Hughes & Associates FM, which provides receiving, handling and delivery (RH&D) services for imported natural stone, has tackled the challenges of high volumes and super heavy loads with ease, thanks to the installation of three Super Deluxe container ramps from Thorworld.
Operating out of Tilbury Docks in London, Hughes & Associates FM (HAFM) receives around 4,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) containers per year, which are unloaded from ships at the London Gateway port and shunted to HAFM’s facility, where the containers are then devanned.
Initially, devanning was carried out via forklift trucks using a standard Thorworld Deluxe container ramp. However, the heavy weight of the products being handled by HAFM created a significant maintenance toll, with each load weighing an average of two tonnes and being unloaded by three-tonne forklift trucks.
“We had initially ordered the ramps in on rental and handled the maintenance ourselves but due to the super heavy loads we deal with, we frequently had to repair the mesh flooring,” said Luke Allison, General Manager at HAFM.
Thorworld’s distributor Darmax had these requirements in mind and suggested one of its Super Deluxe Type 6 container ramps as a solution. The 12,000kg capacity and closer supports of the Super Deluxe model turned out to be ideal. “The maintenance issue has been virtually eliminated and we have made huge savings on repairs—the upgraded ramps were clearly the sensible answer,” said Luke.
Initially purchasing a Super Deluxe ramp in 2019, HAFM has since taken delivery of two additional ramps of the same specification as the company expanded and opened a new facility.
The expertise and level of service provided by Darmax were hailed by Luke. “James from Darmax has been brilliant, he really knew his stuff and was able to tell us exactly what we needed.
“The service has been great overall. We have Thorworld visit annually to inspect the ramps and, if necessary, let our engineering team know what needs to be done.”
HAFM specialises in imports of natural stone from India, block paving from China and slate from South America, primarily serving the construction sector.
James Corfield, Managing Director of Darmax, said: “Quality and reliability are hallmarks of Thorworld’s products. That also applies to the level of service we provide, and we take great pride in working closely with our customers to find the ideal logistics solution for them.”
