Modular loading

Products arrive at the main distribution centre in Winsford, Cheshire in shipping containers, which then need to be unloaded and stored. Many of the products Gemco handles are large and often unwieldly in nature which presented the company with some logistical challenges.

Having recently relocated to Winsford from its previous premises in Mansfield, Gemco quickly realised that its existing loading and unloading solution was inadequate for the new premises.

Gemco general manager – warehouse operations Sean Heath, says: “We had been using a third-party logistics provider which unloaded the equipment from the containers for us but this simply wasn’t efficient and also had issues surrounding accountability for products damaged in transit.”

Needing a solution that could accommodate these requirements, Gemco approached Thorworld through its dealer Darmax, which designed and delivered a loading platform that incorporated Gemco’s existing Thorworld yardramp.

The new solution now allows for the easy unloading of containers by providing additional space for forklifts to reverse horizontally which avoids the risk of loads hitting the top of the container. 

In addition to the extra space, the loading platform also has two side access gates which allows for the use of side-loader forklift trucks to better handle the larger loads that Gemco receive.

“The dock and ramp have increased the safety and speed of our unloading process immensely and we now have accountability for what happens to our products throughout our entire supply chain,” continues Sean. 

“Thorworld knew exactly what was needed for our situation, it’s great for a company to be able to come on board to give us advice and point out solutions that we wouldn’t have considered, it put us in a really good place to move forward.”

A range of safety features were also incorporated into the loading platform’s design including gates, fixed handrails, removeable curbs for the sideloading forklift section and Bimagrip Antislip coating.

Darmax managing director James Corfield commented on the installation saying: “After initially supplying a standard container ramp, it was great to assist Gemco again when they reached out to explain their new logistical challenges. The quality of the original ramp gave Gemco the confidence in our ability to design and supply a solution that fit the bill.”

For more information, visit www.thorworld.co.uk