Water, electricity, energy: Next to steel, plastic is the most commonly used material for supplying modern civilisation with these and other essential commodities. Mostly in pipes. Transporting them to the production site is not that easy. However, the right attachment helps.
Germany is in the midst of an energy transition. The share of renewable energies in the total amount of electricity is growing steadily. Powerful electricity grids are needed to ensure that sustainably produced electricity reaches where it is needed. On behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, existing lines have therefore been renewed, and several thousand kilometres of new power lines have been built over the past few years. These projects are grouped into several sub-projects. They have names such as Südlink, Nordlink and Ultranet.
Many kilometres of these power lines are laid as underground cables. However, this is not possible without an additional, robust, durable sheath. These are produced by manufacturers such as AGRU-FRANK GmbH (Agru Frank) from Wölfersheim, north of Frankfurt am Main. The company is one of Germany's leading manufacturers of various types of pipe systems. Under the motto “Pipes that connect”, the Hessian company specialises in the extrusion of pipes made from environmentally friendly polyethylene, polypropylene and PE-Xa in all standard dimensions. The products manufactured in this way, with a diameter of up to 1,200 centimetres in the future – currently 800 centimetres – are used, for example, for gas, heat and drinking water supply. In addition, for a few years now, the pipes have also been used as casings for laying underground cables. André Schultheis, sales manager at Agru Frank, therefore refers to the pipes as "the lifeline of our civilisation. Everyone needs them – no one sees them".
Integrated Sideshifter 10T151LI - Cross Girder10T180L
Drivers were part of the decision-making process
Until a few months ago, 14 forklifts of various sizes and brands were in use on the 50,000 square metre company premises. This fleet, consisting mainly of small, used forklifts, needed to be supplemented with a larger new vehicle. "We were open to the idea of adding a side loader or front loader," explains sales professional Schultheis, who is also responsible for internal logistics. The additional industrial truck will be used to move packages containing several metres-long pipes in the warehouse and load them onto delivery lorries. This is a considerable undertaking: The planned handling capacity is > 20,000 tonnes per year. The industrial truck therefore had to be the right fit.
The advantage of a side loader would be to make more effective use of the existing open-air storage space. "Ultimately, however, the drivers opted for the front loader," says Schultheis, explaining the decision-making process. "After all, they are the ones who use the forklift every day." A big responsibility. Because the new vehicle is to be used for eight years. The choice ultimately fell on a Linde H80/900D forklift, which Agru Frank purchased from Suffel, the leading regional dealer for Linde Material Handling.
There, Joachim Hahn, system consultant for industrial trucks, looks after the innovative plastic pipe manufacturer and says with a wink about his investment: "There are few things more beautiful than a new forklift." But even the most attractive industrial truck is nothing without the right attachment. This is where KAUP comes in. The experienced Suffel consultant says: "We really enjoy working on projects like this with KAUP." According to Hahn, this is because, in addition to attachments and sales, the company also handles design, production and service.
But which attachment does Agru Frank use? Strictly speaking, it is not just one device. It is a combination of attachments with a load capacity of 8,000 kg. It consists of a sideshifter integrated into the lift mast and a traversal with four rigid fork tines that can be attached to the fork carriage. Traverses are normally attached to existing forks to transport particularly long loads in a stable manner. Advantage of the attachable version: The carrier attachment, for example a sideshifter, can also be used independently of the traverse to transport narrower loads. However, Agru Frank does not need this option in this case. The seven-metre-wide 10T180L traversal is always used in conjunction with the new forklift. The side shift (+/- 160 mm) of the attachment of the same name provides the flexibility needed to compensate for any approach inaccuracies. The forklift drivers confirm that this is sufficient.
"We are happy with the machine," says Justin Schumann, "and it works wonderfully together with the new forklift."
