Articulated Vehicles Prove Their Worth
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Able to Exploit Tractor-trailer Operation, Rockware Glass ,Ltd., has Evolved Special Methods of Handling Loads BOTTLES and jars for milk, beer, hair-cream, coffee essence and many other edible and pharmaceutical goods arc made by Rockware Glass, Ltd., at Doncaster and Greenford. The company's products range in size and variety from
tiny vials to quart-size jars. The bulk of its output is dispatched in its own C-licensed vehicles, of which most are articulated outfits.
Most of the company's raw materials—coal, sand, soda-ash and limestone—come in by rail and are
moving packed ,bottles from the production lines to the storage and loading bays. The Greenford plant, on the other hand, awaits delivery of its fork-lift trucks and has not yet fully mechanized internal handling.
Ordinary flat stillages are used at Greenford. A number of B.E.V. battery-electric trucks is employed• to take loaded stillages from the lines to the checking and sorting areas. Hand stillages are also used. A proportion of factory output goes to a storage compound, which at Greenford covers several acres, to await consignment. The bottles out of doors are crated, but those packed in fibre cases are stored internally.
Outside Compound At Greenford, goods are moved from the factory to the compound by Fordson tractors (most of which are driven by women) and numbers of small bogie trailers. One.tractor• usually pulls two trailers The layout of the compound area is in the form of several lanes intersecting at right angles so• that storage lots are broken up, into convenient sizes. If they were too big, crates in the centre might be left untouched for long periods.
When goods are dispatched, semitrailers are loaded in the compound or at the factory banks and towed to the garage to be hitched to road tractors. Scarnmell mechanical-horse tractors are used to move the semitrailers around the loading-bay, compound and garage areas Whilst flat-platform semi-trailers predominate in the fleet, products packed in fibre cases call for transport in covered box trailers. Rockware's practice is not to back trailers up to the loading bank, but to place them side on. Box trailers,therefore, have roller shutters on the off side.
Smooth Working
This unusual method speeds up loading, because of the larger platform dimension adjacent to the bank. Although fewer semi-trailers can be placed at the bank at one time by 'this system, compared with normal practice, rapid turn-round is effected by the Scarninell tractors to ensure constant smooth working.
In the garage area, the tractors are attached to the trailers and loads are dispatched. On return journeys, empty crates are brought back and are loaded onto stillages.
There is a number of rigid vehicles in the company's fleet besides articulated models. The Doncaster fleet consists of nine Bedford-Scammell articulated units and three Sentinel 7i-ionners. At Greenford. there are 20 Bedford-Scammell 6-ton and 8-ton, one Fordson 6-ton and one Seddon 10-ton tractors, to each of which there are two semi-trailers. In addition, there are three Leyland 6-tonners and two Fordson 3-tonners.
This fleet, together with vehicles hired from British Road Services or free hauliers, handles the transport of about 75 per cent, of output, the remainder being consigned by rail. The Greenfords vehicles normally deliver in London, the Home Counties and in the south and west of the country. Doncaster lorries, besides delivering in London, cover the Midlands and the north. Most of the work of the Greenford fleet is
therefore short-distance, whilst the opposite is the case with the Doncaster machines.
One of the greatest problems facing the fleet maintenance engineers is tyre life. Because of the unavoidable presence of broken glass aroond the factory area tyres are rarely suitable for remoulding when the treads are worn. A mechanical shovel used by the Rockware building department and solely confined to the factory estab lishment, has its, front tyres renewed every six weeks and its rear tyres: every three months.
The maintenance department has a schedule Of 18 operations which must be done on each vehicle once a month. It includes checks on brakes and steering, adjustment of tappets, examination of springs, shackles and holding-down bolts, and attention to electrical equipment. Oil changes are made every 2,000 miles.
Every six months, when the vehicles have covered 12,000-15,0-;)0 miles, cylinder heads are changed -an operation which can be completed in five hours. A stock of spare Bedford and Fordson engines is held and engine changes are made every 40,000-60,000 miles: At the time of my visit, a reconditioned petrol engine was being fitted in a Leyland vehicle. The unit it replated had covered 145,000 miles before being sent back to the maker.
Service Accounting Records axe kept of all major service operations, the accounting of small jobs being considered of little
practical value. Whilst these are written down, the records are
destroyed after. three months. A tyre history is also maintained, Thc,. staff engaged on vehicle' service comprises four skilled fitters, three mates
and a specialist electrician..
Not all ancillary users are able to take advantage of the Operation of articulated vehicles because customers' facilities are not always suitable. Rockware Glass,. Ltd., is in a fortunate position and is exploiting the use of tractors and semi-trailers.
Mr. F. E. Taylor, Assoc.Inst.T., warehouse and transport superintendent, told me that by adopting this policy, carrying capacity had increased by 30 per cent. on the basis of the number of prime movers. The company. hopes to effect still further economies by using bigger-capacity oil-engined vehicles in the future..