Marble handled with care by specialist lift trucks

Botros Hanna, Industry Manager, Big Truck Solutions for Hyster, stated: “Turkey has a thriving natural stone industry, but many companies had encountered damage when carrying, stacking and shipping palletised slabs of marble, which can be susceptible to chips, cracks or scratches if not handled with care. As a highly valuable, luxury construction material, even a small amount of damage can render the load useless, incurring extra costs, and impacting operational efficiency.”

To overcome these challenges, Hyster offers a solution for marble handling industry applications which features the Pars Express five marble attachment, a special bundle attachment, in combination with a tough Hyster forklift truck. Applications commonly opt for either the H5.5FT diesel forklift, or the Hyster J5.5XN electric lift truck, depending on the needs of their operation. Both provide excellent visibility and control when handling challenging loads, helping to improve accuracy and reduce damage.

Hanna added: “Other marble attachments are designed for unloading containers only - this is the first time that an attachment is available for handling palletised stone loads. Coupled with the stable and precise handling of a Hyster forklift, applications can benefit from a wide variety of uses.”

The specialist attachment enables marble loads to be handled using a lift truck, instead of a crane, which eliminates the risk of the load getting crushed or broken due to the crane or the rope. By palletising the load and handling it with an attachment, the truck can carry slabs of stone without directly touching them, which also contributes to damage reduction.

As well as reducing damage, using a tough Hyster lift truck benefits operational efficiency. Loading and unloading of shipments can be achieved at greater speed, as it is not necessary to depend on a crane, or to wait for one to become available. In addition, the marble can be stored in locations where a crane is not present, providing applications with more ways to maximise their existing infrastructure.

Flexibility is also achieved as the same tough truck can be used in many different applications throughout the marble supply chain, from production plants, stores and showrooms, to ports and rail yards. With a robust chassis and strong mast design, Hyster lift trucks optimise residual capacity when working with attachments, while also offering good visibility and rigidity.

The versatile lift truck also supports a variety of handling activities. Stacking the marble slabs, transporting them within a storage area, and loading and unloading containers can all be achieved with a Hyster lift truck and the specialist marble attachment.

Hannah continued: “In the construction materials sector, we are seeing increasing interest in both diesel fuelled and battery powered Hyster lift trucks with this particular attachment. Organisations are also incorporating electric trucks elsewhere in their fleets, such as using the J3.0XN electric forklift to handle crated marble loads.

“By working closely with customers, we can match the right Hyster lift truck and most suitable attachments to the application’s specific demands. This helps to reduce the total cost of ownership while maintaining optimum productivity, even in challenging industries such as marble handling.”