27 July 2010

CESAB forklifts are increasing all round productivity at global ceramic core manufacturer MTC Certech.

The Corby-based manufacturer, which supplies the aerospace and industrial turbine industries among others, has resolved many accessibility and handling issues since acquiring two CESAB Blitz 100 forklifts.

With pedestrian counterbalanced stackers in use in the die store, injection shop and kiln room, MTC Certech operators had been using the stackers to move tooling from the die store to the injection shop, with a great deal of physical effort required to use the stackers to manually push the tooling into the right position in the machines.

Manual stackers were in use in the kiln room because its narrow aisles and restricted space meant that equipment in this area had to be small and highly manoeuvrable to prevent it from hitting the gas elbows or pipes. The pedestrian stackers had to lift the saggers onto the kiln beds and because they could not be used with precision, the operator would often have to manually assist in placing the sagger on the kiln bed.

MTC Certech asked CESAB dealer, Hitec Lift Trucks, for advice and they organised a demonstration of the highly manoeuvrable and compact CESAB Blitz 100, a three-wheel forklift.

Alex Bailey, Health and Safety Coordinator, MTC Certech: "When it came to materials handling, the advice from Hitec Lift Trucks provided the answer. In demonstration the Blitz 100 worked effectively in every area of our operation."

Two CESAB Blitz 100 forklifts are now in full time use, with one fitted with extendable forks which can reach into any machine in the injection room, ensuring that tooling can be inserted into the machines safely and easily by the forklift rather than the operator.

When retracted to 700mm, the forks are shorter than normal truck forks, which makes the Blitz 100 invaluable in the kiln room where it can park next to the track rails around the kiln bed, which ensures loads are as close as possible to the kiln bed before being moved into place. Precision handling is improved because the side shift feature of the CESAB forklifts means that loads can be positioned precisely and more safely.

Productivity has been enhanced in other areas, with the Blitz 100 with extendable forks used by the despatch department. The retracted forks mean the truck can manoeuvre close to the back of lorries and load and unload goods efficiently.

Prospero Girardi, director of Hitec Lift Trucks: "This is an excellent example of a challenging situation being resolved to benefit a business and employees. Good materials handling practice has made all the difference to MTC Certech, in terms of productivity and business performance."