Fast Freight Srl has become one of the first companies in the world to receive the new Combi-CSS Container Slip Sheet, which is designed for the faster loading of containers.

 

The family-owned freight forwarder, based in Constanta in Romania, handles a wide range of goods and was therefore keen to improve the process of loading goods into containers in terms of safety and efficiency.

 

This led to the joint project with Combilift, the Irish specialist manufacturer of handling solutions, resulting in the Combi-CSS.

 

Ioana Nedu, export sales representative at Fast Freight, said: “Safety and the reduction of risk across all operations is a major priority for us and I believe our collaboration, experience and input has been crucial to the success of this new product. It has also enabled us to increase capacity and margin per load.”

 

To ensure that it can handle any type of cargo, the company has invested substantially in equipment for its bonded Constanta Port terminal in the past couple of years, much of which was supplied by Combilift.

 

The goods that pass through Constanta Port are diverse in type as well as size and weight including sheet materials, logs, profiles, marble blocks and containers as well as project cargo such as paper reels, steel coils and machinery, many of which are oversized or of non-standard dimensions.

 

Fast Freight uses around eight Combilift products, each suited to the specific requirements of individual loads.

Using the mechanised Combi-CSS system to load products such as steel pipes or timber into containers avoids a combination of forklifts and manual labour, significantly speeding up the process while increasing safety to operators and minimising product damage.

 

A full load can be assembled on a steel sheet, which is hydraulically guided into the container, before a barrier then swings across the container opening and is locked in place.

This holds the material within the container while the metal sheet is slipped out from underneath it. With a 30,000 kg capacity, an entire load cycle can be performed by a single operator and a 20 ft container can be fully loaded in three minutes.

 

The other Combilift machines at the 7,500 sq m Constanta site include two telescopic straddle carriers with automatic 20/40 spreader bars to handle containers and a tipper to load 20 ft containers with bulk materials.

Further products include multidirectional 5 tonne and 8 tonne forklifts, which are used for handling long loads, and an aisle master articulated forklift, which works indoors for space saving storage as well as inside containers.

 

Some of the models are fitted with specialist attachments such as a C-Hook for the straddle carrier for steel pipes and a heavy-duty fork attachment for loading and unloading blocks of marble.

Nedu added: “We realised that the ability to source such a wide range of customised handling equipment from one single supplier would be a great advantage.

 

“The company uses common components on a lot of its models which simplifies maintenance for example, and the high level of cooperation between the two companies means that we can offer the best quality service for our customers’ individual needs.”

 

Original article: https://container-mag.com/2020/05/06/fast-freight-receives-new-combilift-product-for-fast-container-loading/