OD Clamp Forklift Attachment for Moving Wooden Barrels
This is a simple solution for wineries, distilleries, or anyone else that works with wooden barrels or casks in terms of overall material handling safety.
CHALLENGES
- Employee safety
- Ergonomics
- Moving wooden barrels
SOLUTION
A distillery reached out to R&D Ergo to find a
solution to moving wooden barrels throughout
their facility without having to rely on manual
lifting from their employees in order to pick up
and place the barrels. There was also a concern
due to the age of many of the barrels that
damage and product loss would occur along with
safety concerns for employees. R&D Ergo was
able to recommend an OD clamp attachment
that attaches to their existing forklifts.
OVERVIEW
Traditionally the process of moving wine or spirits from one
barrel to another involved a great deal of manual labour
Even when pumping liquid
from one barrel to another as
a transportation mechanism,
it requires lifting and possible
twisting from an employee in
order to place the empty barrels.
Or the tilt and roll techniques for
barrels that are full. Outdated practices such as
these have persisted for a long
time, not from a lack of desire
to improve, but from a lack of
viable alternatives that are seen
as efficient in the moment.
One conversation with an
ergonomic specialist from the
R&D Ergo team changed that
right away. After having years of
experience solving these same
problems with industries that
use large steel and fibre drums,
Patrick Bissonnette recognized right away which solution would
work for his clients in the adult
libation industry.
“Being able to eliminate
the need for manual lifting,
pushing, pulling and twisting
from operators will make their
job much easier. And it is a
simple solution that attaches
to your existing forklift.” says
Bissonnette. “Having worked
with clients on countless other
projects like this one in other
industries made it easy for me to
find the right recommendation.”
Find more information about
these and other ergonomic
material handling solutions at
rdergo.com
At the outset of the covid 19 pandemic, beer, wine and spirits showed an initial decline but have rebounded due to ecommerce and increased at-home consumption.
The manufacturer we work
with liked this solution so
much that they wanted to
make sure they added it to
their website.
— Patrick Bissonnette, Ergonomic Specialist