Forklift and lift truck distributor Goscor Lift Truck Company (GLTC) has delivered 34 materials handling machines, including several Crown reach trucks, Doosan forklifts and Tennant sweepers to Walmart group subsidiary Mass Discounters’ distribution centre, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

GLTC supplied the machines during May and June last year, after which it provided on-site equipment operator training at the 46 230 m2 warehousing and distribution facility which opened in July 2012.

The equipment included three FC 4500 four-wheel electric counterbalance forklifts, with appliance clamp attachments; four SC 4200 three-wheel electric counterbalance forklifts; three WT 3000 ride-on pallet trucks, with single-pallet forks; eight WT 3000 ride-on pallet trucks, with double-pallet forks; seven ESR 5000 reach trucks, with a 12 500 mm mast; one ESR 5000 reach truck, with a 12 500 mm mast; and a fork-positioner attachment for rolltainers, manufactured by Crown.

GLTC also supplied six G18 Doosan gas-powered forklifts, with appliance clamp attachments, one Tennant T16 indoor sweeper/scrubber and one Tennant S20 external sweeper.

GLTC south Durban area sales manager Michael Burns says several tailor-made special features on the machines are a first for GLTC and Mass Discounters in South Africa.

The reach trucks feature a camera mounted on the front of the machine and a colour monitor mounted inside the cab to provide operators with a clear view of the deposit and the retrieval of pallets that are up to 12 500 mm in height. “This eliminates the margin for driver error by putting the driver where the pallet is,” he states.

A fully automated electronic battery changeover system, called the Bull System, has also been installed. This on-site battery changeover system improves charge cycles and improves battery life, leading to fewer damages and a faster turnaround time, which improves productivity and reduces incident- related costs.

Another special feature is the first local implementation of Crown’s exclusive InfoLink on-board management system, which will be used instead of Mass Discounters’ current forklift management system.

The system, which is integrated into the Crown machines’ Access 123 Comprehensive System Control programme, communicates information through the truck system and optimises system performance.

“The management system monitors the parameters of the drivers’ behaviour and is programmable to effectively monitor poor operator behaviour patterns accordingly. “This feature has not only resulted in the operators being held accountable for all actions carried out during their time on the machine but also in a major shift towards a more positive approach to their behavioural driving patterns,” says Burns.

Mass Discounters logistics executive Ludwig van Eyssen says the new Crown fleet will improve productivity in the warehouse.

“The combination of the technology and the support service that we get from the Goscor team will help to further reduce our downtime and improve our overall efficiencies,” he states.

GLTC provides on-site technicians for the machine maintenance and the battery bay maintenance and changeover requirements, says Burns. The products supplied by GLTC feature monitoring systems to improve the life of the product and reduce the total cost of ownership to the client.

GLTC KZN regional manager Michael Keats says Mass Discounters is an iconic com- pany in KZN and serves 26 regional retail stores. B

eing the preferred materials handling equipment supplier for the Walmart group of companies, GLTC is working on a contract to supply the Game, DionWired and Foodco stores with forklifts.

“The establishment of new distribution centres in the coming years are planned by the Walmart group, which will allow future GLTC growth within the Mass Discounters family,” concludes Burns.