The distribution centre servicing some of Australia's best known retail
furniture brands has increased its all-Toyota Material Handling forklift fleet
with the delivery of 21 order pickers and seven reach forklifts at its busy
warehouse in western Sydney.
Unitrans Asia Pacific is part of the Steinhoff Asia Pacific group and
specialises in the warehousing and distribution of all bulky goods. It took
delivery of its latest batch of Toyota Material Handling equipment at its
50,000m2 distribution centre in Kings Park, NSW, earlier this year.
The reach forklifts and order pickers joined a 50-strong all-Toyota fleet that
also includes Toyota Material Handling turret trucks and counterbalance
forklifts.
Unitrans Asia Pacific has been a Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA)
customer for over 10 years and is in the process of upgrading to a 100 per cent
TMHA fleet at all its warehouses across Australia.
Unitrans Asia Pacific distribution centre manager Zanko Kotevski said the ease
of use of the TMHA equipment is a big plus in the busy warehouse that handles
both domestic distribution and overseas exports.
"We've always found Toyota equipment to be the easiest to use," Mr
Kotevski said. "The order picker and reach forklifts in particular are
lighter and more agile than similar equipment from other brands, making them
much easier to manoeuver in the confines of the warehouse."
The safety features offered on the Toyota equipment are also an important
consideration for Unitrans.
"We appreciate the standard safety features on offer, like the auto
slow-down function on our high reach forklifts that slows them down to 2km/h
when travelling with a load at height ensuring operator safety," Mr
Kotevski said.
"Toyota is also able to add the specific safety features we need. For
example half of the new batch of forklifts have been specially fitted with
weight scales so that if the forks are overloaded a flashing light and siren
warns the driver, and the machine cuts out."
TMHA corporate account customer manager Mike Andress said these safety
modifications are just one example of the way Toyota ensure its forklifts,
reach trucks and other warehouse equipment meets each of its customers'
specific needs.
"TMHA's forklifts and other warehouse equipment feature industry-leading
safety and comfort features as standard, but we are always willing and able to
listen to the needs of our customers and make sure their TMHA equipment is set
up to suit their individual requirements," Mr Andress said.
"This holistic approach extends well beyond the initial sale. For example,
we have a full-time Toyota mechanic on site at Unitrans with his own workshop,
so regular servicing and maintenance is taken care of quickly and
efficiently."
Having a mechanic based on site also has advantages in the event of breakdowns.
"We really appreciate the convenience of having the mechanic here and the
quick turnaround it provides if a machine breaks down," Mr Kotevski said.
"With a busy warehouse like ours it's important for us to keep downtime to
the absolute minimum."
Unitrans introduced Toyota Raymond swing reach forklifts to its Kings Park
warehouse in 2005, enabling it to adopt a narrow aisle configuration and
increase storage capacity by over 30 per cent.
A Toyota Material Handling forklift in action at the Unitrans warehouse