Introduction
Nylacast is a leading manufacturer of low-weight, low-friction polymers and award-winning solutions for safety critical applications, with over 530 employees based at six sites around the world.
The company’s Leicester operation includes Nylacast Automotive, a worldleading designer and volume producer of high-precision polymer assemblies and components, and Nylacast Engineered Products, which provides engineering solutions from conception to completion. When the company merged its nine Leicester sites into two purpose-built facilities in Thurmaston Boulevard, it trialled a range of short-term hire materials handling equipment to establish which would be most suitable longer term.
Among the materials handling businesses that the team started working with was Leicestershire-based Cesab dealership Angus Lift Trucks, who supplied the company with several short-term hire Cesab forklifts. When Nylacast was ready to tender its longer-term materials handling, it included Angus on a shortlist of six and the dealership won the contract.
Testimonial
“Nylacast has continued to work with Angus and Cesab over the last six years due to their excellent support. The team keeps us informed at all times, responds quickly and works with us to plan servicing around our operations. We’re experiencing minimal problems with the forklift fleet, which has led to savings in management time, satisfied operators and more uptime.”
Steve Vann, Material Planning and Logistics Manager, Nylacast Automotive
Improved Safety
Highly Productive
Cesab B600 electric forklifts are operated in production areas, supporting goods-in, loading and unloading delivery vehicles and lifting pallets of raw materials.
Safe Low-level Maneuvers
Cesab powered pallet trucks are
used in the warehouse areas to carry
smaller loads safely and efficiently.
Time Saving Processes
Cesab forklift batteries are charged using an autofill feature that charges all the cells without requiring operators to check each individually. This improves safety and saves each operator at least 30 minutes every week.
Time and Cost Savings
A fleet of 15 Cesab forklifts, reach trucks and powered pallet trucks are now in use at Nylacast. The trucks are scheduled to work 500 hours a year, within a five day a week, 24-hour operation.
Cesab reach trucks and powered pallet trucks are used in the warehouse and highlevel racking areas, while the Cesab B600 electric forklifts are operated in production areas, supporting goods-in, loading and unloading delivery vehicles and lifting pallets of raw materials onto shelves. One of these, a Cesab B625 four-wheel electric forklift, has been fitted with a rotator to help tip waste product into skips. The electric forklifts’ batteries are charged at the end of every eight-hour shift. The charge point includes an autofill feature that can charge all the cells of each truck’s battery without requiring the operator to check each one individually. This makes the process safer and quicker, saving each operator at least 30 minutes every week.
Marcus Spence, Warehouse and Logistics Manager, Nylacast Engineered Products, said: “We wanted materials handling equipment to suit our processes, fit our health and safety requirements and improve efficiencies.
“The Cesab equipment is improving our productivity by helping move more goods in less time. We’ve fewer powered pallet trucks on the shop floor and more forklifts, which can carry bigger batches, so fewer operations are involved.
“We’ve seen a big improvement in safety by using the electric forklifts, as the switch to electric means operators are no longer required to change as many gas bottles, which has meant a big reduction in risk. The move to electric trucks is expected to save the business around £15,000 each year.”