Skate system speeds dispatch

An automatic loading dock has been installed by Joloda for ICI Akzonobel in Stowmarket. It loads trailers for a 500m shuttle to the warehouse. Eight trailers were also supplied with Trailerskate track for the 10 shuttle journeys made per day.

The Trailerskate system uses dockdriven elevated skates 15m long that pick up a pre-assembled load and in 3min load into a tracked trailer a load of up to 30t and up to 26 pallets.

When the pallets are on the dock, the skates are elevated by an airbag system within them and are then driven into the trailer by means of a chain drive. Once the load is in the trailer, air is extracted from the skates and the load placed onto the trailer deck. Skates are then withdrawn onto the dock.