Tiger worked with Joloda on the system for Lanchester, which is said to be the first of its kind in a UK wine business.
Joloda’s conveyor system has a moving slipchain floor built into the loading bay and which extends into the trailer. Up to 24 pallets of wine can be loaded or unloaded in 80 seconds – a process that took 40 minutes previously. The system has been installed at Lanchester’s four warehouses in the North East.
The trailer design incorporates the system into the chassis itself. Tiger then included elements like a bespoke-built under-run bar to protect the Hydraroll mechanism and solid steel reinforcement along the side rave to minimise damage from forklifts.
“The system means that while our vehicles are on the road, our warehouse team are able to pick and prepare the stock ready for instant loading when the driver returns,” says John Mitcheson, logistics manager at Lanchester Wines, adding that the system “radically reduces driver downtime and increases efficiencies”.
Joloda’s Karen McBride says: “To ensure the system operates perfectly, it’s imperative that we work very closely with the trailer manufacturer from the outset – happily the team at Tiger were fantastic throughout the entire process.”
The trailers operate on a single shift pattern, travelling up to 250 miles a day, five days a week. However, the system’s design means the shift pattern can be doubled or trebled in future, if needed.
“As the company continues to expand and the volume increases, we’ll certainly be looking at installing additional Hydraroll systems to the loading bays across our sites, which in turn will require a few more specialist trailers in order to maximise efficiency,” says Mitcheson.