At its warehouse in Altrincham, Girlguiding relies on a mixture of Jungheinrich reach and counterbalance trucks to ensure that incoming and outgoing loads are moved safely, efficiently and cost effectively.
The 1,600 square metre site stores over 2,000 product lines – mainly uniforms for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and The Senior Section, publications and gifts – which are sold through retailers, ‘volunteer shops’ (usually Guiding volunteers who hold stock which they supply to girls and volunteers in their local area) and via the Girlguiding website – www.girlguiding.org.uk.
Stock is stored on two levels within the warehouse: bulk goods are held in racking at ground level, while a mezzanine floor provides ample space for order picking, packing and dispatch operations.
Incoming trailers are unloaded using a Jungheinrich counterbalanced machine while pallets are put away in the racking and delivered to the mezzanine as required using a reach truck.
Girlguiding recently replaced its existing reach truck with a refurbished model from Jungheinrich’s ETV range.
Like all used – or ‘second life’ trucks – offered by Jungheinrich, Girlguiding’s ETV has undergone a total rebuild at Jungheinrich’s dedicated refurbishment facility in Dresden.
Every machine that passes through the Dresden factory is completely dismantled and all worn or defective parts are replaced – including tyres and lift chains. The trucks are cleaned inside and out and repainted before being reassembled and safety tested.
“We are the first forklift truck manufacturer to have a factory dedicated to used truck refurbishment,” says Neil Warren, Jungheinrich UK Ltd’s Used Equipment and Short Term Rental Director.
He continues: “The advantage of carrying out this work within the group is that we know all of the trucks that leave Dresden have been overhauled according to Jungheinrich’s quality standards so that they meet all legal requirements as well as our customers’ needs and expectations.”
Girlguiding were more than happy to embrace ‘second life’ truck technology as facilities manager, Andrea Mountford, explains: ’Jungheinrich were able to demonstrate that switching to a used truck offered cost benefits without sacrificing productivity or safety.
’Our ‘new’ truck has been fully refurbished to the relevant European standards and, we felt, represents far better value than certain new models on the market.’
Trucks that have been through Jungheinrich’s Dresden refurbishment process are marketed in the UK as the Ready To Go range and used equipment showrooms where clients can view Ready to Go trucks for themselves sited throughout the UK.
Jungheinrich’s ETV series reach trucks are suitable for work both inside and outside the warehouse or distribution centre during lorry loading and offloading – which for any organisation with limited handling equipment, such as Girlguiding, can be invaluable.
