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Dudley Tubes has taken delivery of a fleet of five Baumann Sideloaders from Briggs Equipment UK in a seven-year deal worth £410,000.
The machines, which usually only hold timber, have been modified to carry 12m long heavy steel tubes and can lift up to six metres.
Extra strengthening was put in around the cab of the machine to protect the driver and heavy duty guarding was placed around the lighting to prevent damage.
The combination of the sideloaders and high racking has enabled to company to move away from using overhead cranes, helping it to reduce the number of operators in its warehouse by more than 50 per cent, effectively doubling its operating output.
Wayne Peters, director at Dudley Tubes, said: “The time savings we have made in loading, unloading and storing steel has significantly increased our productivity and customer lead times.”
The company has taken four of the sideloaders on long-term rental and one on short-term hire. The contract also includes maintenance and dedicated engineering support.
Dudley Tubes is a specialist in the cutting, fabrication and stockholding of cold formed steel tubing and handles up to 30,000 tonnes of steel tubing each year.
