Transdek began working with Tesco in response to the company's wish to use double deck trailers for deliveries from the UK mainland to their Belfast distribution centre. The business case behind the move was targeted at reducing transport costs, the number of road miles travelled and the level of CO2 emissions.
"Tesco had been relying on single-deck trailers, carrying just 45 rollcages, and the limited use of powered double deckers," recalls Transdek managing director, Mark Adams. "The double deckers were 'limited' because of their constrained payload which only allows for the transportation of lightweight products, ruling out the carriage of mixed loads."
However, following a thorough evaluation process Transdek was commissioned to install a 12-cage double deck lift at the Tesco distribution hub in Belfast. This enabled Tesco's fleet of fixed double-deck trailers, carrying 75 rollcages, to begin making regular deliveries. These vehicles carry 26 tonnes payload, compared to the normal, single deck trailers which only deliver a 16 tonne load on average.
The lift took just one day to install, no civil engineering works were required and there was minimal disruption to the ongoing operations of the site.
"Our surface mounted lift had to be assembled and built in a compact manner due to on-site space restrictions," recalls Mark Adams. "As well as the obvious benefits that such as quick installation with minimal disruption delivers, the beauty of our surface mounted column lift is that it is easy to gain landlord and planning permission – if required at all - and it can be easily accessed for maintenance purposes."
Transdek lifts feature, as standard, internal floodlighting, traffic lights, dock seals, a hydraulic bridging plate and vehicle buffers. A feature that Tesco found particularly attractive is that they are also able to accept deliveries from any type of double deck trailer. This includes both Tesco's powered double deck trailers – which have a bottom deck height of around 400mm and Continental style double deckers – which have a bottom deck height of 200mm. This facility is not achievable with a standard scissors lift unless it is placed in a deep, sunken pit.
In addition to all this, and in response to Tesco's specific requirements, wheel guides with adjustable wheel stops were also specially designed to prevent standard, single deck trailers from colliding with the lift house due to their longer rear overhang.
"The end result of this highly successful project is that Tesco now regularly operates fixed double deck trailers to deliver all product mixes to Northern Ireland and is enjoying a significant cost benefit as a result," Adams concluded.
"The bottom line is that Tesco now makes one less Belfast delivery every day, which has resulted in an estimated annual saving of 50,000 road miles and a cut in CO2 emissions of around 61,000 kg. In addition to the savings from reduced mileage and better vehicle utilisation, Tesco also save the cost of a return ferry journey,"