And the major ingredient instrumental in achieving all of this change? The four-way technology of the Irish-built Combilift multidirectional forklift truck is making a major contribution to the improved profitability of companies and finding countrywide acceptance. The three-in-one Combilift is a counterbalance forklift, a sideloader and aisle truck. Its versatility replaces the need to operate different types of forklifts and lift trucks in one facility.
The current Combilift range encompasses over a dozen models with capacities ranging from 2,5 to 14 tons with LPG, diesel or electric power. The trucks are designed to work indoors and outside, on semi-rough terrain and under all weather conditions. A team of design engineers at the Irish factory will also draw up, free of charge, warehouse layouts to illustrate the best possible use of available storage space using the Combilift system.
The versatility of the Combilift multidirectional forklift truck is demonstrated by the variety of applications in which the range is proving successful locally.
The first Combilift sold in South Africa was purchased by building material and hardware specialist, Chamberlain of Pretoria, which has since purchased an additional seven units.
It is now eight years since the Combilift made its debut as a new concept for handling and storing long loads in confined spaces. Powered by diesel, LPG or electric motor, the truck was seen at the time as a radical departure from traditional handling operations. However, Chamberlain spotted the Combilift’s potential to make significant savings in its warehouse space and yard operation by narrowing down aisle widths and eliminating double handling.
Long-load manoeuvrability, with a lift capacity of 4 000 kg and a standard lift height of 4 m, is ideal for doors, ceiling boards, timber, lintels and cement.
The Combilift load travelling height and low centre of gravity offers safer product handling, three-wheel steering delivers outstanding manoeuvrability and it has proved to be a 50 percent space saver.
At the Eurosteel facility in Cape Town, moving stacking and locating stock has become a whole lot easier and safer utilising the Combilift. The Combilift’s four-way capability has also achieved a 50 percent increase in internal storage capacity.
Eurosteel had faced a time-consuming and dangerous problem of moving 7,5 metre long tubes through a 4,8 metre wide doorway with counterbalance trucks. Indoors, storage space was being wasted as 3 metre wide aisles were required for the trucks to manoeuvre. The Combilift with its four-fork attachment dealt with the varying types of loads to be carried.
Thorpe Timbers operates three Combilifts at its Roodekop facility. The units, designed to work both as counterbalance and side loaders indoors and outside, offload incoming deliveries in the yard in forward mode, initiate sideways mode by the push of a button to carry long lengths through the doors, and once inside the building can block and stack in narrow aisles.
Builders Market has invested in 10 Combilifts operating in Nelspruit, Bloemfontein, Middelburg, Gauteng, Freestate and KZN. The new fleet replaced old-fashioned sideloaders that were proving extremely costly to maintain, and eliminated the 5 percent wastage that was being experienced on ceiling boards.
Builders Warehouse at Tableview in Cape Town has also experienced the elimination of ceiling board damage. In addition, the Combilift is used to service the retail shop, allowing narrow aisles and more room for product, creating the opportunity to generate greater profit per square metre in the shop.
The Combilift machines are marketed throughout South Africa by Shamrock Handling Concepts, well known for the Moffett truck-mounted forklift. In just 10 years Combilift has grown to be the global leader in the long-load handling market, with more than 9 000 units with capacities from 2,5 to 14 tons in operation in more than 50 markets worldwide, and now the Combilift’s popularity is growing rapidly in South Africa.
CombiLift recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with the world launch of its revolutionary Combi-CB. The development of the flagship Combi-CB continues the company’s traditional business philosophy of identifying a gap in the market and then devising a niche solution for the opportunity.
Since the introduction of the original internal combustion (IC) powered CombiLift, the company has, on average, launched a new model each year. Versatility has always been a hallmark of these: the Combi-CB is more compact than a traditional counterbalance forklift and offers exceptional narrow-aisle abilities, has the added advantage of multi-directional operation, and is ideal for any customer who handles palletised goods as well as long-length products.