PalletFORCE has taken delivery of 28 brand new Cat GP25N LPG machines from Finning Materials Handling, the leading materials handling equipment supplier. The machines will be used in the distribution and handling of thousands of pallets at PalletFORCE’s 210,000 sq ft central hub in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Darren Field, senior sales executive at Finning Materials Handling, commented; “Finning has been working with PalletFORCE for 3 years under a short term hire agreement. Following a consultation with the company and a series of site surveys it was agreed to renegotiate the existing contract to a contract hire agreement.”

He continued: “As part of the new contract, the fleet of Cat GP25s have been replaced with the new, upgraded N range.”

Finning has supplied a purpose-built fleet to meet PalletFORCE’s bespoke specification: each truck comes fitted with a Transmon transmission inhibitor, an underpan belly-guard as well as a speed restrictor. In addition, the entire fleet will be fitted with Avery Weigh-Tronix weighing scales on the forks for optimisation of fleet utilisation. As well as providing high levels of efficiency and productivity, the fleet has been designed to meet the rigorous Health and Safety requirements that PalletFORCE has in place.

The LPG machines, from the Cat Lift Trucks N Range, benefit from low exhaust emissions, good fuel economy and are fitted with an advanced electronically controlled engine equipped with three way catalytic converter

Carl Worgan, operations director at PalletFORCE, commented: “Having worked with Finning and Caterpillar for some time, we are confident that the new fleet will be able to maintain and potentially increase productivity levels across our sites. The LPG model that we opted for also supported our business’ environmental policy for lower carbon emissions. With the additional modifications to the machines our team is now working at its most efficient, which is essential within this time sensitive market.”

Worgan continued: “Due to the nature of our business, operators work an average of eight hours every evening lifting in excess of 5,500 pallets every night. With such high service levels, operator comfort and safety is essential and Finning has helped us to achieve this.”

The Cat N range of products has been designed to offer some of the fastest lifting speeds on the market, allowing drivers to work productively and efficiently. Superb visibility over the counter weight also means that a driver’s vision is not obscured while reversing.

Field concludes; “In a time sensitive environment, PalletFORCE required a fleet of machines that could be relied upon, with high productivity levels and performance. In addition, in order to safeguard against any unnecessary downtime on site, Finning’s support team provide a fast and reactive support and maintenance programme to ensure productivity is not jeopardised.”

Special thanks to Chambers & Cook for providing the vehicle for the photograph.