Since its formation in 1980 Synseal
Extrusions Ltd has evolved and expanded and now supplies PVC-U window, door and
conservatory systems to several hundred fabrication and installation companies throughout
the UK. Following the purchase of K2
Conservatories in Lancashire, where the Sidetrackers had been based, Synseal
re-located them along with the cantilever racking to its main site in
Nottinghamshire.

The trucks handle extrusions up to 6.5
metres long stored in the same cantilever racking layout used at K2 in
Blackburn. They are all SO30B models
with a three-tonne capacity at 400mm load centres and a lift height of seven
metres. The narrow design has allowed
racking aisles to be reduced to 1710mm wide, maximising storage space. The
sideloaders travel along the aisles and reach into the racking to handle a load,
while in the free-movement areas they can travel in any direction and rotate on
their own axis.

Stand-on operation gives drivers good
all-round visibility, even at the full lift height, and they can adjust fork
spread easily from 750mm to 2380mm to suit different loads. The trucks are battery-powered and have twin
electro-hydraulic motors that automatically run singly or together via a
high-torque hydrostatic transmission system to a single high-grip drive wheel,
which provides good traction in a wide range of conditions.

Synseal’s site in Nottinghamshire is
the third location for the Sidetrackers and associated racking. They were first used by the Burnden Group in
Bolton, Lancashire, before moving to a new distribution centre at Blackburn and
then on to their current owner, Synseal.