Combi-CS: Customisable, counter-balanced forklift shakes industries

The Australian food and beverage industry has begun to realise the benefits of Combilift’s Combi-CS Pedestrian Stacker, as demand grows for more efficient warehousing and forklifts. In an effort to balance food and worker safety with productivity and quality, the Combi-CS has gained traction in warehouses across the country. Thanks to its patented, award-winning, multi-position tiller arm, the Combi-CS can navigate very narrow aisles, giving Combilift’s famed articulated forklift a run for its money. Operators can say goodbye to 3-point turns and difficult angles created by rigid forklifts. The Combi-CS navigates these tight spots with ease, saving time for all.

This design also offers maximum operator visibility while the tiller arm keeps the operator out of harm’s way. Combilift Country Manager Chris Littlewood says he couldn’t be prouder to satisfy multiple customer concerns in one simple product. “Once we recognised the industry’s need for a stacker that not only improved safety but was simple enough for any amateur operator, we knew it was our gap to fill,” he said. “This stacker really sums up what Combilift is about – we listen, we learn, and we give the people exactly what they want.” In an industry that is short more than 170,000 workers, the Combi-CS can greatly benefit the Australian food supply chain. It is extremely easy to manoeuvre, increasing speed and efficiency for operators, and allowing businesses to get more product out the door per day. This is especially important when product expiry dates loom over businesses and threaten to cost countless dollars.

Across the country, Australia’s 2023 Skills Priority List (SPL) stated that 34 percent of Machinery Operators & Drivers jobs were in shortage, while a forklift operator shortage was most concentrated in South Australia. To combat Australia’s obvious woes with the skills shortage, the simple and safe design of the Combi-CS means no formal forklift training is required for operation. Not only does this emphasise the true safety of the design, but it also cuts costs for businesses that would otherwise have to train more skilled staff. Naturally, the cost of these staff would be higher and so the cost benefits of the CS truly stack up.

To emphasise its safe design, Littlewood has quipped, “virtually anyone within an organisation – from trainees to warehousing staff to the CEO – can operate one of these vehicles safely.” This is of vital importance in the tight confines of modern warehouses where amateur forklift drivers must take extra care. The compact design of Combilift’s pedestrian stacker range means that businesses can redesign their floorplans for greater capacity – the trade-off being that forklift drivers must work in increasingly narrow aisles. Of course, any difficulty is removed by the rotating tiller arm, making navigation and control a breeze for even beginner operators. “The operator’s position allows a greater level of control over the products when moving them around, with up to four-way reach in even the narrowest aisles,” says Littlewood. “The forward visibility of the pedestrian reach vehicles greatly reduces the risk of incident in tight confines and ensures the vehicle is stress-free to operate.”