< PreviousFORKLIFT AND PALLET TRUCKS20 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netThe demand for fresher food hasplaced an incredible strain on thesupply chain industry, withmanufacturers rushing to meet thestringent time frames of larger retailers.In many cases there are just a few daysallowed between the completion of aproduct, and its delivery to the retailer– so it should come as no surprise thatdistribution centres and warehouses arefeeling the pressure. Efficiency is the name of the game,as well as reducing the manual elementwherever possible. This need not alwaysinvolve automation however, and oftendoes not. When it comes to manualhandling, it’s not only a risk removed,but an improvement in speed, to have amachine handle it. For the most part,this is forklifts and pallet trucks. These are a staple of the materialshandling industry, with almost everywarehouse or distribution centre in thecountry operating a few at least. Whatcan cause confusion however is thewide array of forklifts available on themarket, and what roles they might bestbe suitable towards. Industrial reachforklifts are best suited to taller rackingsystems, very common within the foodand drink industry due to the sheerquantity of stock that is kept in awarehouse, often necessitating thatoperators stack their products tall aswell as wide. If your warehouse hasunusually thin aisles, possibly becauseof even higher levels of stock, then a 3-wheel forklift can offer moremanoeuvrability, allowing it to operatein these thinner aisles. What a company needs can dependon a hundred different factors, from thewidth of the aisles, the height of thestacking, weight of palletised goods –or even how far back on a rack they arestacked. Almost all forklifts will comewith health and safety precautions suchas shielded roofs as standard, but theremight also need to be considerations interms of user accessibility, or evenergonomics. While many may scoff atthe idea that ergonomic design shouldwarrant a more expensive forkliftsystem, one should remember that inan average day an operator might movetheir arm over a thousand times an22 ÁFromfieldtoforkliftThe forklift is ubiquitous to the materials handlingindustry, and not just within the food and drink sector.The needs of an individual company may be morecomplex than first expected, however.20-24_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:11 Page 1Food & Drink International 21www.fdiforum.net© shutterstock/nd300020-24_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:11 Page 222 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netFORKLIFT AND PALLET TRUCKShour, and their head twice that number.Dragging that out over an eight hourday is going to cause serious strain andfatigue on workers, and while this mightnot lead to injury – it will certainly havean impact on efficiency levels, asworkers begin to pause to loosenmuscles or take quick rests. This is aclear example of the differencesbetween speed and efficiency withinthe materials handling industry, and to adegree can mimic the story of thetortoise and the hare. And while no onecan endorse tortoise-like speed in thewarehouse, it is preferred to be able tomaintain a pace of industry through theday, rather than lag towards the enddue to fatigue. What is always important toremember however is that while speedand efficiency are the two majorconcerns for Directors and Managers,especially when it comes to choosingwhat products to use. The safety of theoperators on the floor must always bekept in mind. Materials handling remainsone of the most accident prone sectorsin business, and this is more the fault ofthe work involved than the industryitself. The very need for materialshandling equipment is because humanworkers are dealing with loads tooheavy for their bodies. So any accidentswill clearly be very dangerous. Even the smallest accident in theworkplace can have a devastatingeffect, not only on those involved, butalso the entire supply chain. Manyworkers will down tools to come to theaid of anyone in danger, and the entiredistribution centre might be haltedwhile the accident is dealt with. Theimpact of this follows on down the line,in terms of lorries arriving for stock thatis not ready for them, to deliveries tocustomers arriving late, or not at all. One obstacle to efficiency can oftenbe locating and accessing productswithin the warehouse when they needto be shipped out. While most productsof a particular brand or batch will likelybe stored with each other, theindividual size of the packaging canvary greatly. Pallet-wrapping machinescan help maximise on this, by safelyensuring a wider range of boxes can bestored together on a single pallet. This© shutterstock/Dmitry Kalinovsky© shutterstock/Dmitry Kalinovsky20-24_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:11 Page 3cagesofstock".Nextdaydeliveryon2,500productsBrowseonlineatkitepackaging.co.ukFREEEssentialPackagingGuideCall02476420065EmployeeOwned"Wepurchasedthisasatrial,IwoulddefinitelyrecommendKitePackagingandthisproductforstretchwrappingpalletsofallshapesandsizes,wrappingplasticcratesandalsosmallandbigMatt-TrustpilotFood & Drink International 23www.fdiforum.netFORKLIFT AND PALLET TRUCKSalso provides added safety to theproducts if they need to be stored atheight, as there is no risk of individualpackages being knocked loose. Evenwhen it comes to these machinesthough, there is a staggering amount ofoptions available on the market, withvarying prices. Almost all forklifts now come with adegree of health and safety in mind,important and often legally required inthe warehousing industry. Driver cagesare one such example, with reinforcedchassis being another. What a companyrequires will be dictated by the kinds ofproducts they move around, but mostforklift suppliers will be able to offertheir own opinions.As we move toward the future,questions will be asked about whatkind of innovations are set for theindustry. For many, questioningeyebrows are being raised toward theinclusion of drones and automatedforklifts, many of which are beingtested by Amazon depots across theworld. Although gimmicky at this stage,it seems obvious that this avenue willbe one the industry explores. Callous asit may sound, one of the biggestinhibitors of warehouses still remainsthe human element. Lastingdevelopment on this issue might beinhibited in the UK due to labour lawsand general political anger towardsautomation, but it is unlikely that thiscan continue in a sector where foreigncompetitors are gaining real andtangible advantages over UKcompanies.20-24_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:11 Page 4FORKLIFT AND PALLET TRUCKSO’Brien Fine Foods is a family runbusiness and a primary supplier of highquality meat products to the Irishmarket. Following the construction of anew extension on its premises, thecompany replaced its previous fleet offorklifts with a Combi-CB and threepedestrian Combi-WR models fromCombilift to maximise space and toensure the highest standards of healthand safety. The move to using walk-behindmodels rather than ride-on truckswherever possible was a priority forHead of Procurement Maud Gormley,who chose three Combi-WR models towork in the packing station and the rawmeat area. She said: “Forklift trucks can pose ahigh level of risk to the workforce in thisindustry and we wanted to minimisethis. The Combi-WRs are the solutionfor us to move pallets in very narrowaisles in the safest possible way: themulti position tiller arm means that theoperator can stand to the side of theunit to eliminate any crush risk and thegood visibility from this position gives aclear view of the load and anyother personnel in the vicinity. Afurther advantage of pedestriantrucks is the short time – around 4hours - and lower overheadsinvolved to train our operators.” Operating conditions forequipment in the raw meat areaare quite harsh due to the wetenvironment and the presence ofbrine, and the Combi-WRdesignated for this section wasfitted with stainless steel forks toprevent any corrosion whenhandling the Dolav pallet boxesused to transport raw products.It also has a special 5150mmtriplex mast to enable it tooperate to a height of 4900mm whilstbeing able to pass under low pedestriandoorways. The diesel powered 4t capacityCombi-CB works outside as a versatilemachine, handling pallets of packagingand machine parts for the productionfacility. This compact, counterbalancedesign 4-way forklift was also theingenious solution for picking palletsfrom two high level external first floorstorage areas and loading them ontoHGVs. Due to operational requirements itwas fitted with a range of customisedfeatures including an 8m mast toprovide an adequate lift height to reachthe loading bays. A mast mountedcamera and wipers on the cab roofoffer good driver visibility when themast is fully extended, whatever theweather. Telescopic forks enable thepallets to be accessed through an upand over gate and the additional featureof a fork positioner allows the driver toeasily adjust the fork width dependingon the load and pallet position. The multidirectional ability and tightturning circle of the Combi-CB is alsoinvaluable for working alongside one ofthe bays which is in a very confinedspace. It also copes easily with thegradients and slopes across thepremises. Ms Gormley added: “The configurationof our factory across various levels isnot the most straightforward formaterials handling equipment, and therequirement to lift loads weighing up to1800kgs to 7.7m was a challenge.However, the models recommended byCombilift and our consultants TheHenley Forklift Group, together with thecustomised features, have more thanlived up to our expectations. Combilift’sengineers provided layouts for the newpremises and made sure everythingworked smoothly in the new set up. TheCombi-CB4 is great for accessing tightspots and the low operating speeds ofthe Combi-WRs have ensured maximumsafety.” Combilifts help outin tight spaces forO’Brien Fine FoodsFor more information,visit www.combilift.com orwww.obrienfinefoods.ie24 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.net20-24_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:11 Page 5Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTThe fallout from a health, safety orhygiene scare can be difficult for anycompany to manage. Depending on theseverity of the case it might mean fines,media attention – or worse – loss of amajor contract. Despite this, properhealth and safety management isconsidered a nebulous concern, one tobe adhered to at a bare minimum level,leaving many companies left off-guardand out of place when someoneeventually goes wrong. In the Food andDrink sector, hygiene is harder tomanage than many others, and theconsequences can reach much further.This added pressure is one whichnecessitates swift action.Most obviously, companies that aren’table to point to clear health and safetyregulations will usually find themselvesunable to win contracts from majorcustomers. The importance of securityand speed across the supply chainmeans retailers demand manufacturersand distributors reach the higheststandards and must be able to illustratetheir commitment to quality – and aformal health and safety policy, with fullinformation on potential flashpoints andthe measures in place to deal withthem, is usually required.What many in the food and drinkindustry tend to forget is that, unlikewith most cases of efficiency, thehuman element is more required thannot in safety and hygiene. Whileautomated machines are designed notto make mistakes, that does not meanaccidents do not happen, and whenthere is a spillage or contamination,most process systems will not havebeen designed with a solution in mind.It’s the old adage of something being© shutterstock/praphab louilarpprasertCleanand safeMany food manufacturers consider matters of hygiene to be common sense,but with several high-profile recalls already underway, it would seem thatnothing is quite that simple. 27 Á25-31_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:17 Page 1SPICKAND SPANQUALITY OF SERVICEQUALITY THROUGH MANUFACTUREQUALITY BY DESIGNT: 01603 788 833 | W: teknomek.co.uk | E: mail@teknomek.co.ukPlan to make hygienic food preparation easy. Our hygienic furniture and equipment with sealed ingresses make this a doddle.25-31_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:17 Page 2© shutterstock/Goran BogicevicFood & Drink International 27www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTGood enough to eatM&H Plastics in Beccles, UK hasrecently been audited and awardedthe global BRC standard for itspackaging manufacturing services. The site was awarded a Grade ‘A’Certificate at its first audit – a veryrare honour for such a large andcomplex factory.M&H Plastics specialises in theproduction and decoration of high-quality plastic bottles, jars, flexibletubes, fitments and closures. In a consumer-driven environmentdistinctive packaging is vital, andM&H offers unrivalled expertise indeveloping packaging solutions formarkets where quality and style arecritical to a product’s success.Markets such as personal careproducts, healthcare, food & Beverage and household & commercial products. The company has an extensive range of nearly 5,000 standard products, and is alsoable to offer custom moulding of exclusive designs with a low cost of entry. Virtuallyeverything is conducted in-house, on-site - from concept design, through tool-making toproduction, artwork and decoration.For more information, visit www.mhplastics.com.created to be perfect not having thesolution to what happens when it isimperfect. Due to the differing nature of hygienerisks and how they can occur, it is oftena requirement to bring in outside help tojudge and identify potential flashpoints.These can come from any number ofaspects, be it the ingredientsthemselves, the way employees work orsimply the atmosphere of a givenfacility. The latter is one such aspect thatmany companies might overlook. Cleanair is of paramount concern for the foodand drink industry, not only due to thestringent requirements involved in themanufacture of food produce, but alsoto avoid the reputational crisis of anyincidents occurring. With a variety of28 Á25-31_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:17 Page 3Holchem – a leader in deliveringhygiene technology solutions Holchem are the UK’s leader in delivering hygiene technology solutions.For over 30 years, they have built up a wealth of experience in the foodand drink sector across a range of diverse areas, providing hygienesolutions to companies throughout the UK & Ireland in soft drinks andbrewing as well meat processing, poultry processing, potato products,bakery, ready to eat foods, convenience foods, snack foods, vegetableand fruit processing and sandwich making. As one of the largest suppliers of hygiene solutions in the country,Holchem works with customers to complement their quality systemson site with robust cleaning solutions to ensurethat they can be confident when their qualitysystems and manufacturing practices aretested, both by customers and other thirdparty audits. It works with customersaround the world to ensure they have thecorrect hygiene solutions in place to suittheir business and meet the standardsrequired. For more information, visitwww.holchem.co.uk.28 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTwww.etiltd.comdesigned for the food & drink industryThermometersAs the UK’s No.1 thermometer manufacturer we offer a wide product range including our Thermapen® 4thermometer & our new ThermaData® WiFi loggers for wireless temperature monitoring © shutterstock/Africa Studioharmful microbes and particles able totravel via air, there is great potential forharmful microbes to interact with theprocess at a crucial stage, possiblyleading to contaminated products.A benefit to the food markethowever, is that many health and safetyproducts also work towards improvinghygiene – allowing a company toeffectively kill two birds with one stone.Non-slip and hygienic flooring is onesuch example that can both reduce therisk of accidents within the facility –while also adding a clear hygienicdefence against contaminants. When it comes to hygiene itself thereare actually many things that can bedone to minimise both cost anddowntime, some of which can be quitesimple. In food manufacturing inparticular, build up inside machinerycan prove a major source ofcontamination, requiring regularcleaning and downtime as workersscramble to clear this away. Smallchanges in how a site is set up,however, can help to minimise this. Hardcorners and right angles, especiallyinside storage tanks and mixers, can beproblem areas, as it provides a sharpcorner for food to get stuck in. Simplechanges to make these roundedcorners or to blunt them can helpreduce levels of build up significantly. Changes to materials are alsocommonplace, along with initiativesthat may seem painstakingly obvious atfirst, but which have been proven tohave profound effect. Take for instancethe case of cleaning apparatus, frombrooms to mops and everything inbetween. While it may seem obvious to© shutterstock/Alexander Raths25-31_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:17 Page 43M and Clean-Trace are trademarks of the 3M company. © 3M 2016. All rights reserved. J352347.3M anof tGet more than numbers — get answers.Introducing the 3M™ Clean-Trace™ Hygiene Monitoring and Management System.• Verify cleaning effectiveness in seconds• Make confident decisions with accurate results• Be audit ready with powerful reports3M.com/foodsafety/Clean-TraceEMEAFoodSafety@mmm.comFood & Drink International 29www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTwww.3M.co.uk/cleantraceEMEAFoodSafety@mmm.comsay that tools from one part of a plant should not beused in another, owing to the potential for contamination,it does not mean it always works. If a mop is misplacedor left in the wrong spot, then staff may not know whichsection it came from. Developers now have taken toproducing cleaning apparatus which is brightly colouredand coded, allowing workers to know that purple mopsbelong in the meats section, or that red are only allowedin the red-zone. Again, it may seem common sense andan obvious solution, but if it makes the lives of employeeseasier, then how hard is it to implement? This also brings into question where hygienic materialis kept and how easy it is to bring to bear if there is aproblem. Sanitation stations are commonplace in foodand drink production facilities and yet for many they arelocked away out of reach, wasting employee time as theyneed to leave an area entirely to ensure they are properlysanitised. Moving these facilities, as well as any othersthat employees might make use of, closer to the actualproduction line can improve efficiency. This might seem asmall factor, especially if it only saves a minute of anindividual employee’s time a day, but considering it over alonger period of time can make for more savings. That31 Á25-31_Layout 1 26/06/2017 12:17 Page 5Next >