It’s just over two years since Combilift announced plans to invest €46m in a new factory on a greenfield site on the edge of the town of Monaghan.
What was once 40ha of industrial zoned land has now been transformed into the company’s new global HQ and what is the largest single manufacturing unit under one roof in Ireland.
This is Combilift’s third home since its launch in 1998 by Martin McVicar and Robert Moffett to make a multidirectional, all-wheel drive lift truck for handling long loads in confined spaces – the IC enginepowered Combilift.
The size of the new facility (46,000m²) underlines the staggering growth rate of the company since. Starting with that one niche model, product development was swift, with an average of two new models being introduced each year.
Consequently, while 4-way lift trucks may be its trademark vehicles, Combilift is now also well-known internationally for its wide range of other handling solutions, including pedestrian stacker trucks, straddle carriers, 2-way and 4-way sideloaders and very narrow aisle (VNA) articulated forklifts.
The company today services a wide range of industries, but Mr McVicar acknowledges the role the timber sector has played in its development.
“We have a lot to thank the timber sector for as our first exports were delivered to companies in the industry, and feedback from customers in the sector was the impetus for developing some of our models, the 4-wheeled sideloader being an example,” he said. “And today sales to panel and timber merchants, sawmills, joiners, kitchen and furniture producers continue to be very strong.”
The new factory will be officially opened in May 2018, which coincides with another milestone – Combilift’s 20th anniversary – but many of the production lines have already been moved over to the site.
“The increased production capacity at the new premises will enable us to keep pace with our very full order books and we envisage doubling our output within the next few years,” said Mr McVicar.
The construction of the new factory has also allowed Combilift to incorporate the latest and most innovative manufacturing processes. The entire design follows lean manufacturing principles, with the exact material flow mapped out long before building commenced.
The facility has four travelling assembly lines, three moving paint lines, an all-in-one plasma cutting machine centre and CNC press breaks. Two automatic shot blasters have also been installed. This may be unusual for a forklift manufacturer, where one shot blaster is usually the norm but Combilift’s engineers are well aware of the corrosive effect the elements and demanding workplace environments can have on vehicles and put great importance on surface preparation to produce more robust, long-life products
As well as designing forklifts and handling equipment, over its 20 years Combilift is a provider of other related services and solutions to improve efficiency and make procedures safer. For instance, its warehouse layout and material flow service has long been popular with customers wanting to make the most productive use of space available.
Recently it has also developed a new device to ensure maximum safety for operators – the Combilift Safe-Lift. This anti-overload system for counterbalance type forklifts enables drivers to avoid the pitfalls of overloading, without having to make complicated load centre calculations, taking into account weight and type of load and lift height. This is particularly relevant to the handling of timber, as pack weights can vary depending where they have been stored, the effects of weather and so on.
Safe-lift uses a strain sensor mounted on the mast and a lift cut-out valve positioned on the mast hydraulic lift hose. An audible alarm warns the operator of an overload situation and an indicator unit is fitted to the dashboard in the cab. The operator can instantly see from the green, amber and red traffic light signalling when there is a risk of overloading, or when the forks are not fully engaged for example, and take appropriate action.
“Unless they’re operated correctly, forklifts are potentially lethal pieces of equipment and the number of incidents involving trucks every year is sadly still too high,” said Mr McVicar. “Fitting the straightforward Combilift Safe-Lift is an effective way to cut risks for the operators and other personnel, and also to avoid product damage as well as costly repairs.”
