Boost to order processing

A twin man-up order-picker with full 360° turning capability has been built by Sidetracker Engineering to enable Acenta Steel Distribution to achieve fast, efficient order processing at its warehouse near Bolton.

Acenta Steel Distribution stocks and distributes engineering steels and has more than 5000 black and bright products in stock across 50 specifications in round, square, flat, angle and hexagonal sections. The material in the Bolton warehouse is stored in 6mhigh cantilever racking with 2335mm-wide aisles.

The Sidetracker orderpicker allows individual items to be accessed directly in the racking instead of whole bundles being taken out, lowered to the floor and then replaced in the racking when the items needed have been taken out.

The truck has cabs at each end of a work platform that can be lifted to 6.3m high by a two-section mast with a maximum capacity of 2000kg at 365mm load centre. One cab houses the truck controls, while the other has a VDU that displays the weight of products on the vehicle's forks. This design enables operators to lift items from the racking on to the scales and check their weight quickly and easily.

Safety features include cab doors that are interlocked with the drive system, which stops the truck moving if a door is open. Roller guidance has been fitted to allow the truck to operate safely and efficiently in the racking aisles.