We are now offering one years free servicing on all products bought directly from Advanced Handling until December 2010. Why not call us on 01778 345365 to finf out more…

We highly recommend that your units are maintained on a regular basis and only qualified or trained personnel should be permitted to carry out maintenance or repairs.  We provide full operating manuals delivered with all of our units and also offer a full service in new parts and accessories at a competitive price.

All machines sold by Advanced Handling carry a full one year parts and labour warranty which is backed up by fully trained service engineers.  We understand that your materials handling equipment is crucial to your profitability and that is why we have developed the Advanced Care Plan to keep your equipment running and downtime to an absolute minimum throughout its working life.

Ask us for an upgrade today or anytime before your product becomes one year old in order to take full advantage of our Advanced Care Plan.

Advanced Handling offers a broad range of options for delivery and installation of all our products.  This spans from simply delivering to site through to specialist delivery services incorporating off loading and positioning at customer’s premises.

We can also offer a full on-site installation taking care of ground works, electrical installation and full induction training on the equipment supplied.

Top reasons to choose Advanced Handling for your Servicing needs!

• Full UK coverage
• Over 175,000 units in service in the UK
• 97.5% first time fix rate
• Response times tailored to your business requirements
• UK overnight parts delivery system
• Regular service inspections
• Full maintenance packages
• LOLER inspections
• Full installation service

Our team of experienced, dedicated and professional service technicians are available to provide exceptional after-sales support throughout the United Kingdom to ensure that your materials handling equipment meets your expectations.

Our service vehicles are fully equipped mobile workshops stocked with commonly used replacement parts.  They are tailored to suit the products sold within a geographical area to ensure exceptionally high first time fix rates to enable maximum product uptime for all our customers.

All of our vehicles are fitted with the most up to date vehicle location systems enabling Advanced Handling to give accurate attendance appointments to all of our customers.

Today, the industry is largely focused on cost efficiency and the effects of the global economic crisis.  For many businesses, the supply chain is fundamental to corporate success and relies on response to customer demands, tight margins and a combination of many different factors that are forever changing.  It is therefore, an ideal time for business to take a fresh look at their operations, take advantage of the latest innovations and re-energise the warehouse.  Follow our 7 steps to an improved materials handling environment:

1. Simulate Success

Every warehouse or distribution centre has its own unique set of characteristics, which often change over time, for example the volume and nature of good can change depending on demand.  Many business fail to re-evaluate their fleets, assuming what has run in the past is the best solution.

Using the latest 3D simulation software, you can explore how a warehouse would theoretically operate before making an investment. Simply changing the battery specification or truck type could impact the number of truck drivers required therefore leading to significant cost variation.  You can minimise capital risk by theoretically testing a fleet before making a purchase decision.

2. Take a balanced view

By specifying exactly the right mix of trucks and appropriate support mechanisms, businesses can get the right balance of energy consumption, cost and productivity.

3. Power up, Consumption Down

The good news is that electric power is one of the cleanest forms of energy which is used extensively in warehouse operations.  Another important consideration is specifying the right tyres for the fleet.  Correctly specified tyres can have a dramatic effect on fuel consumption and service costs over the contract life.

4. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is only possible by effectively monitoring performance and manging fleet assets. For example, managers can reallocate underperforming assets or target driver training needs.

Step 5 - Maintain the Energy

A well managed maintenance programme is essential to keep the equipment performing at its best.  Cutting corners when it comes to service will result in higher repair costs in the long term and risk of downtime that could severely cost the business in lost production or by missing a lead time.

Step 6 - Train to gain

Most businesses in the industry rely on the competency of forklift drivers.  Appropriate training and refresher training is crucial, not only for safety and legal purposes, but because it actually helps to improve overall performance by reducing accidents, raising driving standards and improving staff morale leading to greater productivity.

Step 7 - Stay flexible

Many distribution centres experience seasonal growth and may prefer to run a reduced ‘core’ fleet for most of the year.  Choosing a supplier that has availability of specific truck types during busy periods can help minimise capital risk and re-energise a warehouse when it needs it most.

You can access our live chat facility through our website on most pages.  This allows a fast response to your queries from 8.30am - 5pm.

Go to www.advancedhandling.co.uk and simply click on the Live Chat icon to speak to our sales team.

We recently supplied a high security data storgage centre with a large scissor lift, see images below:

Eurostar is a high-speed railway passenger service in Western Europe connecting London with Paris and Brussels.

Following the change of service from Waterloo Station - Advanced Handling were proud to have been selected by Eurostar to design and build several different types of bespoke baggage trailers for use with their operational baggage trolleys at St Pancras International.  The design team worked closely with Eurostar to determine the best solution and all trailers are now in use!

Eurostar have since approached Advanced Handling to manufacture 128 ‘Sand Capture’ stainless steel boxes.

To increase the friction between the locomotive traction wheels and the rail in adverse weather, sand is blasted onto the rail ahead of the driving wheels.  At the end of the day once the train is back in the yard - all remaining sand in the tank was purged out which left a mess in the yard and resulted in a loss of unused sand.

Thanks to Advanced Handling’s bespoke solution - the remaining sand is now purged into the box and collected. Each box is fitted with a dispensing pipe through which the sand is filtered and can be re-used.  Each box is approx 1 metre long and can gold approx 15kilos of sand.  Since introducing the boxes, Eurostar have reduced their outgoing costs.

In retailing it is vital that shelves are always full with their fastest moving lines.  The largest retailers would suffer losses running to hundreds of thousands of pounds if, for example, Coca-cola was out of stock on its shelves for even a fraction of the trading day.

To ensure that this never occurs, a system was required that would allow retailers to replenish stock to their shop floors quickly and efficiently and remove the associated dangers that transporting a full size pallet through a busy store would bring.  The innovative solution came from Polymer Logistics, a specialist in packaging and supply chain management for the retail sector.  They developed a ‘half-size’ pallet which could be placed into the shelf fitting itself.  This negated the need to de-stack the pallet onto the shelf at all which saved crucial time in ensuring it was fully stocked at all times.  The other important feature of this pallet was that it had recessed wheels mounted at one end which only made the pallet mobile when it was tilted and supported at the opposite end.

Polymer Logistics had only solved half of the problem as now a small lightweight truck was required to connect the pallet and tilt one end to make it fully mobile.  This would then allow the pallet to be moved safely and efficiently from the back to the front of the store.

Advanced Handling were approached to develop a perfect solution.  We were asked to work to an exceptionally tight brief to design in a short space of time a unit that was light, easy to use and durable enough to survive the day-to-day rigours that are associated with major retail groups.

These units are now being effectively employed at nearly all the major retailers in the UK, including Tesco, Asda and Netto to name a few.

Sustainability expert Envirowise is encouraging manufacturers to put three golden rules for resource efficiency high on their agenda during 2010.  The result could be cost saving of up to £1000 per employee per year as well as an enhanced reputation and an improved competitive advantage.

1. Step Back

Step back from day-today operations and assess your raw material use.  Are you missing opportunities to reduce product and packaging waste at source?  Are you missing opportunities to reduce product and waste at source?

2. Team up

Invite your workforce to get involved in managing the environmental impact of your business.  Often the best ideas come direct from the shop floor.

3. Build Links

Work with your supply chain to assess products and services on an environmental as well as cost basis.  Wastage may be identified in areas including water use, transport or packaging.

Skills for Logistics (SfL) works with those involved in the moving, handling or storing of good, and the wholesale sector.  Led by employers, its job is to represent the freight logistic industries to ensure relevance and consistency in skills development and training programmes, to improve efficiency, effectiveness and to help develop a competitive edge for the UK’s logistics sector.

The Professional Development Stairway sets out a comprehensive framework for training and careers development for the freight logistics industries.  The Stairway Live is an interactive competency framework that will enable individuals to keep a personal record of where they are on the Professional Development Stairway, which will help their company to build up a picture of the competency within a depot as a whole, which in turn will allow them to single out specific areas that need to be focused on.  Companies can also benchmark themselves against others in the sector.

As part of SfL’s ongoing SkillsPay campaign, which highlights that investing the development of your workforce can provide demonstrable bottom-line benefits. SfL has developed a SkillsPay toolkit to help put the theory to the test.  A SkillsPay calculator provides logistics businesses with a template to monitor the impact that training and development activities have on the organisation’s bottom-line.  The calculator looks at four performance indicators that SfL believes can be improved through a structured programme of continuous professional development:

• Productivity
• Absenteeism
• Staff Retention
• Fuel Efficiency

Schools Programme

This aims to raise awareness of the logistics industry and amongst young people in schools and highlights the range of rewarding career opportunities within the sector.  To date the programme has produced careers brochures for schools across Scotland, the North West and East Midlands.  These brochures explain what logistics is about and why it is one of the most important industries in the UK, they also feature career case studies and information regarding training opportunities.  This is complemented by ‘Made in China’ a web-based resource that has been designed to support the Maths and Enterprise curriculum for 14-16 year olds and helps young people to learn about logistics through the journey of an iPod from its manufacturer in China to the consumer in the UK.

Employer Survey

SfL is carrying out a major employer survey to identify key business and skills issues faced by the logistics sector today.  The survey of 4,500 organisations focusing on skills, training and business issues will provide a better understanding of the challenges businesses face in the current climate and identify the key drivers for employers when it comes to skills development and training.  The result will be used to identify the real needs of industry, and relevance when it comes to developing qualifications and training initiatives, whils at the same time providing a true picture of the logistics sector and the issues it faces.  The survey will cover logistics companies of all sizes across the UK.

Affiliate Scheme

The scheme for organisations within the freight logistics sector.  Affiliation is free and brings with it a great range of benefits.  It is crucially improtant that SfL works closely with a wide range of companies to ensure their views on the future of skills policy and funding are taken into account by government and the trianing industry.
Benefits include:

• Use of the affiliate logo
• Right to propose nominations for membership of the SfL Board
• A dedicated electronic publication
• Training advice - entitlement to a free consultation visit from a Skills Development Manager
• Access to the network of affiliates
• Free copies of research reports
• Discounted rates for attendance at SfL events
• Advanced notification of events and early access to consultation opportunities
• Automatic invitation to participate in research/working groups

Goods lifts are proving vital in industries from food to automotive.  Many companies in these industries shop in bulk and use wheeled cages or platforms to carry items as they move around the store or factory.  When fully laden, these can become extremely heavy which is why a Mezz Floor would be a far better alternative.  A leading car manufacturer uses a heravy duty godds lift to manouevere items around the body shop and parts centre and to transport heavy car components from ground floor level to a mezzanine floor for storage.  The lift reduces manual handling requirements and makes for a safe, productive working environment.

Can you be certain that the Thorough Examination documents that you hold for your fork lift trucks are valid? The CFTS Thorough Examination Certification mark, if present should give you confidence - and now CFTS has given its documentation a thorough upgrade to make it even more user-friendly.

The new Thorough Examination Certificate has been inspired by the car MOT form for ease of use.  Its size has been increased from A5 to A4 - in line with all other CFTS documentation.  A hologram of the CFTS Certification Mark has also been added to both the Report of Thorough Examination and the Thorough Examination Certificate.  Although there has been very few reports of rogue companies attempting to duplicate them, the hologram safeguards fork lift users by making it obvious that they have received a genuine document.

New trucks will also be issued with stickers that indicate when the vehicle is due for its first Thorough Examination. This will serve as a reminder to both users and service engineers and protect them from falling foul of the law.

To be certain of fully complying with the law, fork lift truck industry leaders recommend that you obtain your Thorough Examinations through companies accredited to the CFTS Thorough Examination scheme.

CFTS is the organisation founded as a joint initiative between materials handling’s two major industry trade associations - the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) and the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) - to develop and administer that industry’s national accreditation scheme for Thorough Examination.  The CFTS scheme was developed in close consultation with the Health & Safety Executive to meet all the requirements of the legislation.

Companies accredited to the CFTS scheme are obliged under their stringent procedural code to provide the following:

• a Report of Thorough Examination complying fully with LOLER 98
• a checklist specifying what has been checked and recording any comments made
• a Thorough Examination Certificate to keep with truck’s documents
• a sticker, affixed to the truck to show the month and year when the next Thorough Examination will be due

More than 200 companies have now been accredited to deliver CFTS Thorough Examinations - and that number is growing all the time.   Wherever you are , there is a CFTS accredited company close to you -  a company committed to the CFTS scheme’s standard, ready and willing to give you its dependable advice, expertise and high-quality service.

Crucially, CFTS accredited companies apply the same agreed criteria and procedures nationally.  Those criteria and procedures have been developed by the people who know most about fork lift safety - the FLTA, BITA and the HSE.  What’s more, this scheme is a dedicated one, designed to address the special needs of fork lifts and not a general one that attempts to cover many different types of equipment.

For companies not familiar with the benefits of CFTS and Thorough Examination, there is a short explanatory video available to view on the CFTS website at: www.thoroughexamination.org

You could be taking a very big risk if you don’t.