With 45 years of engineering materials handling attachments under his belt, there’s not too many applications that Mark Fawcett of B&B Attachments hasn’t worked on.

And although technical innovations like 3D CAD systems may mean the tools of the trade have changed over time, his love of solving real-world problems never has.

He talks to Forkliftaction about his love of the process – from initial concept and design through to fabrication, assembly and installation – and about the satisfaction of seeing an entirely fit-for-purpose solution come to fruition.

RC: Were you always destined to be an engineer?
What was the catalyst for your entry into materials handling attachments and what keeps you engaged within this highly specialised field?

MF: Hard to say really! At school I enjoyed woodwork, metalwork and art, and all three tutors wanted me to take their particular craft further. I suppose engineering was always going to be somewhere in the mix.

It was actually my dad who got me my first job as an apprentice with the engineering company he worked for. At the time, the company was manufacturing forklift attachments primarily for the brick and block industry. That was really where it all started for me.

Over the years, the range of attachments and the industries we work with has grown enormously. What started with brick and block handling has developed into solutions for construction, steel, logistics, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and many other industries.

I think what has kept me interested for so long is that no two applications are really the same. There is always another problem to solve or a different way of making a customer's operation easier, safer or more productive. After nearly 45 years, I’m still learning, which is probably also what keeps it interesting.

RC: When a customer comes to you with a unique challenge, what are the general steps from that first conversation which go into the production of a specialised attachment? Which part of the process do you personally enjoy the most?

MF: For new enquiries, the process is normally driven by the sales team initially, who will give me a brief on what the customer is looking to achieve. That’s really the start of my involvement.

From there, I’ll usually travel to the customer's site and spend time talking to them about the application. One of the most important parts for me is speaking to the forklift operators themselves. They are the people who are using the equipment every day, so their input is invaluable. I want to understand exactly what is being handled, where it is coming from, where it needs to go and, importantly, what difficulties they are currently experiencing.

From there we look at the practicalities of the attachment, the forklift it will be mounted on, the load, capacity, dimensions and any other limitations that need to be considered. We then develop a design and work through it with the customer before anything goes into manufacture.

The part I enjoy most is probably seeing the finished piece of equipment doing exactly what it was designed to do. There’s a real satisfaction in producing something that is completely unique to a customer and genuinely improves the way they work.

RC: You travel the UK looking for interesting applications, suitable for bespoke attachments. Do you find yourself noticing potential applications even when you’re off the clock? Do you have a bucket list of dream attachment jobs you’d love to work on?

MF: After nearly 45 years of doing this, there aren't many things I haven't seen or handled in some form! I probably do find myself looking at things differently when I'm out and about and thinking, "I wonder how we'd handle that?".

Over the years I've been involved in a huge variety of applications. We've handled concrete products of all shapes and sizes, steel products including furnace billets and sheet coils weighing up to 30 tonnes, as well as applications for pharmaceutical companies, supermarkets and logistics businesses.

I don't know if I have a particular "dream attachment" on a bucket list. For me, it's more about the challenge. If someone comes to us with a problem and says, "We've tried everything else and can't find a solution", that's the sort of project that gets my attention.

RC: Tell me about the most challenging attachment use case you have ever worked on. What helped you to keep moving the project forward even when you were feeling stuck?

MF: One that immediately springs to mind was an automated pallet-splitting conveyor system we developed.

Produce arrived in refrigerated vehicles with the pallets stacked to the maximum travelling height. The problem was that this wasn't the correct height for moving the loads around inside the warehouse.

Our task was to split the height of the load and transfer part of it onto another pallet positioned alongside. This allowed the operator to end up with two pallets at the correct working height rather than one oversized load.

What started as two pallets then developed into a requirement to handle four pallets. There were certainly moments when we had to go back to the drawing board and rethink things. But that's where the experience within our design and technical team really comes into its own. We worked through the problems together, looked at different approaches and kept refining the design until we found a way to make it work.

Seeing something like that go from an idea on paper, through all the challenges, to actually working successfully on site is extremely rewarding.

RC: How do you make sure what looks like a good idea on the page during the design phase is actually what is needed by the customer in the real world? Can you walk us through some of the nuances of your validation process?

MF: For us, it all starts with understanding the application properly. Everything we do is fully discussed with the customer on site and with all the relevant personnel involved, before anything is manufactured.

We then provide a fully assembled drawing of what we are proposing, so the customer can see exactly what the finished attachment will look like and how it will operate.

There is obviously much more to it than simply designing something that will pick up a load. We have to consider the forklift itself, including its lifting capacity, the load centre and any deviations that may be required. We also look at stability calculations, hydraulic requirements and the way the attachment will affect the overall operation of the truck.

Our experience also helps us identify potential problems before they become problems. Having worked on such a wide variety of applications, you develop a good instinct for where something might not work as expected.

HSE requirements and forklift regulations are also central to the design process. There are things we can and cannot do, so safety must be considered from the outset and remains at the core of everything.

RC: From your experience working with attachments and specialist equipment across numerous applications, what makes the materials handling market in the UK unique? What are some of its key drivers?

MF: I think one of the things that makes the UK materials handling market interesting is the willingness to look at a problem and find a practical solution around the customer's specific requirements.

Materials handling has developed significantly as technology has evolved, but I think there is still a real value in experience, engineering knowledge and understanding how equipment is actually used in the workplace. The UK has a strong engineering heritage, and there is a good appetite for developing bespoke solutions when a standard product isn't quite right for the application.

We’re also seeing technology being used to make equipment more flexible and adaptable. One example is our quick-release attachment system. It allows operators to change between different attachments quickly and efficiently, meaning the same forklift can potentially be used across several applications rather than being dedicated to one particular task. That can make a significant difference to equipment utilisation and overall efficiency.

Of course, every market has its own approach and strengths, and there are some very innovative materials handling solutions being developed around the world. What I particularly enjoy about working in the UK is the variety of applications we come across and the opportunity to work closely with customers to develop something specifically suited to their operation.

Ultimately, the key drivers are productivity, safety and cost. If you can develop an attachment that allows a customer to handle more product, reduce manual intervention, improve safety or simply make a job easier and more efficient, then there is a real benefit to the business.

RC: How are the challenges your customers are facing within their materials handling operations evolving over time? Are there pressure points that will always remain the same even as the technology and market changes?

MF: Customers are under increasing pressure to improve productivity while keeping costs under control. They want to move more product, more efficiently, without necessarily increasing the number of people or pieces of equipment involved.

One thing I'm seeing more of is the requirement to handle more products at once. Products are also getting larger in certain industries, which creates its own challenges.

For example, we have attachments designed to handle packs of concrete blocks. What might previously have involved handling one pack at a time can now be handled in much larger quantities. We've developed an attachment capable of handling eight packs at once.

We also have customers manufacturing building bricks in different pack formations who want one attachment capable of handling all of them, rather than having to change equipment for every different product.

Technology is also playing an increasingly important role in how we design and develop those solutions. Stress analysis is a good example. Using computer-aided engineering, we can model an attachment under load and analyse where stresses and forces are being generated through the structure. This allows us to identify areas that may need strengthening, while also looking at where material can potentially be removed without compromising the attachment’s strength or safety.

That is particularly valuable when we are developing attachments designed to handle significantly greater loads. Rather than simply adding more steel to make an attachment stronger, we can use stress analysis to engineer the structure more intelligently. It can help us optimise the design, manage weight, improve durability and make sure the attachment is capable of performing safely under the conditions it will experience in operation.

Technology will continue to change, but I don't think the fundamental challenge will. Customers will always want to move their products safely, efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible. My job is to find the best way of helping them do that.

RC: Since your time as an engineering apprentice, what is something you have had to learn again and again in order to refine your skills to where they are today?

MF: 3D CAD systems, in a nutshell!

When I started, I was using a pencil and rubber on a drawing board. Everything had to be drawn to scale to fit the drawing sheet, all your lettering was done by hand and calculations were done manually.

Now, computer technology does virtually everything for you. You can build a complete 3D model, make changes, check dimensions and see how something is going to work before it has even been manufactured.

It's incredible when you think about how far things have come. I still find it quite amazing really. Magic!

But although the technology has changed, I think the fundamentals of engineering haven't. You still need to understand how something is going to work in the real world, and that comes from experience.

RC: You have mentioned your love of visiting Australia. I have to ask, what are your favourite things to do in Oz?

MF: It was a while ago now that I visited family out there, but what I really liked was the lifestyle. There seemed to be a real emphasis on enjoying life outside of work. They work to live rather than live to work.

Even in the smaller towns, there seemed to be plenty of recreation and amenities, and family life was very much geared around enjoyment for all ages, whether that was on land or out on the water.

I've also spent the last few years visiting France and Italy, and I really enjoy the lifestyle there too. There seems to be a good balance between work, family, food and simply enjoying your surroundings.

After all these years, my plan is actually to retire to France. Although knowing me, I suspect my "work head" will always be switched on and I'll probably still be looking at things and thinking about how I'd design an attachment for them! Don't tell the wife though!