Materials Handling systems company, DDL Equipment, of Johannesburg has secured the largest single order for 143 newly designed centre in-line 2 cylinder dock leveller for a local fuel group. The contract is valued at over R5 million.
The contract was initiated in June last year and completion of the contract is expected in April 2007.
DDL Equipment MD Andrew Stewart says this contract signifies not only a great moment in the company’s history, but has set a record within the materials handling and logistics industry.
The new dock leveller originally manufactured in 1997, have now received a complete design change to the product, with newly designed centre in-line 2 hydraulic cylinders.
The proudly South African 2 cylinders design does away with moving parts, mechanical linkages, ratchets, springs, cables and needs no critical or frequent adjustments. It has a shallow pit, for inexpensive pit-construction, a burglar-proof front and positive cross-traffic.
Advantages of the new design, says Stewart are that all forces are upwards in the centre, all downward loading force tilt left or right when the lift truck and pallet load on one side with the floating of the vehicle tyres and spring, which allows for more flexing of the top deck.
Other advantages include that the centre swing lip hydraulic cylinder, which needs less force to lift a 1800 mm or 2100 mm wide lip and from a manufacturing aspect, the jigs are simple and less time for production is required.
"Dock levellers are not something new. It is an age-old concept in both materials handling and engineering," says Stewart. However, he continues, " The history of docking equipment in South Africa has seen a shift away from old mechanical levellers."
He explains that adjustable dock levellers offered reduced labour forces, reduced costs and loading times and high-powered lift trucks gained prominence, palletisation and the unit load evolved in design. He says that it was necessary to improve dock levellers as it contributes greatly to the science of material handling.
"The adjustable dock leveller was already established as one of the intermodal pieces of equipment and it was and is the bridge which bonds the container system together because containerisation either starts or ends at the loading and unloading docks."
He continues, "The one subtle difference, however, is that the rugged, adjustable dock leveller is by far the cheapest item of equipment, needing little or no maintenance, a simple design affording the greatest saving to the end-user. It is the vital link between the end-user and the evolution of containerisation, which is now into its fourth decade in South Africa, and which is very much at the forefront of those early developments with the upward biased spring actuated dock leveller, which they produced in the early 50’s and which were followed by hydraulically operated and add-a-dock-models."
Exportation of the new centre in-line 2 cylinders hydraulic dock levellers to Nigeria, Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Mauritius, makes it essential that DDL Systems comply with international standards.
Stewart explains to Engineering News that compliance with international standards is one of the main objectives of the company.
Stewart believes that standards in the material handling industry need to become a priority in the industry.
"There is very worrying evidence that local standards are falling significantly behind the rest of the world. Standards, in the materials handling facilities must comply with those operating in the global village in which we find ourselves," explains Stewart. He points out that while South Africa specialises in the manufacturing of docking equipment and in exporting of the equipment to countries in Africa, islands around Africa and the Middle East, these countries expect South Africa to comply with international standards.
Stewart points out that all disciplines in material handling including, production, transport, distribution, packaging, logistics and supply chain management need to work as a team and determine industry standards.
He says a second factor contributing to sustaining to compliance with international standards is designing for the exports, which are increasing in South Africa.
He adds, " This has meant that South Africa has had to ensure that equipment, which is manufactured in the country, meets international standards. Unfortunately, the reality is quite far from this ideal as everyone in this diverse business appears to be running in different directions."
Stewart envisages the need for the move towards international compliance, he also believes the local platform in the materials industry is lacking. He says the lack of the platform directly affects growth in the industry.
"The South African trend towards placing all elements of materials handling under one general identity of supply chain or logistics flies in the face of international trends and ignores the separate needs of each discipline within the sector," says Stewart.
He believes that South Africa should use the US and Europe as examples to follow in the industry, as the materials handling industry is clearly defined and specialised organisations representing different disciplines of the supply chain exist.
Stewart says that South Africa has no dedicated associations or institutes and journals for different disciplines within the industry. He cites the example of the Materials Handling Association, which blossomed in South Africa before being absorbed into the Metal Industries Federation. He said the organisation has changed names on numerous occasions and has now evolved into the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport South Africa. Thus five years ago, Stewart was prompted to establish the Friends Under the Materials Handling Umbrella Organisation. The organisation includes forklift, racking equipment, conveyors, cranes, transport and other sectors of the distribution and handling. This organisation has a good relationship with the Materials handling Industry of America.
"The evolution of the company has been amazing and, as its founder, I’m proud to say that the company has kept pace, not only with the demanding requirements of materials handling in Southern Africa but also with the government black economic-empowerment (BEE) requirements," adds Stewart.
To engage in the concept of BEE, the company has transformed from a close corporation to a propriety limited company to makes shares available to its employee body.
Employees also receive free training once a month at the company, lectured by Stewart, to ensure that they are kept abreast with the developments and issues affecting the industry.
Maintaining standards has paid off for the company, which recently received the Hot Dip Galvanising Award from the Hot Dip Galvanisers Association of Southern Africa, for hot-dip galvanising dock levellers (used mainly in the meat industry where high levels of corrosion exist).
The company continues to keep abreast with legislation and the industry’s changing requirements.
With the introduction of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and stricter legislation governing safety food handling, the company is able to provide advice to ensure chillers, freezers and cold rooms which operate in line with these stringent directives.
Stewarts explains that the HACCP’s approach to food prevents hazards that could cause food-borne illnesses by monitoring the progress of foodstuffs throughout their progress in the food chain. He continues, "This means care at all stages at which food is handled is essential, from primary production to processing, manufacturing, distribution and retail, to the point of consumption to ensure that potentially harmful biological, chemical or physical hazards do not compromise food safety."
"My overriding dream is to see the African logistics world align with international standards. DDL Systems’ contribution to this goal is by making nearly forty years of research and development in the logistics industry freely available to visitors on our website," he concludes.
