Loading bays: Streamlined approach

As part of a scheme to improve logistical efficiencies around the West Yorkshire operation, Sirdar has defined its site’s loading areas into clearly defined incoming and outgoing divisions. The company has dedicated the function of four pre-existing loading bays to dispatching goods from its facility, and has created a new loading bay provision to manage incoming deliveries – a resource that has been designed and installed by Thorworld Industries, with supply overseen by James Corfield at Darmax.

“We decided to devise a more ‘streamlined’ incoming and outgoing delivery system across our site;” explains Bob Taylor, engineer at Sirdar, “one capable of significantly reducing the time our operatives need to cross the area from loading dock to sorting bay – a distance of approximately 200m.

“We chose to dedicate our four existing loading bays to processing outgoing materials, and then create an additional ‘incoming’ loading bay, and position it adjacent to the sorting area itself - effectively reducing the distance operators had to walk, often with the added elements of pallets and hand-trucks.”

The team at Sirdar felt that this concept would not only enhance efficiencies by 50%, but also improve health and safety within the loading environment, reducing the distance people walked, and amount of time operatives spent manoeuvring loads. 

Taylor continues: “To put the new equipment we’d envisaged in place, we needed to find a UK-based supplier capable of delivering, both in terms of design and installation.

“We discovered Thorworld via an internet search, and felt that with its experience and expertise, the company could create a solution that would meet our exact needs.”

Taylor and his team were looking for an apparatus design that would be compatible with existing warehouse floor levels and wouldn’t require extensive external excavation work.

By working with supplier James Corfield, an apparatus design was specified with an indoor ramp and platform, that would safely and effectively provide pedestrian access to the metre-high loading dock for operatives carrying loads or using pallet trucks. The design required only minimal preparatory ground works to be performed – to level the outdoor pavement – so the exterior dock could be successfully and safely installed.

“We’re delighted with the finished result,” Taylor reports. “Everything fits perfectly and works exactly as we hoped it would.  We’re very happy with the equipment, its design and performance. Our operatives are pleased with its function, and it is delivering in terms of our original objectives – to reduce operative manoeuvring, step-up health and safety, and improve all-important working efficiencies.”