Double deck lift contract

To facilitate the retailer’s rapid growth, a £110m, 1,000,000ft2 distribution centre has been constructed at Amesbury, Wiltshire, which went live in October 2015. Transdek was appointed to install 12 20t (18 pallet/30 roll cage capacity) and three 6.5t (6 pallet/12 roll cage capacity) double deck lifts at the RDC, along with a vehicle cleansing lift, which is used for jet washing and cleaning inside vehicles.

Gary Cobb, distribution operations manage, commented: “We have already converted our goods out operation with Transdek’s double deck loading systems at our RDC in Liverpool. Based on its all-round professional service and the reliability of its lifts, Transdek was the chosen partner for our new Southern RDC.

“Transdek’s team really understands that the loading bay has to meet ever more stringent demands on safety and efficiency, and continuously develops its loading systems to enable more streamlined logistics and distribution operations. They engaged with us from the start on the Amesbury project, generating proactive ideas and designs to make the double deck operations as efficient as possible.”

Each modular double deck lift was supplied as a pre-built pod, designed for rapid installation directly onto the yard slab. All lifts were initially held off site at Transdek’s Yorkshire-based factory and delivered to Amesbury as required to meet the build schedule of main contractor McLaren. A two-day window was allowed for the fitment of each unit.

Acknowledging Transdek’s involvement, Garry Mountain, senior site manager at McLaren, said: “By utilising a multi-skilled and well-trained core installation team, Transdek was able to offer a highly effective one-stop project management capability. The company’s unique pre-built, modular double deck loadhouse pods also brought significant benefit to the project, allowing a streamlined delivery and fitment programme, with a standard yard pour and just one delivery per pod. This helped reduce the overall build time and cost, and kept onsite disruption to a minimum.”

Throughout the design process, Transdek’s project management team liaised closely with the architects and sub-contractors. As a result, 900mm high docks were incorporated at the site’s dedicated double deck bays to provide a direct run-through onto the bottom deck of Home Bargains’ growing fleet of fixed double deck trailers.

The 900mm docks allow a double deck trailer to be loaded in just two lift cycles – significantly reducing vehicle fill times, which speeds up turnaround, minimises product handling, improves safety and drives down costs. Transdek also manufactured 15 modular loading ramps to facilitate a descending gradient from the warehouse for the direct run on and run off the lower vehicle deck.

The double deck lifts are all fitted with Transdek’s Active Management System (AMS), which integrates the unit’s control panels into the RDC’s main IT system, providing live plant status information and analysis of the performance of each loading bay. Remote access to the AMS allows rapid analysis and resolution of any technical issues by facilities managers and service engineers.

A bespoke, built in transformer is an additional feature fitted to the lifts. This enables operators to power tail lifts directly from the loadhouse to facilitate efficient loading whilst freeing up tractor units and shunters during the loading process.