MANUFACTURING
Combilift’s new 46 000m² factory and global
headquarters is built with expansion in mind.
By the end of
this year, we
target to produce
140 machines
per week.”
Sam Moffat, Combilift
its product offering. A highly respected
manufacturer of multidirectional forklifts
and long-load material handling systems,
the Irish company has a well-oiled
manufacturing process, where every
machine is taken through a rigorous
checklist to ensure the highest quality.
Sam Moffat, business development
manager Combilift, says, “We started
in the factory in August 2016, but we
lost six months to the bad weather. The
production started at different times; the
straddle carrier department moved here
over one year ago, while some of our
assembly lines have only been here over
the last month. It’s been a long transition
because we try not to stop production.”
Walking through the vast new
factory, it is evident that it has been
built to accommodate expansion. Each
workstation handles a specific stage of
the newly introduced Lean manufacturing
process, which is a systematic method
for waste minimisation within a
manufacturing system, without sacrificing
productivity.
The media was taken on a
comprehensive two-and-a-half-hour
factory tour to see, personally, the entire
process involved in manufacturing the
sought-after equipment line.
An aspect that puts Combilift in the
lead as a forklift and materials handling
manufacturer, is its focus on bespoke
manufacturing, with units engineered
to the highest standards, based on
innovation and customer collaboration.
This innovative approach is
underscored at the start of the tour,
when Moffat explains what sets the
Combilift range of forklifts apart: “We do
not add counterweights to our machines;
the counterweight is built into the
machine, fully integrated, and does not
hang off the back, adding weight to the
machine. Because of this innovation, the
forklift is able to work within a narrow
aisle, creating more space for storage in
a warehouse.”
Bespoke manufacturing
Martin McVicar, managing director and
one of Combilift’s founders, explains
that mass customisation is key to the
company’s success: “Mass customisation
is the new frontier for both the customer
and the manufacturer. Increasingly,
customers are expecting products
to be tailored to meet their needs.
Forklift producers that offer customised
products generally produce low volume,
but Combilift is setting the benchmark
by offering the mass production of
tailored products, resulting in a strategic
advantage for our customers. Traditional
forklift manufacturers focus on high-
volume mass production of the same
products. We evolve with our clients,
producing new products each year.”
While there are numerous assembly
lines, each machine on the line may
have a variation to its order, from the
inclusion of something as elementary
as a rubber mat to prevent materials
slippage, to a change in body dimension
to accommodate a client’s personalised
factory environment. It is this aspect that
requires dedicated teams of workers
within each workstation, ensuring that all
variations to the standard machines are
applied, while a detailed, comprehensive
checklist ensures the bespoke list is
adhered to.
It is the customisation of each order
that dictates the human workforce, as
automation is impossible within such a
personalised production line.
Assembly process
There are four main assembly lines
in the new factory. One consists of
electrical machines, while another has an
extraction system for customised fittings.
Assembly line one moves at 3.5 metres
every 53 minutes, giving each of the
26 technicians on the line that length of
time in which to complete their allocated
task. Each technician is trained in three
different areas, which covers potential
gaps when an employee may be off sick,
or on leave.
During the assembly process, every
aspect of customisation and assembly is
checked and signed off, down to the tiniest
detail. For example, a sharp edge on a
Jubilie clip (used to fasten a hose) was
marked down to be cleaned up to prevent
a possible accidental cut in the future.
JUNE 2018
15