Leading timber importer GE Robinson orders five Baumann sideloaders to keep busy operations efficient and safe.
A long-term advocate of Baumann equipment, Robinson’s relationship began in 2012 after an order of seven Baumann GX50 5-tonne sideloaders. The sideloaders were recommended by Industrial Truck Services (ITS), who have supplied and maintained materials handling equipment for GE Robinson for over 15 years.
“The decision to choose Baumann was carefully considered by Robinson, but also by ITS,” said Ged Conaghan, MD at ITS. “We support the equipment with service and maintenance, so it was a big decision for us too, and just by looking around the Salford site it’s easy to tell it was a worthwhile investment.”
The lively six-acre Salford distribution yard is bustling with activity, and the fact that at least five sideloaders are passing at any one time is testament to the success the timber supplier is experiencing this year.
“We have experienced seasonal peaks, but output has remained strong this year,” said Paul Kavanagh, operations director at GE Robinson. “We’re currently 15% up compared to last year in terms of tonnage, so it’s important for us to keep running at maximum productivity.”
The company operates 25 trucks in total from their Salford site and Walsall distribution division. In Salford, 12 of the 15 trucks in operation were supplied by Baumann, and the benefits are immediately noticeable.
“We have experienced seasonal peaks, but output has remained strong this year. We’re currently 15% up compared to last year in terms of tonnage, so it’s important for us to keep running at maximum productivity.”
“By choosing Baumann, we feel we are benefitting from the equipment’s fuel efficiency, reliability and robust design,” continued Mr Kavanagh. “Indeed, over the past four years, the machines have proved effective and reliable, but what we didn’t expect is how much quieter they are compared to our older machines. With 15 sideloaders working at full capacity the site can get very noisy, so a reduction in noise is definitely a bonus to our operators and neighbours – particularly during the night shift.”
Baumann equipment offers the most effective way to handle a multitude of long or bulky products, typically timber, plastics or metals. The Italian manufacturer established a new UK business in August 2015, led by managing director, Jason Reynolds.
Jason said: “We value our long-term partnerships and it’s great to hear GE Robinson are pleased with the sideloaders we supplied. We can’t quite compete with their 100-year history, but we do have 40 years in development, design and production under our belt, and it is proving to be an important selling point with many of our customers.”
