Horses for courses
Building materials firm uses a variety of forklifts to meet differing needs on site, with safety a key priority.
AT JOYCE’S Hardware and Home in Galway, four different Combilift products are at work handling the range of over 30,000 products that are in stock.
Joyce’s Hardware & Home is typical of many companies in the DIY and building materials sectors in that it needs to be able to efficiently move and store products of diverse sizes, shape and weight. In an environment where customers are often in the vicinity of equipment, safety is also a major priority. Joyce’s is a prime example of how choosing the right equipment for specific tasks has enabled the company to thrive by optimising its storage facilities for better capacity, allowing quicker loading and offloading for faster turnaround while ensuring safe operation across its 9-acre site.
Director Jim Joyce says: “We got our first C-Series multidirectional truck around 18 years ago. Finding out about this model coincided with plans to build a new timber warehouse and fit it out with racking, and we realised that by switching from a standard counterbalance to a multidirectional truck we’d be able to optimise storage density. We found it to be ideal for handling long packs of timber in the aisles as well as for yard loading/unloading.”
Following the launch of Combilift’s compact counterbalance design Combi-CB truck, a diesel model was added to Joyce’s fleet, mainly due to its ability to handle not just long loads but also palletised goods as well as blocks and bricks. Thanks to the two multidirectional trucks on site, Jim reckons that it has been possible to fit in over 40% more storage space compared with the previous forklifts. “The CB’s versatility and ability to access narrow aisles means we can put pallets and stock where we couldn’t before, and an added bonus is that the drivers love it and it’s on the go all day long.”
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In 2021 a new 3,000 sq m warehouse was built and James and his team chose a Combilift Aisle Master articulated forklift to work in this area, mainly for handling palletised stock. The 2,000 sq m of racking was configured according to the Aisle Master’s narrow aisle capabilities which resulted in the creation of 2,400 pallet spaces – up from 1,800 with conventional forklifts.
The most recent addition is a Combi-WR pedestrian stacker. “We chose this as it enables fast movement of pallets for loading and also because the driver can work from the side rather than the rear – so it’s a very safe machine particularly in areas where other employees may be nearby,” said Jim, adding: “Our two latest Combilifts are electric in keeping with our plans for greener operations which include three 10,000 gallon tanks for water harvesting for recycling for the garden centre and for washrooms, fast super charging electric points for cars and panels for generating electricity.”
A common features of all Joyce’s Combilifts is versatility and safety, both of which are crucial issues as Jim explains. “Safety is priority number 1 for us, followed closely by versatility. We stock slates, roofing materials, timber, insulation, fertiliser, bathroom fittings, internal doors, carpets – to name just a few, and this is why we went for four Combilifts which keep our vast range of different products on the move.”
For more information, visit www.combilift.com
