Bulldog WHCTS12 pedestrian counterbalanced truck

Wilmat Ltd has significantly reduced the risk of accidents and saved operator costs for solar power systems manufacturer PV Crystalox Solar PLC.

The Birmingham manufacturer provided a solution for the solar systems maker after a wide-ranging risk assessment highlighted the risk of operators slipping when using manual loading trolleys at PV Crystalox's Oxfordshire plant.

Mark Jefferies, manager block production of PV Crystalox's silicon production department, says staff regularly load ingots that weigh up to 500kg (1,102lb) into cutting booths.

"While we didn't have any accidents with the previous manual loading trolleys, the risk assessment highlighted the potential danger of operators slipping on slurry produced from the cutting operation," Jefferies says.

The trolleys also required two people to operate them. When fully loaded, they weighed almost one tonne, making their use physically demanding.

Wilmat's solution was specially designed Bulldog WHCTS12 pedestrian counterbalanced forklifts, which have reduced accident risks and cut the manpower required for loading and cutting operations.

Andrew Capella, technical director at Wilmat, who has built a close relationship with PV Crystalox, says the materials handling company offers a "made to measure" service for customers. "However, progress meetings proved invaluable in keeping PV Crystalox Solar fully informed about its order."

Wilmat Ltd designs and manufactures bespoke, pedestrian-operated materials handling equipment. The bespoke products, including industrial forklifts, tow tractors, scissor lift tables, stackers, pallet trucks, prime movers and cranes, are made at Wilmat's Birmingham factory.