Pandrol upgrades loading dock to keep deliveries on track
March 7, 2023
Railway fastenings manufacturer Pandrol has installed a Thorworld modular loading dock and ramp to replace its previous Thorworld solution, which had successfully delivered 15 years of service at the company’s Worksop facility. The new solution, tailored to Pandrol’s needs, offers enhanced throughput and safety benefits.
“Our team thought highly of the previous ramp, but it was getting old and needed replacing,” said Jason Moody, Long Days Team Leader at Pandrol. “We wanted to bring our loading system into the 21st century and Thorworld remained our first choice, even after checking alternative options.”
Pandrol approached Darmax, Thorworld’s trusted sales partner, to oversee the installation of a bespoke Thorworld solution which paired a modular loading dock with a mobile ramp. This combination allows Pandrol to detach the ramp when needed, whilst also allowing for use during power outages.
“Safety is clearly a huge priority for the Pandrol team who specified lights, staired access to the loading ramp and barriers – all of which were delivered as part of the solution”, said James Corfield, Director of Darmax. “We are always delighted when customers return to us after many years of using a Thorworld system.”
The removal of the existing ramp was arranged by Thorworld and used as credit against the new loading dock.
In operation for over 100 years, Pandrol supplies railway fastening systems to over 100 countries across the world, manufacturing in excess of 18million clips per year.
Given the extensive range of railway gauges, regulations, and specific requirements across the world, Pandrol has a hugely diverse product portfolio in order to meet this diverse and growing demand.
This has a significant impact on Pandrol’s logistics operations and so a rapid and reliable loading solution is essential to maintaining a satisfactory delivery schedule.
Since installation, the new modular dock has led to significant time savings ranging from 10 to 20% depending on the nature of the load.
“We need to make our processes as flexible as possible to serve the many different clip types we produce,” said Ivan Russell, Project Manager at Pandrol. “We take strive to improve our lead-times and ‘on-time delivery’, so quick changeovers in production are vital to achieving this.”
As part of the installation, training was provided by Thorworld to the Pandrol team in addition to an extensive aftercare service.
“It’s clear that the Thorworld installation team take great pride in what they do,” continued Ivan. “We were pleased with the attentive service and aftercare provided to us; any snagging issues were handled well with excellent project management throughout.”
