Logistics challenges are never really far away from most manufacturers’ thoughts, and with the issues surrounding HGV drivers, fuel and food supplies hitting the public consciousness on a regular basis, materials handling is rapidly becoming a cause celebre for UK industry.
Fortunately, a product that, by and large, has consistent dimensions, is naturally occurring, is resistant to damage, and suitable for stacking, means timber is the ideal product for handling and storage, right? Well, yes and no.
“It’s easy to underestimate the issues,” said Eddie Hart, operations manager at Ridgeons Timber & Building Supplies. He has overseen operations for much of his almost three decades in the business and controls a fleet of machines that are pivotal in the distribution of timber across the southern network of the UK’s largest independent builders’ merchants Huws Gray, which acquired Ridgeons in 2018.
“Yes, the product fundamentals are consistent, but weight can vary with moisture content,” said Mr Hart. “Delays can damage product quality, decay, splits and breakages can make the product unsaleable. Poor stock control and discolouration can make it unprofitable.”
Productivity and profitability, unsurprisingly then, are the name of the game, and that means careful and efficient handling of materials.
“Anyone can handle timber badly,” said Mr Hart. “You need to do it safely, efficiently and with respect for the product and your personnel, whilst always keeping an eye on the bottom line.”
The Covid pandemic, of course, brought more challenges. As you might expect, online sales increased hugely in 2020 compared to previous years, as in came social distancing measures and travel restrictions. Consumers, stuck at home, changed their spending habits.
Out went cosmetics, holidays and entertainment spending, in came household cleaners, meal kits and the creation of a new generation of DIYers.
A surge in demand followed. Timber merchants reported a year’s worth of sales in three months. Kingfisher, the owner of B&Q and Screwfix, announced £7bn sales and a 54% jump in profits as a locked-down nation turned to home improvements, whilst reports of limited building materials and supplies were widespread.
Add to those spikes a desire to reduce carbon footprints, the changes to red diesel taxation and increasing AdBlue costs, and people like Eddie Hart were starting to feel a change in the air.
Over 50 years ago, a German timber business on the edge of the Black Forest was facing its own handling challenges. Moving timber was much more manually intensive then, but the forester’s sons had a plan to change all that.
“The brothers, Wolfgang and Rolf, saw a way to improve the transportation of timber,” said Klaus Pirpamer, managing director of Baumann Sideloaders. “They started with the idea of helping their father and that then led to the idea of founding the business.”
In 1969, the idea became a reality. Wolfgang Baumann established the factory not in Germany, but on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy, after much searching and at the suggestion of his father. Before the end of the year, the first sideloader was designed, built and sold.
Sideloaders are perfect for handling long loads, such as timber, steel, aluminium, roof trusses, pipes and concrete. Safety is a huge factor, keeping loads secure and eliminating dangerous situations from arising, such as when forklift operators travel with forks raised. Front-facing visibility gives the sideloader a big advantage.
Sideloaders travel forwards with the load secure at the side. Travelling long distances or through narrow doorways and aisles is simple. As a result, loads can be stored in a smaller area, increasing efficiency, safety and productivity.
“We’ve always used sideloaders,” said Eddie Hart, “the machine makes perfect sense.”
Ridgeons’ stockholding and in-house timber processing takes place at the purpose-built 12-acre site at Herringswell, near Bury St Edmunds.
“It’s had significant investment over the years, and we are always looking at ways to improve,” said Mr Hart. “We rely on our equipment to keep us fully operational and that’s why we look for good support and the right kit for the job.”
For decades the sideloader was an engine-powered workhorse that changed little. Capacities increased and operator cabins improved but the essentials remained.
The truck’s chassis had built-in tension to push against the outreaching mast, driven by hydraulic cylinders. The forks reach out to the load and return it to the load bed by applying pressure to opposing rollers that slide along their respective channels.
Then, under the leadership of Klaus Pirpamer and technical director, Riccardo Bove, an award-winning new method of extending the load led to smoother, more refined control.
Baumann redesigned the outreach to utilise a direct drive Archimedes screw. The system is low in maintenance and simple in design, with a high level of engineering and durability to ensure greater safety, smoother control and perfectly synchronised outreach for highly accurate and efficient load control.
Next came high voltage electrics. Baumann electric sideloaders had been around since the 1980s, but improving their efficiency by using higher voltage (the latest is 120v, the only one of its kind in the market), removing excess weight and commissioning a bespoke battery, dramatically increased run times. Further improvements and intelligent battery chargers are now pushing that run time beyond 10 hours.
As fuel costs rise and engine prices increased, thanks to stringent emissions regulation, so too did engine servicing costs, as their management systems became more complicated. The prices of electric machines have rapidly achieved parity, making the 120v electrics a genuine alternative for most applications, including for Ridgeons.
“The operation here is well thought out, with a lot of cantilever racking,” said Mr Hart. “It is a big site with long runs, which these machines are superb at, working very long hours, between 40 and 60 a week.
“We began our journey with Baumann five years ago, and we’ve never looked back. We need the control and power and the accuracy of the outreach system. The latest additions are also quieter, cleaner and more comfortable for the operators. Battery life is excellent and we have increased our own capabilities knowing the machines will more than cope.”
Such is the demand for Baumann’s 120v electric sideloaders that lead times are growing. The factory looks set to phase out diesels for all but the largest models and planning ahead was the only way for Ridgeons to take early advantage.
“We have the right equipment at the right time,” said Mr Hart. “With all of our Baumann trucks, both diesels and electrics, we get everything we need, great performance, reliability that is second to none and support that is world class.”
