“Innovation is in our DNA and a cornerstone of the company’s design philosophy has been to supply innovative handling solutions that reduce risk and prevent accidents,” said Martin McVicar, managing director.
The company is releasing short videos on YouTube throughout the week which serve to demonstrate how the individual models contribute to enhanced safety procedures in the warehouse, in production facilities and for loading and offloading materials.
One such model is the Combi-CS, a pedestrian truck operation with Combilift’s multi-position tiller arm. The operator can work from the side of the truck rather than the rear. This reduces the risk of the operator being crushed between the truck and the racking, gives them a clear sight line and, importantly, means that aisles in storage facilities can be narrower.
Another pedestrian truck, the four-way Combi WR4 is designed for long load handling. “Many of these are operating in Homebase and other DIY stores where customer safety and space are priorities,” said Mr McVicar.
Pedestrian trucks have been an area of development for the company over the last five to seven years and while it isn’t the only manufacturer of pedestrian forklifts, it does produce the smallest.
Another design feature Mr McVicar was keen to highlight is Safe-Lift. This optional extra is an anti-overload device which takes the onus of calculating the load centre away from the driver. It incorporates a strain sensor on the mast and a lift cut-out valve positioned on the mast hydraulic lift hose.
The conference also showed how the company had worked with A-Safe Safety Barriers and Accessories to install physical barriers in the workplace and how it had encouraged a culture of safety in its own workforce.
The conference followed on the heels of another virtual press conference which looked at space optimisation and how Combilift’s customers in the manufacturing sector have faced the challenge of getting back to normal output levels whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines.
“In the last six weeks the demand for our free warehouse design has really jumped,” said Mr McVicar.
