The forklift, which has a 14-tonne capacity, was borne from a collusion between Combilift and Panaloc engineers to produce a model that could deal with the specific needs of the panel manufacturer and its 250,000ft2 factory at Trafford Park, Manchester.
This includes Kronopoly OSB4 boards, which are the main component of the panels Panaloc produces for its pre-fabricated structures and can measure between 6-13m in length.
And according to Mr Dean, the Combilift vehicle offered the company a “special and verstaile handling system” that could maximise its facilities.
“I thought I would have to settle for a sideloader with possibly another type of forklift to help out with handling, but I saw the Combilift at a trade fair and it looked like it could be the solution,” Mr Dean said.
Panaloc’s custom-built forklift features a wider than normal chassis, hyraulic fork positioners and an attachment hook to allow four metre long finished panels to be loaded into trucks vertcally and joins four existing five-tonne forklifts that are used by Panaloc at the Trafford Park site.
