Innovative technology supplied by Briggs Equipment is helping one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies to save around £220,000 over the next five years. Just months after installing Briggs’s state-of-the-art Speedshield system, Viridor has reduced damage costs by nearly 75 per cent, and it is looking forward to further savings due to a reduction in downtime and greater efficiency.
At its Skelmersdale facility, Viridor operates six diesel-powered fork lift trucks originally supplied by Briggs as part of a longstanding relationship between the two companies. On site the trucks operate under very demanding conditions, handling up to six tonnes of waste an hour as they load and unload 13-14 lorries a day that come into the facility from different sites across the UK.
The trucks are in use 24 hours a day, seven days a week and play a key role in the company’s efforts to recycle a wide range of waste products, such as plastic bottles. Under such pressure, some damage to trucks is almost inevitable but the company believed that more could be done to reduce the frequency of such incidents and the costs associated with them.
At the same time, Viridor wanted to explore ways to cut down on the general wear and tear on the vehicles and reduce costs further still by cutting the firm’s fuel bill.
Ian Bowyer, Viridor’s training manager, explains: “Prior to installing Speedshield we were seeing around £15,000 worth of damage to trucks and other property on the site every quarter and we realised that this was primarily down to us not being able to properly monitor the behaviour of our drivers and our trucks.
“In some instances the damage was caused by drivers speeding, and costs were further increased because incidents and damage to trucks were not being reported promptly.
“Although we already operated an old truck monitoring system, it was very basic and time consuming. Readings had to be taken manually from a key fob on each truck and the data then needed to be downloaded onto a computer.”
As well as only providing a fraction of the information needed to properly manage the performance of the trucks and their drivers, the old system also took up a lot of administration time, and so the company turned to its long-standing materials handling partner for a solution.
Briggs’ engineer, Steve Culshaw, says: “We suggested a two month trial of the Speedshield system on one of the trucks and it proved a huge success. As a result, the system was installed on the remaining five trucks as part of a five-year contract, and the results so far have been remarkable.”
Steve went on to explain that Speedshield encourages best-practice driver behaviour by enforcing a tailored health and safety checklist on start-up. It also provides real-time information on individual truck performance as well as a range of safety features including automatic cut-out in an accident or other emergency. This cut out system is also activated if the truck’s engine is left idling, helping to reduce fuel costs as well as improving safety.
The intelligent system can also be tailored to the individual requirements of a client, and in the case of Viridor this includes enforcing a 5mph speed limit. Crucially, all customers have the option to send commands to their fleet or an individual unit, rectifying issues immediately. Clients can also access information and controls provided by Speedshield on any internet PC through a web-based application, eliminating the need to buy additional expensive software licenses.
Ashley Houghton, head of procurement at Viridor’s Skelmersdale facility, believes Speedshield has already provided the company with significant benefits. “Just three months after installing the system we have seen damage costs reduced by 73 per cent – from around £15,000 every quarter to around £4,000 and over the length of the contract we could save up to £220,000,” he says.
“Furthermore the trucks, which used to be serviced every six weeks, are now only being serviced once every quarter, producing yet more cost savings.”
According to Ashley, an added bonus has been the reduction in fuel consumption of the six machines.
“Before Speedshield was introduced the trucks consumed around 6,000 litres a month. This has now fallen to around 4,000 to 5,000 litres a month. As fuel has risen sharply in price in recent time, this represents a massive saving.
“Overall the system has revolutionised the way we operate and our fork lift drivers now feel a lot more accountable for the equipment they use. Credit must go to Briggs for providing us with an innovative, flexible solution that is backed up with 24-hour support and advice.”
Hougton’s team recently won a prestigious regional health and safety award from Viridor for its efforts in recognising the benefits of installing Speedshield.
Looking to the future, Viridor is now planning to work with Briggs on the installation of Speedshield to trucks operating at the firms other facilities across the UK.
Briggs Equipment
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