Forklifts to achieve efficiency gains and improve safety

For Simon National Carriers, an Australian provider of transport, third-party warehousing and distribution services, equipment safety and reliability were key considerations for achieving efficiency gains.

The company, founded in 1973, owns 200 trailers, 115 prime movers, 70 local trucks, 100 forklifts and 190 containers. It also owns warehouses throughout Australia covering all capital cities, as well as Toowoomba and Townsville. These facilities provide a total of 120,000 square metres under the roof and offer a full range of warehouse pick-and-pack operations, assembly, de-stuffing of containers and a range of metropolitan and country distribution options. Simon also offers rail services to its clients on longer haul routes such as Melbourne and Sydney to Perth. From the southern states to Darwin, it also utilises a combination of road and rail and uses shipping services for suitable freight between the east coast and Perth.

This explains the need for best transport materials. The equipment inside the company’s warehouses is also critical to its customer service levels, safety performance and cost efficiencies. Simon continually upgrades its line haul fleet to ensure it obtains the benefits of improved fuel economy, lower vehicle emissions, reduced maintenance costs, and optimum vehicle configurations such as B-Doubles and road train trailers. Simon’s policy of not fitting bull bars to the majority of fleet, and the 90 km/h speed limit assists the company in meeting its environmental and safety objectives.

According to National Warehouse Manager Peter Tennison, the quality of warehouse equipment is critical to the success of the business. The company could have found cheaper products but it preferred quality, safety and reliability over price. “This is reflected in my most recent forklift purchase,” says Tennison. The company needed trucks (that could reach up to around 8 metres) for its new 40,000 square metre warehouse in Melbourne. Various brands were trialled in Sydney and Melbourne and the operators unanimously had a preference for the new Nissan RG series reach truck as it was comfortable and easier to control.

“They also love the visibility of the RG; they really rate the mast lock system highly and find the automatic height selection system really assists their productivity, especially when retrieving pallets at 8 m high. On top of that, the battery life on the RG series keeps the forklift working all day,” said Tennison. The company was comfortable with the operators’ preferences because it had used Nissan trucks for more than 30 years and it still had the old Nissans working in some of its yard applications. “Even though we have our own workshops, in most branches we have used Powerlift to service our Nissans on a national basis for over 20 years and [they] have proven themselves to be as reliable as the Nissan products,” said Tennison.

The development of the RG Series was undertaken based on scientific studies and interviews conducted with numerous truck operators and logistics managers regarding truck ergonomics and repetitive-strain injuries.

The operator compartment in the RG series is multiadjustable for left-and-right armrests and seat position. Even the floor height is electrically adjustable to accommodate all operator sizes. The specially shaped seat backrest is easily switched for looking to the left or right and the slide-down and tilt-back functions support the operator while working at high-lifting heights. The hands-free direction control and optimal placement of the LCD and keyboard all contribute to a relaxed working space, resulting in a more productive operator.

The advanced technology of the Nissan Forklift AC TECH controller provides significant opportunities to enhance productivity, including automatic horizontal fork levelling, side-shift centring, load-weight indication and double-deep storage. The unique Level Assistance System - or Level Selector - helps the operator go to preset lifting heights in the racking at the push of 
a button, greatly reducing the time spent on positioning.

The RG Series has drive speeds to 14.5 km/h and lift speeds to 700 mm/s and manoeuvrability in small aisles. The RG Series features reach trucks from 1.2 to 2.5 tonne load capacity and a wide variety of masts, with lifting heights to 12.1 metres. Powerlift Material Handling, through its Powerlift and Nissan Forklift ranges, has been the Nissan Forklift distributor in Australia for over 25 years and has branches in every state and 14 authorised dealers supporting its regional customers.