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Linde reach trucks match warehouse upgrade
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Melbourne-based Moose Toys has added Linde reach trucks to an operation which already relied on Linde electric forklifts. Like many businesses it has found Linde the best choice when maximum productivity is a top priority.
The company has grown from a niche local toy manufacturer to a global toy power house in less than two decades, dominating in categories including collectables, craft, dolls, games and youth electronics.
With manufacturing in Asia and distribution to 108 countries, Moose Toys will now handle Australian stock at a new Cheltenham warehouse using a Linde fleet strengthened by an additional E16C – 1275 Series electric counterbalance forklift and a pair of Linde R16HD – 115 Series reach trucks.
The building has a roof height of 14 metres, so we required reach trucks with lifting heights up to 10 metres.
“Previously we had stock spread around three buildings on this site,” warehouse manager Chris Karoglidis said. ‘‘To cope with current demand and future expansion we decided to configure our racking in the new facility to allow us to store pallets on six levels instead of the previous three.
“The building has a roof height of 14 metres, so we required reach trucks with lifting heights up to 10 metres. Other factors we had to consider were our capacity of up to 6,000 pallets and the fact that our stock turns over five or six times a year.
Linde, which has supplied forklifts to the company since 2006, was asked to make recommendations along with two other alternative suppliers. All three provided reach trucks for Moose Toys’ operators to trial.
The toy company was keen to compare the merits of what was available and after such a long association, to reassure itself that Linde was still the leader for productivity, quality and operator comfort.
For Linde’s part the important task was to identify the most suitable reach truck for the new facility from its wide range. It chose the R16HD – 115 reach truck model and recommended additional safety features including the Linde BlueSpot pedestrian safety system and the High Vision Camera for added safety when placing and retrieving pallets at heights close to ten metres.
All Linde reach trucks are designed to provide cost-effective high performance with low maintenance requirements. They incorporate many features which optimise throughput even in busy narrow aisle applications.
Excellent functionality is the common theme of all the operational elements, starting with spacious operator’s compartment where comfort-class seating is accompanied by fingertip joystick controls, electric power steering and unique twin accelerator pedals. Together with the excellent visibility through the clear view mast the operator is able to use these intuitive controls to fully utilise the seamless high torque power of the AC drive motor.
Although reach trucks were then new to Moose Toys’ Melbourne site, the majority of its operators were familiar with them including Linde models and were happy to explore them again. The Twin Accelerator Pedal System was a feature none of Linde’s competitors could provide.
During the trial sessions the seamless and effortless forward/reverse selection feature demonstrated outstanding traction control while placing minimal demands on the operator, whose left foot is safely protected within the chassis contours.
“The other reach trucks we tried were quite capable but our drivers told me they felt far more comfortable driving the Linde. I don’t regularly drive reach trucks, but when I tried the Linde that was my feeling too,” Chris Karoglidis said.
It was important to get the best reach trucks for our needs in the new warehouse.
“We have one operator here who you would say is an expert when it comes to driving reach trucks. He loves the Linde, but just as importantly, our other operators who haven’t got as much experience with reach trucks quickly became quite proficient.
“It was important to get the best reach trucks for our needs in the new warehouse, whatever the brand. Frankly Linde’s reputation and even our own good experience with Linde forklifts meant nothing. We just brought in trial units from potential suppliers, gave the operators a familiarisation session and relied on their feedback.”
Unanimously the group found the Linde reach trucks to be of high quality, versatile and easy to handle. With the Linde offer also proving to be extremely price competitive, Moose Toys continues its second decade of a relationship which began with Linde electric forklifts and now promises the extra flexibility of Linde reach trucks working alongside them.
