Tattnall Printing is a commercial sheetfed printing facility in Reidsville, Georgia. The company can do it all from single page flyers to multi-page color brochures with die-cuts and varnishes to make the colors pop. Whether Tattnall Printing prints a menu for a local restaurant, an annual report for a multinational corporation, or even materials for a government entity, the staff understands that efficiency is the name of the game, especially in delivery.
Many facilities that receive Tattnall Printing products do not have loading docks, which can complicate the process. Delivering the entire pallet load at once, instead of offloading boxes onto dollies and manually wheeling them in, cuts Tattnall Printing delivery time in half or more. The company’s new self-lifting loader from InnoLIFT USA is the key to its delivery success.
Russ Rhoden and his team at Tattnall have used the InnoLIFT Large High Capacity Open-bottom Loader (OBL) since March of 2020. Prior to that, the team would typically borrow their neighbor’s forklift to load pallets into their Ford Transit 250. That process was speedy enough, provided that their neighbor’s lift truck wasn’t in use. However, upon arriving at the destination, they would manually unload the pallets, stacking four or five boxes onto a two-wheeled cart before wheeling them into the facility. Since each pallet holds 20 to 25 boxes, the driver would have to repeat the process multiple times, which is laborious, tiring, and makes it easy for injuries to occur.
THE SOLUTION
InnoLIFT has changed how Tattnall loads and unloads because the loader lifts its load and itself into and out of the delivery vehicle. There is no more manually removing boxes from the pallet, stacking them five high, and then wheeling them in multiple times. Now Tattnall drivers simply offload the whole pallet and wheel it in once using their InnoLIFT.
“We save at least 50% of the delivery time,” Rhoden says. “There are no more back-and-forth trips with the dolly taking them in and out. And when it’s raining, that’s even worse. With InnoLIFT, we deliver the whole pallet and we’re done.”
Rhoden especially appreciates that the InnoLIFT can fit in and out of tight confines and through smaller doorways. He estimates that 90% of the facilities they deliver to do not have loading docks. Having no dock is no problem for the InnoLIFT. If Tattnall’s delivery location does have a loading dock but delivery trucks are backed up waiting for their turn to offload, its drivers can simply offload with their InnoLIFT and get on their way, saving time.
SAFETY BENEFITS
The ergonomic benefits are enormous. InnoLIFTs allows Tattnall’s operators to easily load and unload pallets weighing up to 2,000 lbs. One person can deliver heavy materials to a loading dock or a street-level facility, replacing liftgates, ramps, hoists, and conventional pallet jacks. Though Rhoden does not track lost time incidents of their drivers, eliminating the manual unloading definitely helps them.
The InnoLIFT also gives Tattnall’s team other delivery efficiencies. It makes it possible for Rhoden’s team to use its smaller, nimbler, more fuel-efficient Ford Transit 250 van instead of its larger Isuzu delivery vehicle for deliveries to downtown locations.
Rhoden came across the InnoLIFT while researching his options online. He contacted the company and began a dialogue that ended up with his purchasing the self-lifting loader, which comes with a one-year parts warranty as standard.
HOW IT WORKS
InnoLIFTs are easy to operate. First, Rhoden’s crews load the boxes onto the pallet and then wrap it in cellophane. Then workers use the InnoLIFT to load the pallet into the delivery van. Once all pallets are loaded, a driver pulls the support legs out and raises up the chassis electronically. When the chassis is fully raised, the driver pushes the support legs back in and walks the InnoLIFT and cargo into the van. The load is then secured as required, and the driver is ready to go. Upon arrival at the delivery site, the process is simply reversed.
The electric-powered self-lifting loader can be charged at the factory when not in use, or it can be charged while in transit to a delivery. It can be fully charged in a couple of hours, and a charge typically lasts at least a full day or two, despite using it for 10 or more deliveries per day.
Running a specialized printing company means making a lot of decisions. Rhoden investigated the InnoLIFT and elected to purchase one—he’s been reaping benefits ever since. Saving 50% on delivery times, enhancing safety by eliminating strains inherent with manual lifting, and using a smaller, more economical delivery vehicle all continue to pay dividends for Tattnall Printing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The InnoLIFT Large High Capacity Open-bottom Loader has a loading capacity of 1,325 lbs. It can fit in mid- and high-roof cargo vans. Find out more about the loader, visit www.innoliftusa.com.
