Background
VBI Weurt manufactures and recycles polystyrene foam insulation materials at its plant in Weurt, the Netherlands. The company works in 2 shifts, a total of 17 hours per day.
When the current lease for part of its forklift fleet ended, the company conducted a review
as the Plant Manager was not satisfied with the side battery extraction system on their
existing lift trucks.
The business found that there were too many issues causing parts to break down on regular
basis. On top of that, sometimes 2 people were needed to get a battery changed.
How did Hyster Help?
- Local Hyster® dealer Heffiq listened carefully to the precise challenges at VBI Weurt and was able to customise the new Hyster® trucks to suit the specific customer requirements.
- Heffiq offered value for money and provided solutions to the customer that benefitted their overall operation.
- The new Hyster® forklift trucks are being leased for a period of 5 years, which includes a full service contract for the lift trucks. The Powered Battery Exchange Stacker receives periodical maintenance from Heffiq.
Equipment Summary
The Hyster trucks are required for the handling and storage of a wide range of materials provided through Selco Builders Warehouse outlets. Hyster® Fortens® H3.0FT forklift trucks are used to unload blocks, bagged aggregate, wood and metal from lorries and store it in the yard area before being loaded onto customers’ vehicles. The materials handling fleet, which consists of approximately 120 trucks across the 28 Selco sites, includes:
Benefits
- The 2.5-tonne lift capacity trucks are being used for the loading of polystyrene foam insulation materials that are produced in Weurt, and for internal transport from the production departments to the warehouse.
- A block of insulation material weighs about 180 to 200 kgs so a 2.5T lift capacity may seem high for their needs. However, these trucks benefit from being equipped with a battery with a 20% higher capacity (775 Ah/80V). This means less battery changing or loading is needed which saves the operation time.
- Thanks to the new battery exchange system, VBI Weurt has another advantage when changing and loading batteries. The Powered Battery Exchange Stacker truck provides a fast and simple battery exchange, and there is no physical exertion necessary from the operator.
- “We do not just notice the advantages when changing or loading batteries. The traction and performance are also a big step forward. Plus, the trucks are noticeably more comfortable. If this continues, the chances are very high that we will replace all our other trucks with Hyster® machines,” says Bennie Kroes, Plant Manager at VBI Weurt.
