JCB supplied two Teletruks to DHL Exel Supply Chain, to use at its 310,000 sq ft national distribution centre that it operates for Danone, in Coventry. The LPG powered TLT 30G two wheel drive trucks have extended reach achieved through a telescopic boom, enabling a trailer or train to be loaded / offloaded from one side. This limits the risk of an accident in a busy yard, or any application where space is restricted.
The Teletruks take less than an hour to off-load one wagon, therefore DHL can complete an entire train of around 1000 pallets in 16 hours.
The boom allows the truck to stand on the platform and reach pallets in the second row at the back of the wagon. The trucks have a maximum lift capacity of three tonnes, and a 1.5 tonne capacity at a 2m forward reach. The JCB driver opens the wagon doors and scans the first face of pallets using a radio data terminal. This then transmits back to the warehouse management system that product has been received.
Nick Tretis, general manager at DHL, says: “I have experienced a variety of materials handling equipment providers over the last six years that I have been working with Danone and there is nothing that matches the JCB Teletruk. While there are large counterbalance trucks available as an alternative, these require a large area in which to operate so they cannot be used in some of the restricted areas where we work. However, the Teletruk does fit.”
