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When
it was time to move to new premises, Q Medical knew exactly who to call...
We knew the On3 team from way back, so it made sense to get in
touch when we were moving on..."
Q Medical's Stuart Thompson, doesn't have time for set-backs.
As UK commercial director for one of the world's leading manufacturers
of healthcare products, he's used to getting things right.
His company has expanded significantly from a modest site in Stonehouse,
Gloucs to a large facility in Woodchester.
The transition may have looked easy, but attention to detail is
key, and as Stuart puts it, "it's about getting in the right
people at the right time." Although fairly new, the Woodchester
facility has had one previous owner - a chemicals company that had
a special requirement for the site.
On3's David Scammell picks up the story:
"Due to the nature of the chemicals being handled, the previous
incumbent had the floor inclined to allow any spills to run into
a gully. Obviously useful if you're handling dangerous liquids,
but not ideal for other users. When it came to racking out the site
and supplying the kit, we had to reassure Stuart and his team that
everything would go exactly to plan."
Despite the 20-odd years' of experience that On3 have in the forklift
business, the company still has a freshness of a new, innovative
organisation. Up to now, their experience of established forklift
providers was that of companies which preferred to avoid the change
and innovation necessary to make things better - even it meant taking
the easier, cheaper option.
The tilting floor at Q was a simple challenge, for the company
with an open mind. "We considered all the options, and guaranteed
that the trucks would work in the application," said David.
"Being responsible for the design and build of the racking
actually makes things much easier - we know what works! We considered
all types of available kit - articulating trucks, VNA trucks and
reach trucks. We knew the target for the number of pallets we wanted
to achieve and the way the facility was going to be used. The combination
of the right racking and the Bendi truck enables EMS to make the
most of the site with the minimum of fuss."
Articulating trucks are becoming increasingly popular, due in part,
to the ease at which they can be used inside and out. Of course,
what's most important is getting good value for money and whatever
brand of forklift you specify, the true value of the truck is more
often linked to it's ability to perform, the service backup and
the lifetime operating costs.
When it comes to using equipment correctly, there's a key matter
to take into account - equipment does not function without an operator!
In fact, the operator constitutes up to 90 percent of your materials
handling costs. The management, motivation and direction of operators
can provide you with the greatest cost savings and operator training
formed a crucial part of the Q deal.
With the site now in full swing, the operations team can get on
with the matters in hand. Investment in machinery and clean room
areas for the manufacture and assembly of components means Q can
offer an adaptable production resource for a variety of customer
requirements.
Attention to detail and precision manufacturing has made Q a preferred
supplier to both large and small healthcare companies worldwide
(the company has an on-going quality improvement policy with the
aim of achieving 'Total Customer Satisfaction'). Hopefully, On3's
work will have provided more than a little satisfaction to Q.
"We are delighted with the results," concludes Stuart
Thompson. "The site runs smoothly, we've been well informed
and looked after throughout the construction stages, and the operators
were very pleased with the driver training."
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