Transdek carries out double deck site conversion

Transdek has been commissioned to install double deck lifts across a network of UK distribution centres, for Boots, the highstreet health and beauty retailer.

As part of a strategy to reduce emissions and improve green performance, Boots is aiming to fully integrate double decking on its inter-hub deliveries, and turned to Transdek in order to service its growing fleet of double deck trailers.

Providing the ability to access and efficiently load the double deckers presented challenges at several of the Boots sites, including Greenwich.

Boots' Greenwich regional distribution centre (RDC) has adequate yard space for 12m trailers to access the loading bays, but the introduction of 13.6m double deck trailers posed a technical difficulty.

Lifts installed against the warehouse front to service the new fleet of fixed double deckers would restrict the already limited yard area so that the larger vehicles would not be able to reverse on to the lifts.

Transdek needed to identify a workable solution for placement of the lifting equipment, as well as a number of other objectives that also had to be satisfied.

The Greenwich site has 12 loading bays, two of which were to be converted to double deck operation.

During the installation, the 10 other bays had to remain fully operational for Boots' single deck trailers, meaning Transdek had to complete the project build in the shortest possible time in order to minimise any disruption of day to day operations.

The warehouse at the Greenwich site was also working at near maximum storage capacity and there was concern that the additional peak volumes of goods from the double deck operations could cause congestion.

The first stage in Transdek's approach was to analyse detailed plans of the Greenwich site.

The extension would also provide some of the additional warehouse capacity that Boots needed.

Transdek produced detailed CAD drawings and the proposed layout was then put through a full, on-site simulation with actual double deck rigs.

The warehouse extension is a surface mounted steel structure with single-skin cladding, making it easy to de-rig and relocate, should it be necessary.

Its floor marries to the existing dock and provides 35m2 of additional space to provide relief for any pressure on the holding area of the main warehouse.

Two 6.5 tonne, 12-rollcage double deck lifts were selected as the most appropriate for Boots' requirements at Greenwich.

Boots selected Transdek's lifts for their cost effective design and guarantee of short installation times.

The lifts are supplied as pre-built units ready installed in load housings.

Lifts and load houses are fabricated, tested and quality certified offsite, delivered in two sections, then craned into place and anchored to the ground.

The installation of the warehouse extension and the two double deck lifts took just four days, during which time the site operated entirely normally.

Transdek provided full training to all lift operatives and within less than a week, the installation was commissioned and fully operational.

Double deck trailers are now operating effectively at this RDC delivering both economical and environmental benefits for Boots.

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