Latest news
Rob's bright idea saves the company a fork-tune!
A simple suggestion from a Sellafield Ltd employee has saved the company nearly £19,000.
Rob Rowlandson's idea was to utilise an existing 'swing thru' trailer instead of hiring in specialist forklift trucks to unload PCM containers upon arrival at Sellafield.
PCM waste returns from the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) are delivered to Sellafield in specially designed containers via the rail network. The rail wagons were, up until recently, unloaded using special forklift truck based permanently at the rail sidings for this operation. The containers are then loaded onto road trailers for movement to the site’s Engineered Drum Store.
However, when a key component failure of the specially designated forklift truck occurred last year, Rob came up with the idea to use a ‘Swing thru’ trailer to offload the PCM containers instead of the forklift truck.
Swing thru trailers allow operators to load and unload containers more readily without the need for material handling equipment, forklift truck drivers, crane or specialist operators.
Rob identified that there were issues with moving the large existing forklift truck (12 tonnes in weight) across the site and entered his idea to utilise a ‘Swing thru’ trailer in the Sellafield Suggestion Scheme.
“The use of swing thru trailers provides a safer means of unloading and transporting the containers as well as a reduction in manpower used for the movement and transfer from the rail sidings,” said Rob.
“It also incorporates a further benefit in that the rail system can now be used to return the empty PCM containers to the LLWR as opposed to on the road through the Drigg village.”
Commending Rob on his suggestion, Head of Waste, Laurence Cook, said: “Well done to Rob on this simple, yet effective cost saving suggestion.
“Utilisation of existing equipment including the swing thru trailer rather than hiring in a specialist forklift truck has negated the need to procure a new forklift truck to replace the now redundant one, which is a significant saving in itself.
“The manpower released means that additional resource has now been redirected to carrying out inspection checks on drums in the stores. This inspection programme is now progressing ahead of schedule and will enable us to provide additional store capacity within the Waste Treatment Complex earlier than planned.”
The redundant forklift truck will be offered up on the NDA on their asset transfer register for spares.
