The Hyster forklift is used to transport bags from the warehouse to lorries for distribution to suppliers and farmers.

Fertiliser manufacturer Mole Valley Forage Services credits increased efficiency in its blending and bagging facility to a compact 7 T Hyster forklift from Barloworld Handling.

"The Hyster Fortens 'Spacesaver' truck is the only diesel forklift we could find that has a 7 T lift capacity and is narrow and short enough for our operation," explains Neil Stallard, operations manager for Mole Valley. "Trucks from other brands with this lift capacity are physically much bigger."

Barloworld Handling claims the Fortens S7.0FT Spacesaver model is the narrowest and shortest of its type.

The blending and bagging facility in Teignmouth, located in South Devon port, handles 75,000 T of fertiliser a year. Bulk raw material is delivered by ship, which is stored, blended, packed in 600 kg (1,323 lb.) bags and then transferred to quayside warehouses.

"The Hyster is used to transport six 600 kg (1,323 lb.) bags at a time from the narrow aisles in the warehouse to the waiting lorries for onward distribution to suppliers and farmers," Stallard says.

The truck is fitted with a unique 2.2 m (7.2 ft.) attachment similar to a twin carpet boom, weighing 800 kg (1,764 lb.) that was made by a UK-based forklift attachment manufacturer. It is a "live load" operation where the bags, which are stored three high, are lifted from the top handles and can swing.

"Thanks to the Hyster forklift, our highly experienced drivers can pick and load flatbed or curtain-sided lorries extremely quickly, loading bags three deep and two wide on each cycle," Stallard adds. "This means we only have to access one side of the lorry resulting in just eight lifts to load 48 bags."

Peak season runs from February to May when the site can load up to 800 T in one 12-hour day with the forklift. "Fast turnaround of the specialised and assured transport is essential to keep costs down, so we depend on the reliability of the truck and local support from Barloworld," Stallard says.

Steve Fogg from Barloworld Handling conducted the site survey at Mole Valley to help ensure the truck was suitable. He says: "This is a hostile and dirty environment where corrosive products are handled, so to ensure continued reliability, we also provided extra protection on key components on this space-saving truck."

The forklift features Hyster's patented DuraMatch transmission with adjustable "auto-deceleration" that slows the truck when the accelerator pedal is released, resulting in less brake pedal usage. Hyster says the power reversal feature also allows even the most aggressive direction changes in this stop/start operation to be smooth without wheel spin, helping to increase the cushion solid tyre life by up to 50%. The truck also features oil-immersed brakes, helping to ensure continued reliability and control in the dirty environment, and the drivers are reported to like the stability with a full load at height, comfort and fingertip controls.

Barloworld Handling, Hyster's exclusive distributor in the UK, also supplied a Hyster H3.0FT Fortens forklift to help transport bags from the bagging area to storage.

The value of the order is confidential.