Electronic meat handling hustles turnround at docks
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USE of an electronically controlled meat and perishables handling installation at Liverpool docks (the Blue Star berth), which commenced on Tuesday, will virtually eliminate manual work for meat cargoes there.
A considerable speed-up of road transport turnround is anticipated as a result.
For delivery to road vehicles, 20 loading bays have been provided in the transit shed at the specialized berth. These are fed by power delivery conveyors running from the main longitudinal conveyor. The cargo slides from the conveyors to plastic laminate surface boards and then by retractable roller and timber chutes.
Two elevators are used to transfer cargo from the hold directly to the conveyor belts inside the transit shed. Each elevator has a capacity of 3,000 carcasses or 100 tons of dairy produce an hour.
The new transit shed is 775 ft. long and 85 ft. wide. Inside are double-track railway connections as well as road vehicle bays. An off-berth
Production Drops: UK goods vehicle production dropped to 91.004 in the final quarter of 1966. compared with 108,951 in the same period in 1965. In December, production was 32,772, compared with 39.440 in December 1965. But corresponding p.s.v. figures were both better: 6.777 (4.776) and 2.764 (2.019), By-pass Go-ahead: The Minister of Transport has authorized Kesteven County Council to accept an £840,066 tender for the construction of a by-pass at Long Bennington. Lincs., on the London-Edinburgh trunk road (Al I. Work will start shortly and should take about two years to complete.
Thoresen Freighter: Viking IV, a new ship for Thoresen Car Ferries, has been launched in Norway. A 1,199-ton specialized roll-on roll-off freighter costing £650,000 it will go into service in June. making one round trip daily between Southampton and Le Havre.
Anglo-Dutch Takeover: The Anglo-Dutch transport company [TOM (Europa Transport Ontwekkelings MU) has taken over control of the Dutch lorry transport firm International Transport Bedrijf E. J. van Dijk. Controlled by TDG and Thomsen's Verenigde Dedrijven. ETOM has in the last two years acquired a number of Dutch and German companies.
NSF Agent: North Sea Ferries has appointed W. E. Williames and Co. Ltd. Belfast, as general agents for Northern Ireland. North Sea Ferries operates a nightly service (except Sundays) in each direction between Hull and Rotterdam (Europoort). From June 25 to September 17 Sunday sailings will be introduced.
Increased Sailings: From February 13 there will be daily (except Sundays) sailings from Southampton of Wallenius Lines' Southampton/Rouen roll-on/roll-off ferry service.
Durham Plans: Plans are being considered for new premises at Billingham-on-Tees (Co. Durham) for the local haulage firm of R. Durham Ltd. The new buildings will include warehouses (96.000 sq. ft.), workshops (13,700 sq. ft.), and offices (4.000 sq. ft.).
HO Move: Marshall Bros., for several years in business as haulage contractors at Midland Wharf, South Wigston, Leics., has transferred its head office to 71A, Bull Head Street, Wigston Magna.
lorry park is to be provided.
The carcasses or packages are placed on the powered belt conveyors in the ship's holds and transferred mechanically to an operating platform on the quay margin, then pass through the doors of the transit shed to two parallel conveyor belts.
Requirements for any particular road or rail vehicles or for transfer to the cold store, are preset on electronic control equipment with desk consoles. Each package is automatically checked as it passes on its correct route.
The equipment totals the tally and as soon as the individual vehicle has its scheduled load the control panel automatically stops the delivery conveyor. If an additional item is required the setting on the console can be increased and the necessary consignment passed through.
Before the system is reset for a new delivery a printed statement is automatically issued from the console. This gives the number of the vehicle, the outlet number, the date loaded and the quantity loaded.
Further development plans of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board provide for additional installations for dealing with perishables.