Robert Purvis Plant Hire’s materials handling department has overhauled the forklift fleet at Glen Turner’s Starlaw Distillery, Bathgate, West Lothian. The company provided the world-renowned whiskey distiller with a 3. 5-ton model 35B-9U combine harvester for its shipping warehouses and Zone 2-ready 50B-9 forklifts with a 5-ton capacity for its warehouse facilities. barrels from the site.
Ten 35B-9U forklifts were purchased through Glen Turner, while six fire-protected 5-ton machines were provided under a seven-year lease. Purvis will provide full support and maintenance for all machines, from its headquarters in nearby Lochgelly, Fife.
“We have noticed Hyundai trucks in service. In fact, they were some of the most productive we’ve ever tested,” said Neil Grant, dispatch team leader.
“In terms of feel, comfort and reliability, these are the best. You also sit taller, which gives you a better view of the forks.
Glen Turner, owned by the French company La Martiniquaise, produces 10 types of whiskey, in addition to Label 5, Glen Moray and Cutty Sark. Each of those brands is available in other ages and bottle sizes, offering a constantly varying workload for forklifts loading onto highway trailers.
To meet this demand, the 3. 5 tonne forklifts were equipped with a 5. 5m triple boom mast and hydraulically adjustable four-fork double pallet frames. These allow distillery distribution center operators to lift two pallets of whiskey back and forth, expanding productivity.
Glen Turner has three main bottling lines, two generating up to 13,000 bottles per hour and one with a capacity of 7,500 bottles per hour. There is a fourth, smaller line for miniatures and limited volume products. In total, the distillery has approximately 3. 2 million bottles of whiskey in inventory at any given time.
“We custom designed the machines by placing a computer screen from the ceiling, so that when we select an order, everything is in view of the operator,” said Mr. Grant.
The larger, 5-ton models are used to locate the barrels within the site’s aging cellars, which can hold more than 750,000 barrels over many years of maturation. Because of the volatile vapor that can be released, this process is known as “angel part. “, all 50B-9 forklifts have been specially prepared for use in distilleries, and specialist supplier Pyroban has installed custom explosion cover kits.
This 3G ATEX conversion combines Pyroban’s System6000 fuel detection and blast ion. If fuel or vapor is detected above preset levels, the motive force receives a visual and audible warning to move away from the potential danger zone. If higher levels of vapor or fuel are detected, the truck can automatically stop safely, reaching the driver and the workplace.
The five-tonne machines are equipped with 7. 5m lifting masts, allowing them to stack up to seven barrels high. They have complete cabins with heating and giant carts with lateral displacement, equipped with 3 aluminum-coated forks, against any risk of sparks.
Purvis provided all forklifts with occasional-speed, full-current lead-acid batteries, from local supplier Capitol Industrial Battery in Cumbernauld. The company has also installed new charging features for all machines, which allow operators to charge whenever they have the opportunity, rather than waiting until the end of a shift to plug them in. That said, the 3. 5-tonne forklifts seamlessly handle two shifts at the same time. battery rate within the distribution center.
“The collaboration between Purvis and Hyundai has been phenomenal,” said Mr Grant. “Every time we call or email, within 24 hours, everything is done, the challenge is constant, and we get back on the road. We don’t have downtime for the Hyundai. “
For the first time in such an operation, all forklifts have been supplied with Hyundai’s HiMate device tracking formula. This provides each operator with access codes which they then query through their daily checks on the devices. The formula can be used to manage operations across zones, preventing forklifts from operating in the zone. It also notes the desires for service and maintenance as necessary.
“HiMate is a very clever formula. It gives everyone their own identification,” said Mr Grant. “There is a connection procedure for fitness and protection and everything has to work and be checked for the truck to work. If there is a breakdown, it would automatically send it to the manager and an engineer. It’s a wonderful fleet control formula and we can track everyone, at any time.
Founded in 1980 by Bob Purvis, Purvis Group has grown from its initial plant and tool rental business to transportation, construction, civil engineering, demolition, earthmoving, recycling, crushing and screening, container rental, and accommodation. The organization also had a handling business, called Cartmore Lift Trucks, but sold that department a few years ago.
Now, under the direction of managing director Craig Purvis, Bob’s son, the company returned to the curtain handling business. Craig’s cousin Jim Purvis, well known in the forklift market, heads the new division. The company has become HD Hyundai Xitesolution Material Handling. runner in Scotland in 2022.
“This was driven by visitor demand. Customers were asking us for commercial forklifts,” said Craig Purvis. “We had the opportunity with Hyundai and we took it. We knew there was a lot of mileage in it.
With a fleet in development, sales and lettings across Scotland, the move appears to have been justified and Mr Purvis is set to grow the distillery business following the deal with Glen Turner.
“I would put Purvis and Hyundai forward 100 percent,” Grant said. “Since we switched to Hyundai, we have never looked back. “