Sixty new forklifts and reach trucks for Bluestar Global Logistics

United Forklift and Access Solutions has been awarded a major contract with nationwide logistics provider Bluestar Global Logistics.
United supplied over 60 units to Bluestar’s national depots, including a combination of heavy-duty and high-performance CAT 2.5t LPG forklifts, CAT 3.0t LPG forklifts and CAT 1.6t electric reach trucks, each of which is well suited to heavy-use industries such as logistics, warehousing and transport.
“In a competitive tender, United were the standout company, because their service truly went above and beyond,” said Mr Peter James, Asset & Compliance Manager, Bluestar Global Logistics.
Before submitting their tender, United visited each of Bluestar’s national offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth to assess areas where they could provide cost-saving solutions that optimised efficiency and productivity.
United’s National Major Accounts Manager, Mark Pemberton, and his team identified two major problem areas where United could provide innovative solutions. “We discovered that the hosing and hydraulic cylinders in their old fleet were left too exposed, and they were having to replace them frequently due to damage. Our CAT forklifts have been fitted with a low profile hose which is positioned further back, along with a custom designed and manufactured cylinder protector. Both of these features reduce damage to these otherwise vulnerable parts and enhance the overall safety of the machines, ultimately reducing the cost of life to our customer,” said Mr Pemberton.
“The other wear issue we identified was that the heel of the forklift tynes was wearing out over time, and once it’s worn past a certain point, the forklift is no longer standards or safety compliant. We added a lift cylinder spacer, which means that when the front of the tynes are touching the floor, the back is still slightly elevated. In addition to stopping wear from hitting the ground, it stops the heel scraping along the ground if the forklift moves with its tynes down,” he said.
United’s CAT forklifts are all speed-limited to Bluestar’s site requirements and feature CAT’s electric on-board pin-code access system, which prevents unauthorised use of the machines.
Each forklift features a swing-down LPG bracket for the gas bottle, so that operators never have to lift the bottle during replacement, which would cause excess operator fatigue.
“Forklifts are the lifeblood of our business,” said James. “Our customers expect quick delivery times, and their customers expect quick delivery times, so there’s a significant flow-on effect if we have any issues with our forklifts.”