Page 50 - Packaging News magazine May-June 2022

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AUSPACK REVIEW | www.packagingnews.com.au | May-June 2022
PEDESTRIAN REACH STACKERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
THE Irish-owned and manufactured ComBiLift WR and WR-4 pedestrian reach stackers on stand were “attention grabbing”, says Chris Littlewood, country manager, Combilift Australia.
This, explains Littlewood to PKN’s Colleen Bate, was no surprise, confirming that the WR models are the most commonly produced pedestrian reach stackers for the Australian market and that the local pedestrian market “is going from strength to strength”.
Littlewood believes that one of the reasons for this is that no forklift licence is required in Australia to operate the pedestrian reach stackers, so their running costs are significantly reduced.
He also says that the stackers are convenient to use, as they can be safely operated by anybody within an organisation – a plus, particularly when there are staff shortages, which has lately become a common problem.
Running through a comparison of the two models, Littlewood pointed out that that the WR 4 is specifically designed for long loads and narrow aisles and can travel in multi-direc- tions, whereas the WR operates in one or two.
“The WR 4 is extensively used within other organisations particu- larly those dealing with timber or steel or concrete, but also within a more internal warehouse environ- ment, simply because it allows you to operate in a four-way direction,” he explains.
Also on display at the stand was the Combilift CS counterbalance stacker with a lift capacity ranging from 800 kilograms to two tonnes, which Littlewood says provides enormous flexibility and is well suited to a warehouse and packag- ing environment. All models on display are equipped with Combi- lift’s patented multi-position tiller arm, which Littlewood says provides optimum safety for the operator and those around them.
He explains that the tiller arm can be turned to the left or right to allow an operator to remain at the side of the stacker, enabling full visibility of the load and forks, while maintaining full steering control.
Littlewood is thrilled that the WR models have been so popular at the show. “Of course, any opportunity where an organisation is going to be able to find efficiencies within their own facilities is going to be of benefit to them,” he adds.
Littlewood believes that AUS- PACK provides the ideal arena for visitors to discover more on the Combilift brand. “Our intention is always around market awareness. We are the largest in the world in what we do, and we are focused on what we call mass customisation – 90 per cent of the products that we manufacture are customised to an organisation’s own requirements, and we need more people to know about that,” he says.
BELOW: Food&Drink Business editor Kim Berry in conversation with Chris Littlewood.
ABOVE LEFT: Happy to handshake: Adaptalift’s Mike Mostert and Scott Collard were impressed by visitor attendance, confirming that several good leads had been received.
conservation. So said Rodney Ryan, state manager for Victoria, when we toured his stand, where an energy saving minivan designed to showcase typical energy saving components (that can be found in a ‘live’ factory environment) was on display. The van gave visitors to the show the opportunity to experience all the components and savings in a simu- lated environment.
Ryan also pointed out a range of end effectors for collaborative automation – including magnetic grippers, which were showcased.
While on the Heat and Control stand, we spoke to Phil Garro, senior sales executive who expanded on the Ishida checkweigher and CEIA multi-spectrum metal detector that has a unique detection capability and extreme sensitivity to magnetic, non-magnetic, and even stainless steel metal contaminants.
Earle Roberts, CEO of Foodmach, was on-stand to talk to us about the company’s new Line as a Machine solution and the Mengibar filler for high-end health and beauty products. He went through the new wrap- around case packer on display, which he said had attracted a lot of interest from visitors, also highlighting the print-and-apply labeller and the ABB pick-and-place robot on display.
On the Linco stand we met with Jason Kent, national sales manager, and Geoff Bourke, director, who went through the new MecaPack FS930 SMF multi format skin ther- moformer, which they pointed out,