Tag Archives: moving skates

Pallet Trucks UK has applauded 2 Sisters Food Group for its latest enhancement to its Flixton site, which will create 100 more jobs on top of its current workforce which processes around 1 million birds per week.

Roles in engineering, finance, training and health and safety have been created as part of the expansion, which has been done to keep up with orders during the busy Christmas period and beyond.

Phil Chesworth, Pallet Trucks UK Managing Director, said: “It’s great to see so many new jobs being created in the area. We’re always happy to see new manufacturing positions on the market, but it’s interesting to see that there’s a diverse array of roles in areas that you might not usually expect in a factory environment.”

2 Sisters was blighted earlier in the year after a food hygiene scandal engulfed its West Bromwich plant. An undercover investigation by ITV and The Guardian showed 2 Sisters workers displaying a blatant disregard for food hygiene practice by labeling food incorrectly, picking food up after it had been on the floor and mixing batches of meat.

A huge media frenzy ensued after the footage was made public, causing 2 Sisters to close the plant whilst an investigation took place. 2 Sisters officials were also called into a parliamentary inquiry as a result of the expose.

Phil added: “After the scandal that happened earlier in the year it’s fantastic to hear some good news from 2 Sisters. The company employs a lot of people and hopefully this expansion can go towards rebuilding their reputation.”

Pallet Trucks UK supplies a multitude of manual handling equipment to food factories across the country, with its vast product catalogue including pallet trucks, moving skates, aerial work platforms, forklift fork extensions and more.

Pallet Trucks UK has urged businesses to prioritise worker safety after a dreadful accident caused a pallet to fall on a freight worker, leaving him with devastating spinal injuries and robbing him of his ability to walk.

Andrew Potts, 53, was working as a freight checker for United Pallet Network in Lichfield when the pallet holding glass fell off a curtain-sided lorry and crushed him. This came after Andrew had previously attempted to stabilize the pallets using a forklift truck a few moments earlier.

Previously a fully able man, Mr Potts has now been reduced to having to use a mobility scooter to travel more than a few feet and is completely reliant on his wife for household activities such as cooking and cleaning.

Phil Chesworth, Pallet Trucks UK Managing Director, said: “This is a really catastrophic injury which has robbed an unfortunate worker of his freedom. Going from being a fully able-bodied person to having to use a mobility scooter is devastating for both the victim and his family.

“The worst part about this injury is that it could’ve been avoided; it sounds like the pallet was in a precarious position to start with which is unacceptable in any case, but made even worse by the fact that a lack of attention to safety has cost a man his independence.”

As well as causing excruciating spinal fractures, Mr Potts suffered multiple broken bones and damaged teeth from the accident. He is now suing the owners of the lorry, Lescost Transport Ltd, for damages in excess of £200,000.

Mr Pott’s lawyers state that’s he’s been badly psychologically affected by the accident, and suffers from depression and anxiety as a result of being unable to look after himself and perform simple actions such as climbing stairs.

Phil added: “Some pallets are extremely heavy and it isn’t surprising how severe Mr Pott’s injuries are if the pallet fell on him from height, especially if it was holding a product on top of it as well.”

Pallet Trucks UK stocks a huge array of manual handling equipment used by freight workers and other materials handling professionals, including pallet trucks, moving skates, lift tables, forklift fork extensions, drum loaders and more.

Pallet Trucks UK has applauded the compassionate spirit of freight workers after they joined forces to deliver goods to Children in Need’s CarFest charity events. The drivers banded together to deliver 27 pallets of stock to CarFest North in Bolesworth Castle, Cheshire and CarFest South at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire.

The CarFest events are weekend festivals that have raised a whopping £7.4m for Children in Need since they began, with this year’s festivals playing host to a range of big-name music stars such including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Busted, Manic Street Preachers and Rick Astley.

Phil Chesworth, Pallet Trucks UK Managing Director, said: “It’s fantastic and heart-warming to see workers across our industry taking time out of their own lives to help Children in Need.

“I’m aware that workers from multiple different firms teamed up together to form a transport link and delivered stock to both the CarFest festival in the north of the country as well as the southern event in Hampshire. From the pictures on the CarFest website it looks like everyone had a brilliant time!”

Companies involved in the charity efforts include Somerset-based logistics firm Just Vans Ltd, KRL from Telford, Newtonabbey-based Montgomery Transport and Andover-based AET Transport. This is the third consecutive year that the firms have got involved with helping to provide goods for CarFest.

CarFest’s event organisers called upon the firms to collect 27 pallets of stock and deliver them to their event showgrounds in order to ensure the festivals lived up to their reputation of being a fun-filled weekend packed with an array of attractions. The freight workers took up the call with gusto and delivered 15 pallets to CarFest North and 12 pallets to CarFest South, with the pallets also being collected and taken back to warehouses after the festivals had ended. Naturally, this was all done completely free of charge.

Phil added: “Children in Need is a brilliant charity and has changed the lives of thousands of young and disabled people since it was created; a huge well done to everyone involved with this year’s CarFest festivals and Children in Need.”

Children in Need is an iconic and well-known UK charity owned by the BBC that has raised over £600m for disabled children and young people in the UK. The charity holds an annual telethon every year to raise money for its cause, with the 2017 event scheduled to be broadcast later this year on November 17, 2017.

Pallet Trucks UK provides a vast range of manual handling equipment to the logistics industry including moving skates, heavy duty and galvanized steel pallet trucks, forklift fork extensions and lift tables.

Leading manual handing equipment retailer, Pallet Trucks UK has added an entire new product range of hydraulic jacks to its already enormous catalogue.

A wide array of different hydraulic jacks ranging from machines with 3t capacities to jacks with 25t capabilities is now available on the Pallet Truck UK website. The new additions provide hydraulic lifting equipment for all purposes, with the product arrivals coming just as businesses up and down the country gear up to end the year on a high.

Phil Chesworth, Pallet Truck UK’s Managing Director, said: “We’re pleased to announce that we’ve added a brand-new product line of superb quality hydraulic jacks to our existing range. This gives us a really broad mix of models and extensive choice, with a solution to suit virtually any lifting application.”

The new range includes budget jacks with 3t capacities and super-low lifting toes at one end of the scale, extending all the way up to heavy-duty, industrial-strength 25t jacks made with heat-treated steel and electrically-welded bases and cylinders for added strength.

Hydraulic jacks are used to lift extremely heavy loads and are used by many trades for a variety of uses across the UK, including lifting cars and vehicles for repairs, the installation of heavy machinery, shipbuilding and bridge building.

Hydraulic jacks work by applying pressure through the handle to the small cylinder which is connected to a larger cylinder. This pressure, when transferred to a larger cylinder with a larger area, generates increased force and is therefore able to lift extremely heavy weights.

The expanded Pallet Truck UK’s range now offers a huge choice of series and models including the MHC range of heavy-duty, industrial strength jacks, the HM range of manual hydraulic jacks and the TB Toe Jack series.

The new range of hydraulic jacks includes industry-standard features such as safety values for overload protection, resistance to extreme temperatures and removable pump levels.

The hydraulic jacks can be paired with Pallet Trucks UK’s moving skates, which can be placed under a heavy load once it’s been lifted. The load is then lowered down onto the skates for easy transportation.

Pallet Trucks UK has urged workers in transport and warehousing to remain vigilant after the two industries were named as being common for exploitation.

Modern slavery is a horrific practice which is currently rife in the UK, with victims of modern slavery being trafficked into Britain and forced to work long hours in return for very little pay, with most of the victim’s wages being passed on to the traffickers.

Independent law enforcement charity Crimestoppers has joined forces with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) in an effort to stop the growing issue with its ‘Spot the Signs’ initiative, which is designed to help people spot the symptoms of people who may be victims of exploitation.

Phil Chesworth, Pallet Trucks UK Managing Director, said: “It’s terrible that such a disgusting practice is going on in the UK, often right under our noses. Victims of the practice may repeatedly come into work bearing injuries because of the abuse they endure, and tend to have inappropriate clothing or safety equipment for the job they’re doing as they can’t buy it themselves.

“With warehousing and transport being industries we’re very much involved in, I’d like to urge anyone who thinks that someone they work with might be being exploited in this cruel manner to contact Crimestoppers immediately.”

Victims of modern slavery are often kept in packed accommodation with other victims to create larger profits for traffickers, and many tend to be malnourished or underweight due to them not being allowed to buy their own food.

Further signs of exploitation include workers wearing the same clothes, being unhygienic and being collected and dropped off from work early in the morning or late at night. Victims of modern slavery may also appear to be scared of talking and hesitant to make eye contact, as well as having little or no identification or documentation.

Phil added: “Many victims of modern slavery come from eastern-European countries and have a bias towards industries which require manual labourers, which is why warehousing and transport jobs have been named as being common areas for exploitation.”

The National Crime Agency predicted last month that modern slavery is likely ‘in the tens of thousands’ in the UK, a shocking figure considering that the number was said to be around 3,600 by the UK Government in 2016.

Modern slavery also commonly forces victims of human trafficking and migrant workers to work in prostitution, drug smuggling, manufacturing, car washing and agriculture as well as transport and warehousing.

Pallet Trucks UK produces a range of long-lasting, high quality products which are widely used in the UK transport and warehousing industries such as pallet trucks, stackers and forklift trucks.

The UK-based company also sells products such as moving skates, platform lifts, lift tables, sack trucks and drum loaders, and as a result often does sells its wares to workers and businesses in the construction industry.

The New Year is almost here. And after a rather turbulent 2016, many retailers will be looking at the upcoming year with hope and ambition. And according to Pallet Trucks UK, there are ways companies can ease themselves into 2017 easily and effectively. And one of the best ways is by adding simple moving skates to their fleet of operations.

The company, which has more than three decades’ experience working within the materials handling industry, is a leading provider of a range of equipment that helps businesses improve their efficiency, and moving skates, according the company, are one of the most compact yet most efficient pieces of equipment.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Pallet Trucks UK, said, “Moving skates are often overlooked due to their small size – but don’t be fooled; these little pieces of equipment are extremely useful when it comes to moving stock around the workplace. Despite their slight nature they are extremely tough and as a result can hold up to an incredible 6 ton of stock.”

Not only does their strong nature make moving bulky boxes easy, but they are also an incredible piece of safety equipment by helping to keep employees free from injury. As the moving skates are nimble, items are easily placed onto the skates and glided across floors with a simple push or pull. This helps to take the strain off employees’ backs and reduce the risk of avoidable harm.

The SF60 Fixed Machinery Skate 6 ton skate is the ideal addition to workforces that need to move heavy objects. It comes with a 6 ton capacity, laid on six nylon rollers for added strength. Coming in at £96.78 plus VAT, the time savings associated with it will soon mean it has paid for itself. For those looking for an even easier tool, the SFW03 Moving Skate with handle does the same job, but is fitted with a strong handle to make pushing or pulling items simpler. Priced at just £54.60 plus VAT, it comes with a tough three ton capacity and is built on four nylon rollers, which allows the weight to be distributed evenly.

“The simple moving skates can really make a comprehensive difference to businesses by improving everyday production which then helps to increase profit margins,” said Phil. “But due to their compact form, are certain not to get in the way when it comes to day to day operations.”

With the news that 15 high street stores closed every single day in the first half of 2016, PalletTrucksUK, one of the longest standing suppliers of warehouse and manual handling equipment in the UK, has challenged high street stores to invest in their bottom line in order to keep up with their increasingly competitive online rivals.

There’s no denying that online shopping has become the leading retail method for many. Consumers both young and old have reaped the benefits of online shopping for years, while the introduction of next day delivery has been the real clincher for businesses, getting rid of the pet hate for customers waiting for their items to arrive

Despite this however, there are many who still visit shops in search of their next purchase. And these are the people high street businesses can target according to the experts.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director of PalletTrucksUK, said, “Businesses solely on the high street may be worried about the up and coming festive season as this can often be make or break for them – either pushing up profits and giving them a boost right before the slower months of January and February, or be the final nail in the coffin if they have been struggling.

“Despite reports of online sales increasing almost on a weekly basis, there are still millions who head to the high street when shopping, so it’s important they don’t count themselves out just because they don’t have a large online presence. In fact, the best way to stay competitive is to invest wisely.”

In this competitive marketplace where industries, fashions and trends move very quickly, it’s important for businesses to stay ahead and keep up with this – which is where bottom line investment comes in. By ensuring that logistics equipment is reliable and stock can be moved quickly will ensure it hits the shelves faster than ever – and may even beat the time it takes for a customer to order an item and wait for it to be delivered.

Logistics and warehouse equipment, such as pallet trucks, moving skates and platform lifts, are all key to ensuring distribution centres, warehouses and large stock rooms run efficiently and are able to cope with demand from customers.

“If high street businesses are concerned about the challenge from online companies, now is the time to do something about it,” added Phil. “It really cannot be emphasised enough the importance of improving the bottom line in order to compete with the increasing challengers set by the online industry.”

PalletTrucksUK is made up of industry experts. The whole team know the products inside out and as a result, is able to advise on the best equipment to suit individual needs

As the cold weather rears its head for another year, businesses up and down the country are having to change the way they operate when it comes to their equipment. Whether equipment is used inside or outside, the impending cold and wet conditions can wreak havoc for pallet trucks and other manual handling equipment.

PalletTrucksUK, one of the longest standing companies in the country supplying warehouse equipment, such as pallet trucks, moving skates and platform lifts, has urged businesses to up their maintenance game to ensure the equipment stays in top condition and operating right through to spring.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director of PalletTrucksUK, said, “It’s vital that full maintenance is carried out on a regular basis – but particularly during the winter months. Extreme temperatures, like those often seen in winter, can have serious implications for manual handing equipment. The strain on machines caused by the cold weather can reduce the reliability of key components of many trucks, potentially causing batteries to fail, tyres to split or crack and harm any fluids used to operate the machinery. And of course, any repairs required as a result of damage can prove to be costly.”

One of the best ways in to stop the winter months from causing problems with hand pallet trucks and lifting equipment is to implement a thorough daily checklist. If a company already has this in place, it’s advised to review it an add tasks as necessary to meet the needs of the cold weather. For pump trucks, an overall check of the pump is vital; checking brakes, fluids and lights are all in good working order will ensure it is able to operate at maximum capacity – safely.

As well as the cold weather, winter also bring with it shorter and darker days. As a result, it’s important that businesses invest in visibility equipment to ensure all workers are safe at all times. High-visibility clothing and additional internal and external lighting in winter can significantly help to improve visibility and reduce the chances of accidents, mistakes and damage to everyday equipment and workers alike.

However it isn’t just the cold employers have to watch out for. Many warehouses utilise both indoor and outdoor spaces, which means that often works and equipment can bring the outdoors in when it comes to wet weather. Ensuring businesses put down the appropriate signage and mats down will minimise the risk of serious injury and damage.

The team at PalletTrucksUK are experts in the sector. Having worked in the industry for many years, they know the ins and outs of the materials handling world and how to ensure businesses stay safe and ensure they invest wisely.

PalletTrucksUK has been one of the leading suppliers of warehouse equipment for over three decades. A key supplier to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors, their robust pallet trucks, stackers, platform lifts and moving skates but to name a few, have played a large role in helping businesses to improve their offering and grow significantly. And a big part of that has been their innovative nature and ability to meet the needs of a wide range of customers’ needs. Continue reading Pallet Trucks UK boasts specialist pallet trucks to suit all needs →