Hanover Terminal, Inc.

FGC25N CUSHION TIRE FORKLIFTS WORK ALL DAY TO MEET HANOVER'S MATERIAL HANDLING CHALLENGES

A third-party logistics provider with facilities in Hanover and York, Pennsylvania, Hanover Terminal, Inc. receives, ships and tracks orders for more than 12 million cases of a variety of products every year. With facilities totaling nearly 1 million square feet of distribution space with 110 truck doors and 11 rail docks, the company relies on FGC25N Mitsubishi forklift trucks to load and unload shipments and move product around the warehouse.

“A company like ours, with 35 doors at the Hanover facility alone, needs forklifts that are reliable and efficient to load and unload 15 trucks at a time,” says Tim Nicholas, operations manager. “The forklifts have to be very user-friendly, because safety is always at the forefront here.”

EQUIPPED WITH ATTACHMENTS

Specified with three- and four-way hydraulic valves, the FGC25N 5,000 lb. capacity cushion tire forklifts are equipped with a variety of attachments to handle the different types of freight Hanover receives on a daily basis.

“There could be eight layers of cases on a skid,” Nicholas notes, “and the operator may only need to lift off the top six cases. We have a huge box clamp that squeezes the sides of the cases so we can move freight around efficiently.”

A slip-sheet attachment is used to grab and pull out the cardboard sheet placed underneath product that comes in on railcars or trucks. That product then can be loaded onto pallets. Another attachment is a roll clamp to lift and transport rolls of paper safely and securely.

“These forklifts are very operator-friendly,” Nicholas says. “The cab is compact and comfortable. Operators don’t have to reach and stretch; they just move their hands around. The levers are very easy to use. The operators are also very pleased with the forklift’s performance and maneuverability.”

RELIABLE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Reliability is another reason Hanover chooses Mitsubishi forklift trucks. The company runs two shifts a day, five days a week and on weekends as required. The forklifts that load and unload semi-trucks all day pile up hours rapidly. Operators who pick orders don’t have as much run time because they’re starting and stopping more frequently. Whatever the use, the forklifts need to be working all day.

The local Mitsubishi forklift truck dealer takes care of all truck maintenance.

“They send in a technician for regular planned maintenance,” Nicholas says. “Other than our daily inspections, we really don’t do any maintenance at all. The service technicians are usually here twice a week, and one will come right away if we call.” He adds, “I’ve been using Mitsubishi forklift trucks for more than 20 years, and they’ve come a long way in design, but they continue to be reliable. There’s very little downtime, which I count on because I need equipment that is up and running every day.”