Concorde Metals buys Bobcat S650 compact loader
South East-based metals supplier Concorde Metals has purchased a Bobcat S650 compact loader for its Belvedere facility.
The loader is used to fill containers, where its compact size is suitable for loading materials by driving into containers off ramps.
The loader also works in conjunction with the material handler on the site sorting and loading a range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials into the facility bays.
Cliff Cast, warehouse manager at the Concorde Metals facility in Belvedere, said: “We purchased the S650 loader as it offers the right combination of a compact size to fit in the containers with the lifting power and capacity we need.
“The new machine has optional AHC hand controls, heated cab, Lexan door and solid wheels/tyres. Being an engineering material, the Lexan door offers the impact resistance and outstanding stability we need to withstand blows from pieces of metal and provides us with peace of mind and extra safety in the cab.”
Biffa gives second life to waste vehicles
Waste firm Biffa has chosen Refuse Vehicle Solutions (RVS) to remanufacture four of its waste collection vehicles.
RVS took six weeks to replace the worn and defective parts on each vehicle with new or remanufactured parts, before checking and respraying them with the firm’s corporate livery.
All four vehicles were Mercedes Econic chassis’ with Faun Variopress bodies. One vehicle bin lift was replaced with a fully remanufactured Terbeg OmniDel bin lift.
David Maidman, operations director at Biffa Municipal, said: “Extending the life of some of our existing assets is a very attractive and cost effective solution. Also, ‘recycling’ our own vehicles and enabling them to operate for another 5-7 years fits very well with our own green agenda.”
Lytx expands driver safety portfolio
Video-based driver safety specialist Lytx has unveiled DC Protect, a self-service tool to improve driver safety across smaller vehicle fleets.
Waste firms with fewer than 350 vehicles can take advantage of the technology, which helps identify a driver’s probability of being involved in a future collision based on their driving patterns and helps manage their additional coaching.
The technology also includes video surveillance to enable fleet managers to protect their vehicles, exonerate drivers from fall claims and reduce collision costs. The in-vehicle video recorder captures events and analyses road user behaviour.
Damian Penney, Lytx Europe Ltd’s general manager, said: “Lytx believes that one size does not fit all, which is why we are delighted to now offer DC Protect in the UK to allow smaller fleets the opportunity to utilise our industry-leading driver safety technology.”
Brigade highlights multiple vehicle blind spots
Brigade Electronics has highlighted its ultra-wide-angle cameras for heavy goods vehicles to help drivers identify and protect other road users in blind spots.
The Backeye camera has a 360-degree ‘bird’s eye’ view designed to assist low speed manoeuvrability, and to process information from several mirrors quickly.
The firm issued an interactive stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show this year highlighting blind spots that waste fleet drivers should notice.
The 2D graphic of a lorry shows all the blinds spots and fatality statistics associated with them – showing 32% of overall accidents are caused by right hand side swipes and 18% by left swipes.
The chilling figures follow a number of cyclist fatalities caused by heavy goods vehicles on London roads in recent years.
Brigade’s regional marketing manager, Emily Hardy, said: “This shows that we can no longer consider blind spots in isolation, blind spot devices are essential 360 degrees around the vehicle.”
Ernest Cooper makes savings on fuel
Bulky waste haulier firm Ernest Cooper is set to save around £125,000 in fuel costs over the next 12 months by improved driver behaviour across its 25-strong fleet.
The firm, which transports over 1.5 million tonnes of bulk materials per year, saw mpg improve by 14% and a decrease in idle driving in the first two months of using TomTom Telematics’ WEBFLEET fleet management system.
Ernest Cooper also uses driver behaviour monitoring tool OptiDrive to deliver on-the-road coaching to drivers and full post-trip evaluation reports to managers.
“Because our drivers now get real time visual alerts on their in-cab device when they are speeding or braking and cornering too harshly, they can respond instantly,” said Ernest Cooper Ltd, director Jason Cooper. “The dramatic effect on fuel efficiency means that we are now planning to introduce the technology across our growing sub-contractor fleet.”
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