Western Australia’s foremost hot dip galvanizer, Mgalv – part of the family-owned Meneghello Industrial Group – has a clear sustainability goal: zero harm.
“Zero harm is our goal and we continually strive to remove hazards and eliminate risks,” states the company’s website. “Health, safety, environment and quality are integral to all aspects of our business and work processes so we take a proactive approach to sustainability and ensuring this for every person who works at or visits our site.”
One of the ways to achieve this goal is through the safe handling of long lengths of steel. This is where Combilift multi-directional forklifts have been deployed – namely models from the C Series – which are effectively three units in one, with the ability to serve as a side-loader, counterbalance or narrow aisle forklift.
For Mgalv, the multi-purpose forklifts improve safety because they eliminate the need for load handovers between forklifts and minimise unnecessary forklift movements. Importantly, having the Combilift units has meant people have been removed from dangerous operating zones.
“What the Combilift forklifts have added is a safety component. They’re making the warehouse environment much safer by the multi-directional capacity to transport long lengths of steel through the workshop,” explains Mgalv General Manager, Andre Meneghello. “We can carry a 12-metre length of steel down a passageway that’s only three metres wide. This avoids having to have a 12-metre passageway which we’d have to get staff to clear out of the way for.”
The manoeuvrability of the Combilift solutions have proven invaluable for Mgalv, with Meneghello commenting that the forklift operators on site consider the Combilift units as “part of their hands”.
Besides safety, the Combilift forklifts have enabled Mgalv to work more efficiently, using their workshop space more effectively and taking less time to move the steel. This is because the forklifts can quickly change direction with their four-way movement and advanced steering. Simply put – they can navigate the busy galvanising workshop with ease.
In fact, Mgalv uses their C8000 unit to handle material straight out the galvanising bath. The forklift has been customised to suit Mgalv’s requirements – it has an attachment designed to lift a large quantity of galvanised material from the bath. Similarly, it can move the material laterally in storage areas within the warehouse or in the outside yard.
When asked whether the Combilift units were worth the investment, Meneghello replies that the safety benefits alone make them unquestionably worthwhile.
“It was a no brainer,” he said. “Any investment that reduces hazards and increases the safety of the environment is paramount.”
On the sustainability front, Australian Country Manager for Combilift, Chris Littlewood, says Mgalv and Combilift are aligned on their goals.
“Our core purpose at Combilift is to improve safety, maximise storage and improve warehouse efficiency for our customers,” he says. “We are inherently sustainable in that sense. We’re also increasing our offering to customers as they seek out more sustainable solutions, such as electric forklifts. We look forward to working with customers such as Mgalv on customising solutions that serve their evolving sustainability needs – as well as assist them in reaching their goal of zero harm.”
