Bespoke handling equipment specialist Stanley Handling has supplied a unique ROBUR 4-way stacker for the National Museums at Chatham project.

Located in the restored Number One Smithery at Chatham Historic Dockyard, the museum will house over 5,000 objects for permanent display or safe storage in the huge 19th century building. Comprising rare maritime artefacts, the inventory includes priceless historical models of ships - a model of the warship St Michael dates from the 1660s - and examples of marine engineering. Stanley Handling was approached to provide a versatile pedestrian-operated truck to handle the huge variety of crates and containers expected and their irreplaceable contents.

A powered stacker truck based upon the ROBUR SBP/4V 4-way was designed, modified to cater for the varying loads to be handled and their delicate nature. Able to carry long loads and operate as a stacker in narrow aisles and where access was limited, the unit boasts a side-shift and telescopic forks, enabling it to serve as a reach truck when placing and removing the high value boxed loads within the site's cantilever racking. With excellent all round visibility, programmable vehicle speed, operator safety button and variable lift/ lower speed controls the unit is not only stacking but ticking all the boxes.