B&B Attachments, located in Cramlington, Northumberland is the leading independent supplier of forklift truck attachments in the UK. The company, which has a growing export market, recently aided Singer Brick Company in Egypt by providing them with a bespoke solution to a key change in their business. The project, which was nurtured for three years to completion, has resulted in B&B's customer feeling the benefits; helping them to grow as their organisation advances.
B&B Attachments facilitates the sale and hire of forklift truck attachments, produced by leading international manufacturers. The company has been providing products, including attachments from KAUP GmbH & Co. KG and other organisations, since it was founded in 1980. Alongside this, their team design and build bespoke attachments in-house, creating products that meet their customers' specific needs. Any attachment purchased or hired through B&B is supplied with a full service contract, and maintained to the highest standards.
Singer Brick Company located near Cairo, is the first company in the area to begin to manufacture bricks mechanically; prior to this, they were produced by hand. The transportation of the bricks around site, prior to B&B's involvement, was done manually through the use of donkey and cart. It was this specific handling issue that B&B Attachments became involved with.
Mike Barton, Managing Director of B&B, explains the details behind his customer's requirements:
"Singer Brick Company's problems were almost caused by their own success. When they moved to the automated production of bricks from the old, traditional method, the volumes of bricks they were transporting significantly increased. These large quantities, arranged into packs for dispatch, needed to be handled by an attachment when being stored or loaded onto delivery vehicles. This was the problem we were approaching when our conversations first began."
After extensive discussion and deliberation between the two companies, B&B supplied Singer with three Brick Tine Attachments. This product, specifically-designed for the brick and block industry, only clamps the bottom layer of bricks on a pack. This greatly reduces the likelihood that the bricks will be damaged when moved around site, protecting Singer Brick Company's investment, and preventing the high cost of replacing any damaged goods.
Mike explains the technical workings of the attachment:
"To protect the bricks further, the pressure of the Brick Tine's grip on the pack is controlled by mechanical springs on link rods, operated by a single, rear hydraulic cylinder; giving the safest grip at the lowest pressure to the product. The Tines have both upper and lower replaceable strips, which hold the product without causing any damage. To allow for safe and precise loading, both onto other stacks and onto transport vehicles, the attachment is fitted with a side shift facility, so the operator can perfectly align their loads."
Mike concludes by enthusing about the future of export within B&B:
"Working with Singer Brick Company was an absolute pleasure, and I am always delighted to make overseas contacts as we take B&B forward. We are also currently working on a redesign of our website, which will have a dedicated section for export-intended to aid our international customers in finding information they need from us quickly and easily.