Company Wiegand transports 470 in long pipes and more thanks to 2-in-1 forklift from HUBTEX
Toboggan runs, slides and more: when production logistics become child's play
 

The Josef Wiegand company, based in Rasdorf, a town in the German state of Hesse, is a special company: it is one of the few companies in the world that manufactures slides, summer toboggan runs and amusement park equipment. For their production, it is not uncommon to have to transport steel and stainless steel tube material up to twelve meters long. This is difficult for a conventional counterbalanced forklift truck to handle. The solution: the 2in1 FluX 30 forklift, which can be used flexibly as a conventional forklift or side loader.

For more than 50 years, the medium-sized family business Josef Wiegand has been delivering its toboggan runs, suspended rides, children's slides, event slides and water slides all over the world. They can be found, for example, in Chinese mountains, European amusement parks, American ski resorts and even on cruise ships. Accordingly, Josef Wiegand always has a large stock of materials in storage, which has to be transported across the company premises for further processing. The profiles, profile tubes or T-profiles are very long, especially for water slide supports and stair constructions or for toboggan run bridges. They are transported from the warehouse to the processing area and later to the galvanizing plant by forklift truck. A conventional counterbalance truck quickly reaches its limits here. It requires wide aisles and has to travel across the site to transport the parts, some of which are up to 470 in long, from one place to another. This is not only cumbersome, but also increases the risk of accidents. For example, the contact surface between the forklift truck and the long pipes is very small, and it is not uncommon for the long goods to have to be laboriously lifted over obstacles. For managing director Hendrik Wiegand, whose father Josef founded the company many years ago, one thing was clear: a solution had to be found.

Combined conventional forklift and side loader solves transportation problem  

He found this solution in the FluX 30 electric multidirectional forklift from HUBTEX, which, as a 2-in-1 forklift, enables combined pallet and long goods transport in just one vehicle and can be used as a counterbalance and side loader. With the new truck, the long pipe material can now be optimally moved sideways, thus guaranteeing maximum safety when transporting long goods. At the same time, the forklift truck can continue to perform tasks such as transporting palletized loads as usual. “The FluX 30 is the optimal solution for our transport problem. Thanks to the 2-in-1 forklift truck, we only need one vehicle that we can use for our various requirements,” says Hendrik Wiegand with satisfaction, adding:

“Although we also considered a competitor of HUBTEX at the beginning, after a demonstration of the FluX 30 and a subsequent tour of the plant, it was clear that we had found the right partner in HUBTEX.” 

 

Seamless change of direction thanks to 360° HX steering

Because the endless steering system, the proven 360° HX steering, also completely convinced Hendrik Wiegand. It has turned out to be an asset, especially when it comes to the many changes of direction in the free-moving warehouse and when loading and unloading trucks:
 

“The forklift is particularly maneuverable and efficient, so that our employees can easily switch from lengthwise to crosswise drive while driving – without any intermediate stops. This reduces the time required for switching the wheels and makes cumbersome maneuvering unnecessary.”

A fact that is also reflected in faster throughput times at Wiegand. Another advantage of the HX steering system: wheel wear is significantly reduced because the wheels no longer inevitably have to turn on the spot at a standstill. Changing direction while driving results in lower friction losses, which sustainably extends the service life of the wheels. At the same time, the steering offers the smallest turning circles and thus guarantees optimal maneuverability.
 

“This makes our very challenging production logistics seem like child's play,” Wiegand sums up.

The FLUX multidirectional forklift in use at Josef Wiegand