First Thorworld mobile yardramp still going strong

Since 2009, the yardramp has been used to plug a logistical loop in the business that was not only costing Tivac unnecessary money, but losing it business.

Tivac Alloys' business depends on buying titanium alloy parts from all over the world, which it then melts and sends to steelworks for reprocessing.

With no unloading facility on site, Tivac booked incoming supply containers into local storage depots, where the alloys were unloaded into smaller vehicles for delivery to Tivac's premises.

The company's director, Nicholas Morley, estimates that the total cost per container was in the region of GBP500.

'We were turning down smaller jobs because it was not financially viable to take on the work,' Morley explains.

'After researching the market, we decided to invest in a yardramp to enable us to unload on-site'.

As Tivac was moving into new territory, Thorworld advised its requirements would best be met by trying a second-hand machine - and the company realised that it had a logistics veteran for the job.

'Ramp No.1,' as it is affectionately known by its manufacturer, was built in 1986.

The yardramp delivered many years of continuous reliable service for Claymore Grass Machinery, before Claymore replaced it with an upgraded Thorworld model in 2005.

Ramp No.1 was then restored and put on display at Thorworld head office, until being called back into active service for Tivac in 2009.

Since the Thorworld mobile yardramp was delivered, Tivac has vastly increased output and can now take on jobs that were hitherto restricted by cost implications.

'The yardramp guarantees more work because it is has become feasible to do much more than before,' confirms Nicholas Morley.

Ramp No.1 has been in constant use since its purchase.

'It's an essential part of our operation, required as and when containers arrive, which is usually five days per week,' says Morley.

That level of usage on a twenty-year-old machine means that repairs are sometimes inevitable and, in late 2011, Thorworld was brought in to replace Ramp No.1's undercarriage.

Even so, Tivac Alloys has no complaints.

'The initial return on investment was astonishingly fast, and the yardramp has paid for itself many times over,' Nicholas Morley confirms.

'The Thorworld yardramp is very much part of our business growth and we haven't looked back since it arrived'.

'I can't see us letting it go just yet'.

John Meale, managing director of Thorworld, believes that, 'the example of Tivac Alloys underlines that loading and unloading goods safely and efficiently can have a huge impact on a company's bottom line.

This is why we have worked hard to develop a range of market-leading mobile yardramps, available for purchase or rental, that are extremely easy to use and which can withstand the rigours associated with everything from occasional to constant use'.

Thorworld Industries is one of the foremost designers, manufacturers and suppliers to the loading bay and materials handling sectors and is recognised as both a market leader and innovator in the provision of quality engineered products.

The company provides a one-stop, single source for the UK's widest selection of high quality loading bay and materials handling equipment, safety aids and accessories.