FreshLinc cultivates improved horticultural plant delivery with Transdek V2G loading lift
Transdek UK has installed a bespoke V2G (vehicle to ground) 12 pallet, 5.3-tonne modular loading bay lift for FreshLinc at its FloraLinc division in Lincolnshire, which enables the company to efficiently handle growing horticultural plant deliveries from the Netherlands and UK producers.
FreshLinc specialises in the total supply chain management of temperature controlled fresh, chilled and horticultural products for retailers, food manufacturers, growers and importers throughout the UK and Europe.
Lee Juniper, Chief Executive Officer at FreshLinc, called on the UK’s leading loading bay lift manufacturer to design a bespoke V2G and dedicated loading area at its flat floor Pinchbeck distribution centre in Spalding to effectively manage increased product volumes.
As existing loading bays were at full capacity, plants, and shrubs, which are delivered on narrow trolleys, were previously unloaded either manually or using forklift trucks, and manoeuvred into the warehouse. This was time consuming but with the ability to unload a single deck articulated HGV in 25-minutes the V2G has expanded capability and transformed operations at the site.
Transdek’s Managing Director Leon Butler explained: “As the trolleys are full of plants, which are light, it was more important to get volume onto the lift platform rather than weight. With this in mind, our design team created a bespoke platform size for FreshLinc that enabled the maximum number of trolleys to be handled per lift cycle.”
The new loading area operates seven days a week and the bespoke platform is capable of holding 36 trolleys at a time. Orders are then picked, loaded using the V2G and despatched to garden centres, supermarkets, and independent retailers throughout the UK.
Commenting on the installation, Juniper said: “From a previous relationship with Transdek I know they provide a quality product and more importantly Transdek deliver exactly what they say they are going to do.
“We wanted an additional bay to load the plant trolleys and we know that the moving loading platform has allowed us to quickly manage the increased volumes and decongest our current loading bays. With this increased flexibility we have been able to make better overall use of the Pinchbeck facility.
“An efficient and skilled team of Transdek engineers fitted and commissioned the V2G, making it a seamless process. The entire experience from start to finish was simply great.”
The turnaround time from initial enquiry to completed install was just four weeks and the project was completed on time, on budget and with the minimum of disruption.
