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Improving loading bay safety and enhancing warehouse efficiency
24 November 2023
Vincent Tremouilhe, who has been working with GMR Safety for 10 years in the European division, shares insights into what sets the company apart in the international field of loading bay safety.
What is your company’s USP?
At GMR Safety, we take great pride in our accomplishments over the past two decades. With more than 25 years of innovation and expertise in designing and manufacturing Powerchock wheel chocking systems for all types of vehicles in logistic warehouses, our mission is clear: to protect loading dock workers by preventing accidents caused by early departures, trailer creep or falls from the dock edge.
Unlike standard chocks on the market, our patented Powerchock vehicle restraints are user-friendly and made from high-quality materials, ensuring unmatched efficiency, durability, and robust- ness year-round, even in extreme weather conditions. Moreover, we are the only company in the industry offering a 5-year warranty on our products. At last, our driving force is our customers! We accompany them in the search for solutions tailored to their specific needs with a view to their operational and cost efficiency.
Tell us about your recent innovations.
We are currently working on two major projects that make us particularly proud. These projects will be launched in 2024 and showcased at European trade fairs: SITL in Paris and LogiMAT in Stuttgart. First, we have Powerchock Auto, the automated version of the patented combination of a wheel chock and a restraining plate to immobilize the vehicle.
We are also developing a data management system that will monitor real-time information collected by sensors installed on Powerchock, vehicles, doors, and loading docks. This data will be accessible through a cloud, presented in dashboards, and sent as alerts, facilitating immediate intelligent decision-making, reducing operational downtime, and enhancing transport efficiency, implying a significant cost reduction.
What industry sectors do you target?
Our target market encompasses all industries, especially companies that operate facilities with high vehicle flows which lead to a significant number of doors: accident risks are unfortunately greater there. We work with logistics and supply chain service providers, including e-commerce, couriers, freight forwarders, and other businesses. To this day, we have collaborated with world- renowned companies such as Kuehne + Nagel, DSV, Lineage, Martin Brower, ID Logistics, GXO, XPO, Saint Gobain, LIDL, FedEx, and DHL.
What challenges do your customers face and how are you helping them respond?
The primary challenges our customers face are related to manpower shortages and high staff turnover, which result in increasingly stressful workflows and greater accident risks. According to Transportation and Storage statistics in GB (2021), 12% of major or fatal accidents occur while a lorry is being loaded or unloaded. At GMR Safety, we believe in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and support our partners in finding the best safety solutions that contribute to their employees’ well-being.
What trends have you seen in your sector this year?
In our sector, there is a growing focus on prevention to reduce the risk of accidents, emphasizing the safety of warehouse operators. While safety measures and equipment are in place, they are not always effective. Our reliable Powerchock wheel restraint systems provide the solution to this issue.
What does your company have planned for 2024?
In 2024, we have an exciting agenda ahead. We will participate in major safety, transport, and logistics events, such as SITL in Paris and LogiMAT in Stuttgart in March, as previously mentioned, Tomorrow’s Warehouse in Coventry in June, and Transport & Logistics in Ghent in September. Additionally, we will launch our Powerchock Auto innovation and our data management system solution. Our activities in the UK will continue to grow, and we are already planning our presence at IMHX in 2025, following the success of our participation in the 2022 edition.
Vincent Tremouilhe, Director of Major Accounts Europe, GMR Safety
For more information, visit gmrsafety.com
FOR ID LOGISTICS, POWERCHOCK IS AN EFFICIENT SOLUTION TO REDUCE ACCIDENT RISKS AT LOADING BAYS
Thierry Daux, Director of Operational Risk Management at ID Logistics.
ID Logistics intends to respond to these issues by positioning itself as a benchmark company in terms of health and safety at work. Equipping loading bays with vehicle restraint systems is therefore a real necessity for the international contract logistics group.
ID Logistics, headed by Eric Hémar, is an international contract logistics group with revenues of €2.5 billion by 2022. ID Logistics manages 375 sites in 18 countries, representing more than 8 million sq. m. of operated space in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, with 30,000 employees. With a customer portfolio balanced between the retail, industry, healthcare and e-commerce, ID Logistics is characterized by offerings involving a high level of technology. The Group has been developing a social and environmental approach through a number of original projects since its creation in 2001, and is now firmly committed to an ambitious Corporate Social Responsibility policy (CSR).
Safety and risk prevention: key objectives for ID Logistics
“Logistics is now the lifeblood of the business and is becoming increasingly important as the business grows. This has been proven by the evolution of the number of warehouses in the territory over the past 15 years. In this context, it seems essential to highlight the health and safety aspects of our business and to improve the working conditions of our employees. As the number of warehouses increases, so will the number of employees and loading bays, and therefore more risks”, states Thierry Daux, Director of Operational Risk Management at ID Logistics.
ID Logistics intends to respond to these issues by positioning itself as a benchmark company in terms of health and safety at work. ID Logistics France’s general management has entered into 31 commitments with CARSAT (French pension fund and health at work) for the purpose of reducing work-related accidents and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). These commitments must be achieved by 2025. Lastly, the Group’s CSR department is working on the Group Charter, which includes the matter of dock restraints.
The problem of loading bays
Equipping loading bays with vehicle restraint systems is therefore a real necessity for ID Logistics. For example, one of its Paris warehouses has more than 100 doors and now serves all the stores of a furniture chain in France. It employs 600 people on a daily basis, 30% of which work on the loading bays, either loading or unloading. For the logistician, it is therefore unthinkable to have dock doors that are unusable due to faulty vehicle restraints. The vehicle immobilization devices installed at the loading bays must be simple, reliable over time and able to withstand a high load of use – whilst being adapted to the environment of the logistics site and to the users, such as forklift operators, handlers or lorry drivers.
The meeting with GMR Safety
ID Logistics and GMR Safety met at Club DEMETER, an association dedicated to responsible and sustainable logistics. After viewing the presentation of the Powerchock wheel-chocking systems, Thierry Daux was convinced that this was
the solution to his needs: a wheel-based vehicle restraint that would immobilize the lorry to the loading bay and prevents the driver from leaving – effectively and over time.
The Powerchock system as viewed by ID Logistics
The pure player in contract logistics identifies four main
advantages of the vehicle restraint interfaced with the loading bay:
• Robustness,
• Simplicity,
• Adaptation to the reality of the field,
• Duration of the warranty.
In addition, the solution meets the constraints of the labour inspection and the CARSAT. It offers safer working conditions and allows site managers and operators to work more serenely.
“GMR Safety’s approach allowed us to find an efficient solution to reduce the risks at the loading bay. By installing a Powerchock wheel chock where heavy truck traffic occurs during the day, we ensure the safety of the personnel. Although the equipment is a little more expensive than the competition, over time it generates a better ROI because there are no after-sales costs, no maintenance costs and the system has a five-year parts warranty. The Powerchock restraint system is not a consumable, it is robust for the duration and becomes part of the building! ”
The benefits of working with GMR Safety
“GMR Safety has the ability to adapt its tools. Whether it’s wheel guides or floor-mounted restraining plates, for example, there will always be solutions hidden within the surroundings! The company is part of the long-term, is transparent on its functioning and allows the implementation of a durable partnership”, concludes Thierry Daux.
Moreover, as a consequence of a long-term collaboration, ID Logistics is committed to equip all of its new logistics platforms in France with Powerchock safety devices. An international partnership is also being developed.
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