual handling guidelines by a single person. For this reason
two or more engineers used to visit each site to lift the crates in and out of
the service vehicles by hand and then handled to the recycling machines using
a hand pallet truck. Tomra recognised that this was inefficient and unproductive. “We
knew we could do it better and we could do it safer,” says David Saul. When
Tomra was preparing the preliminary specifications for its new service vehicles
it considered installing a small crane or hoist to handle the heavy components.
Its vehicle conversion partner recommended Penny Hydraulics which designs and
manufactures a wide range of load handling equipment for light commercial vehicles.
Although it supplies cranes Penny Hydraulics suggested a small platform lift would
offer a more versatile solution.
The Load Lift is a light and compact
platform lift for loads up to 300kg that offers a safe, reliable and economical
way of handling loads. Its unique design allows it to be installed inside the
rear doors of the van without restricting access to the load area or affecting
alternative carrying solutions. Self-contained hydraulic systems ensure smooth,
precise and assured operation while simple push button controls, automatic battery
isolation and overload protection promote ease of use and safety. Tomra
had already chosen the VW Transporter T28/130 as its new service engineer vehicle
because it offered an excellent combination load space and performance. This is
probably the smallest vehicle in which a Load Lift has been installed and early
on in the design process it was clear that the standard model would not offer
the optimum performance for this particular application. The concept was to lift
the pallet truck and crate into the vehicle but when these were mounted centrally
on the conventional platform there was potential for load to catch on the rear
bumper and door frame of the vehicle as the combination was loaded. The
solution devised by Penny Hydraulics was to develop a longer platform that allows
the hand pallet truck and Europallet to be positioned at its rear for the initial
part of the lift and then pushed forward slightly before the load enters the vehicle
to avoid any potential overhang problems. Small recesses towards the rear and
centre of the platform engage the back wheels of the pallet truck safely in the
correct position for each stage of the lifting process. Once the load is inside
the vehicle it can be secured in position on the platform with conventional stowing
straps. The platform’s rear section is then folded up to create an additional
barrier between the load and vehicle doors for extra safety during transportation. “This
is a simple but clever solution to our requirement and it works really well,”
says David Saul. “The platform folds out of the way when we’re not using
it which means we get most of the load space back for general use when we need
it.” Penny Hydraulics checked the loadings for the modified units during
the design and manufacture stage. It then completed the installation at is factory
and provided user training to Tomra’s engineering team. The first unit was
tested in the field by Tomra before it decided to specify another for a second
identical service vehicle. The way the unit has been designed and installed ensures
that the load is placed in front of the rear axle and this promotes better weight
distribution which in turn helps with vehicle handling. The entire project was
completed to very tight deadlines to ensure both vehicles were operational within
a couple of weeks. The primary reason for specifying mechanical load handling
was the safety of service engineers. Another advantage of the Load Lift is that
it allows heavy and often bulky equipment to be loaded in and out of the vehicle
by a single person without any manual handling. This means that Tomra has been
able to reorganise its service team and deploy them alone rather than in pairs.
The company has been able to widen its service capability without taking on additional
engineers and the entire operation is more productive and efficient.
“It’s
now become an operation which can be done safely by one man,” says David
Saul. “It is safe and it’s legal. If you give people the right tools
they’ll do their job more effectively.” Penny Hydraulics designs,
manufactures and services lifting and load handling equipment for use in a wide
range of applications. Products include the Swing Lift range of medium duty cranes
for use on pick-ups, drop-sides and flat-beds and the Step Lift, Load Lift and
Tail Lift lifting platform ranges for use on pick-ups, drop-sides and vans. The
company also manufactures the Mezz Lift for handling loads between ground floor
and mezzanines and specialist equipment for handling wheels, tyres and barrels
in vehicles and at customers’ premises. DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE ON
REQUEST FROM KEITH WOOTTON For further press information please contact:
Richard
Short
Sales Director
Penny Hydraulics
T: 01246 811475
W: www.pennyhydraulics.com
Keith Wootton
Public Relations Consultant
T: 01327 830675/F: 0871 750 1406
E:
penny@keithwootton.co.uk
W: www.keithwootton.co.uk
<
back to News & Events | 
