Independent timber merchant and sawmill operation SV Timber took delivery of its third Combilift forklift at the end of February.
The company, which has branches in Ilkeston, Derbyshire and South Wigston in Leicestershire, offers a full range of timber products including long lengths, large sections and glulam beams, with in-house machining and sawmilling facilities for customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire. Its slogan is “good with wood”.
SV Timber’s managing director Ed Holder described the new addition – a counterbalance design compact 4-way Combi-CB 3000 model as a “new pair of hands”.
The first Combilift was acquired a few years ago and replaced a two directional sideloader.
“One of our suppliers had a Combi-CB and said we should try it, and Andrew Whysall of Langley Mechanical Services also recommended it and it turned out to be perfect for busy branches like ours,” said Mr Holder.
“As our business has expanded – we opened the Wigston site just over a year ago – we have had no hesitation in ordering more of these versatile trucks.”
When it was introduced on the market in 2010 the Combi- CB combined multidirectional capability with counterbalance design, enabling the handling of a mix of long loads as well as pallets.
This was highlighted by SV Timber as a major advantage for its needs.
“We use them to pick up and transport pretty much every item of stock such as sheet materials, carcassing and fencing as well as palletised loads.
“We still have some sideloaders for extremely heavy loads but the Combi-CBs are the backbone of our handling operations.”
Mr Holder cited the trucks’ ability to access all areas, even the narrowest spaces, as a further benefit compared to less manoeuvrable forklifts.
SV Timber chose diesel power as the most convenient option as the trucks can be tanked up on site.
Mr Holder said the Combilift had proved a very popular choice with company staff.
SV Timber, originally established in 2004 when it was known as Soar Valley Timber (Midlands Ltd), also has a sister company Amber Mills Timber in Somercotes, which offers all the products/services of SV but also specialises in hardwoods Builders merchant Huws Gray is the largest independent builders merchant in Wales and the north-west of England with over 70 operating sites and trading branches.
Established on Anglesey in 1990, the business has grown rapidly and has a branch network stretching from Hay-on-Wye in South Powys to Bolton in the north-west, and Derby in the Midlands. From the very beginning, Huws Gray has used Doosan diesel counterbalance forklift trucks and over the years has steadily expanded its fleet to 148 trucks across its network – all supplied through a long established relationship with Gwynedd Forklifts, Doosan’s local dealer.
As well as servicing the truck fleet, Gwynedd Forklifts works with Huws Gray to specify and supply any new forklift trucks that they require.
The builders’ merchant has recently placed an order for 25 new Doosan D30 diesel powered counterbalance trucks, which will be delivered over the next few months.
“Our business offers a huge diversity of goods and materials,” said Mike Cholmondley, transport manager at Huws Gray.
“Along with all of our trading branches, we have our own bagging plant, wood mill, roof truss plant, kitchen and bathroom showrooms, seven civil centres and specialist brick sites. It’s heavy work keeping materials and products flowing through these facilities, six days a week, so we need a strong, robust ‘work-horse’ that we know we can rely on.”
All the trucks supplied are three tonne capacity and are Doosan’s standard ‘featurerich’ model – which includes the lift truck maker’s oil-cooled disc brake system.
Manufactured as sealed units, the system is designed to protect against outside elements, such as water, dust, dirt, shrink wrap and metal banding – to ensure braking performance, for enhanced safety and increased productivity.
The trucks supplied to Huws Gray have added extras – front and overhead screen, and on some a triplex mast for easy access to warehouse sheds and storage containers.
Huws Gray likes a standardised truck so that flexibility can be maintained across the branch network, with trucks easily able to be moved between depots, should the need arise. The company also has four telehandlers from Bobcat – another Doosan brand – used for loading aggregates.
“We like the simple, no-nonsense design and construction of the Doosan truck – no unnecessarily complex electronics that can go wrong,” said Mr Cholmondley.
“It’s really well suited to the builders’ yard environment and has large drive wheels that are great for any uneven surfaces,” he said.
Italian sideloader manufacturer, Baumann has introduced a new panoramic cabin as standard for its award-winning range of sideloaders.
Following two years of trials and six months of testing, the cabin has been redesigned to strengthen the framework, simplify access and allow removal of central side struts.
The previous cab improved visibility to the front corners but Baumann managing director Klaus Pirpamer said it had wanted to make further improvements.
“The continuous glass side panel on the new cabin now means the driver’s view has been significantly improved from both sides,” he said.
“Access is more open and the response from operators and owners has been superb.” Changes in materials and advances in toughened glass also allowed the Italian sideloader manufacturer to reconfigure the panoramic glass panel on the new cabin.
“The new design was tested by applying large amounts of pressure to the roof,” said Baumann UK managing director Jason Reynolds.
He said the aim was was to provide an improved view and outstanding protection without sacrificing build quality and durability.
“Operators can spend the majority of their shift inside the cab, unlike perhaps forklift operators, who are more likely to be off and on, so getting the interior right is a must,” he said.
For the majority of the range the cabin will be standard in the UK. It’s also available as an option on the smaller, three and four tonnes machines.
