Suffolk Foods of Ipswich has solved a materials handling problem with the acquisition of a 2.5 tonne Clark forklift equipped with a Bolzoni pallet inverter from local dealer, Armill Lift Trucks of Braintree in Essex.

Suffolk Foods manufacture sauces and pickles for the major UK sandwich producers and part of the handling process involves the transfer of incoming pallet loads of raw materials onto plastic pallets before they are allowed into the food production areas.

This task had previously been undertaken by hand, but because the company is proud of its health & safety record there was concern about the possibility of back injuries. Therefore, in consultation with Armill, the decision was taken to obtain the new forklift/inverter combination to not only resolve the potential health risk but also greatly speed-up the whole process.

Commenting on the equipment, Gary Millar of Armill said: "We have been supplying all Suffolk Foods' materials handling requirements for the past two years and we had absolutely no hesitation in recommending the Clark machine for this application where a robust and heavy-duty truck was required to be able to handle the one tonne inverter with ease."