Diverse product range promotes productivity

Crown's reputation for customer service and product reliability was a key factor in Bruichladdich Distillery's decision to award Crown the contract for the forklift trucks. Allan Logan, Production Director, explains: "Islay is a remote island, so our suppliers rarely take the time to visit us. With Crown, the opposite is true. Their professional approach to site analysis and our experience of their excellent customer service made Crown the obvious choice for our new high bay warehouse."

High-bay stackers ensure efficiency in high-bay warehouses
The new warehouses have been designed and built to provide consistently optimal maturing conditions. They have racks up to eleven meters high, separated by a narrow central aisle - a modern version of traditional rack storage in the whisky industry that allows for higher storage density. Whisky casks are positioned centrally on the forks of a Crown TSP 7000 series high bay stacker before being aligned to the appropriate shelf and then tilted forward to roll into their storage position on the rack.

Colin Neilson, Sales Manager and Whisky Industry Specialist at Crown Scotland, explains: "Crown's TSP 7000 series, with its exclusive MonoLift mast, guarantees maximum stability at great heights for both the operator and the product." The reinforced, enclosed design and use of high-strength steel for the mast means less twisting and swaying than conventional ladder-style masts, while the cab is equipped with Crown's MoveControl seat, which has integrated controls and flexible adjustment options. These features optimally support the operator in terms of control, ease of use and precision when placing the whisky casks in the correct position - especially at the top of the warehouse."

Jonathan Carmichael, Bottling Hall Manager at Bruichladdich, describes Crown's support during the introduction of the high-bay forklift as follows: "The narrow-aisle high-bay solution was a completely new concept for us, so our drivers needed additional training and some time to get used to it. Crown has supported us throughout the project and the trucks have been very well received by the drivers."

Counterbalance trucks play a key role
At Bruichladdich, the industrial truck fleet is of central importance, with Crown's FC Series four-wheel counterbalance electric forklift playing a key role. Colin Neilson from Crown explains: "A powerful all-rounder, the FC Series' compact design, dual drive motors and excellent all-round visibility provide maneuverability in tight spaces, while the powerful hydraulics deliver fast lift, tilt and lowering speeds. This has increased productivity and extended battery life. At Bruichladdich, the counterbalance truck is used to work between the racks in the crate warehouse and to load and unload trucks in the loading zone."

Intra says: A unit
By the time you read this, the first game of the German national team at the World Cup will not be far away - and my time of suffering will have begun, because soccer doesn't interest me in the slightest. Much more exciting is the team spirit pursued by the Bruichladdich Distillery: Almost the entire product range of industrial truck manufacturer Crown is in use here. One team, one goal: smooth material flow. That makes sense, both in soccer and in intralogistics.

In the main dry goods warehouse, Crown's ESR Series reach truck stores incoming pallets of packaging material and empty bottles until they are needed to feed the bottling hall and production lines. The Optimized Cornering Speed (OCS) system increases operator safety, confidence and performance by automatically adjusting acceleration and deceleration when cornering.

Electric pallet truck prevents signs of fatigue
Crown's WP series electric pallet truck is used in the Bruichladdich bottling hall to remove pallets from the bottling line for storage in the crate warehouse. The lifting forks of the WP 3080 pallet truck allow loads to be lifted to a working height of up to 750 mm. This relieves the strain on the operator's back. Colin Neilson is satisfied: "With the electric pallet truck from the WP series, operators can maneuver heavy loads precisely despite the limited space in the filling hall. The use of high-strength steel on the chassis, side panels and covers, as well as the sturdy tiller handle made of die-cast aluminum alloy, makes the WP series robust and ensures maximum reliability."