Safe forklifts for safety conscious transport company

18-07-2013
Peter Tennison … preference for Nissan RG series
Simon Transport opened for business in 1973 with a single truck. Now trading under the name of Simon National Carriers it is one of Australia’s leading providers of transport and third party warehousing and distribution services.
 
Simon employs over 360 staff, owns 200 trailers, 115 prime movers, 70 local trucks, 100 forklifts and 190 containers. It continues to grow, even through recent economic turbulence, by focusing on quality companies that are looking for quality solutions.
 
Its services are targeted at businesses that share the Simon desire to operate in an environment where compliance with laws and an emphasis on best practice safety and environmental outcomes are key criteria.
 
Simons’ provides its clients with a complete transport and third party logistics solution. It owns warehouses throughout Australia covering all capital cities, as well as Toowoomba and Townsville.
 
These facilities provide a total of 120,000 square metres under roof and offer a full range of warehouse pick and pack operations, assembly, de-stuffing of containers and a range of metropolitan and country distribution options.
 
To enable Simons’ to provide the best value for money service to its clients, it also offers rail services to its clients on longer haul routes such as Melbourne and Sydney to Perth. From the southern states to Darwin it also utilises a combination of road and rail and uses shipping services for suitable freight between the east coast and Perth.
 
Another critical component of Simons’ efficiency gains is to use the best equipment. It is continually upgrading its linehaul fleet to ensure it obtains the benefits of improved fuel economy, lower vehicle emissions, reduced maintenance costs, and optimum vehicle configurations such as B-Doubles and road train trailers. Its large company-owned linehaul fleet is maintained with an average age under 5 years, and an emphasis on efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
 
Its 90km/h maximum speed assists in meeting its environmental and safety objectives, as does Simons’ policy of not fitting bull bars to the majority of its fleet. The equipment inside its warehouses is also absolutely critical to its customer service levels, safety performance and cost efficiencies.
 
The quality of warehouse equipment is critical to the success of the business, says National Warehouse Manager, Mr Peter Tennison.
 
“First of all we never buy on price, he says. “Our warehouses are full of Nissan Forklifts and Dexion racking, to name a few products. I could find cheaper products but we put our money where our mouth is with regards to safety and reliability. Our priority is the safety of our staff.”
 
Mr Tennison says the focus on safety is reflected in the company’s most recent forklift buy.
 
Simon needed reach trucks for its new 40,000sqm warehouse in Melbourne that could reach 8m.
 
“We really took our time with this decision and trialled various brands in Sydney and Melbourne, says Mr Tennison. “The operators unanimously had a preference for the new Nissan RG series reach truck based on how comfortable the RG is and how much easier it is to control than the other brands.
 
“They also love the visibility of the RG; they really rate the mast lock system highly and find the automatic height selection system really assists their productivity especially when retrieving pallets at 8m high. On top of that the battery life on the RG series keeps the forklift working all day.”
 
Mr Tennison says the company was comfortable with the operator’s preference for Nissan because it has run Nissans for more than 30 years throughout its branches.
 
“In fact we still have the old Nissans still working in some of our yard applications, he says. “They keep chugging along – they just never stop.”
 
Also, Simon National Carriers has a fleet of Nissan counter balance trucks and reach trucks operating in its warehouses.
 
“They have been incredibly reliable,” says Peter.
 
“Even though we have our own workshops in most branches we have used Powerlift to service our Nissans on a national basis for over 20 years and have proven themselves to be as reliable as the Nissan products.”
 
The development of the RG Series has been undertaken with typical Nissan Forklift thoroughness and detail.
 
Numerous truck operators and logistics managers have been interviewed and scientific studies have been performed regarding truck ergonomics and repetitivestrain injuries.
 
The operator compartment in the RG series is multi-adjustable for left-and-right armrests and seat position.
 
Even the floor height is electrically adjustable to accommodate all operator sizes. The specially shaped seat backrest is easily switched for looking to the left or right and the slide-down and tilt- back function supports the operator while working at high-lifting heights. The hands-free direction control and optimal placement of the LCD display and keyboard all contribute to a relaxed working space, resulting in a more productive operator.
 
The advanced technology of the Nissan Forklift AC TECH controller provides significant opportunities to enhance productivity; including automatic horizontal fork levelling, side-shift centring, load-weight indication and double-deep storage.
 
The RG Series features reach trucks from 1.2 to 2.5 tonne load capacity and a wide variety of masts, with lifting heights to 12.1m.
 
Powerlift Material Handling, through its Powerlift and Nissan Forklift ranges, offers a forklift for every application.
 
It has been the Nissan Forklift distributor in Australia for over 25 years and has branches in every state and 14 authorised dealers supporting its regional customers.
 
Powerlift Material Handling
Ph: 1300 550 607

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