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Movetech UK designs, manufactures and installs its largest ever vehicle access turntable in mainland Europe

Movetech UK have worked closely with the management team at one of the world’s largest retail companies to design, manufacture and install a bespoke 17m diameter vehicle access turntable, sited at one of their large European stores in the Netherlands.

The project started with the retailer’s management team putting a plan together to extend their existing warehouse space, but with the store being surrounded by a protected nature reserve, the only available space to extend the store would be to construct into the current delivery yard area.

The proposed plan drastically reduced the space in the service yard; therefore, a turntable was the obvious solution to help manage the day-to-day deliveries to and from the store. By designing and installing a new bespoke 17m diameter vehicle access turntable, it would allow for the proposed construction of the additional footprint to be added to the warehouse, additionally allowing the delivery vehicles to continue to make their scheduled deliveries, both safely and efficiently.

“The retail stores primary objective was to extend their warehouse capacity” said Craig Wright, Movetech UK’s Technical Sales Director. “But knowing this would drastically reduce the amount of space the delivery vehicles would have to turn around in, it just wouldn’t have been a safe option to allow the vehicles to manoeuvre in such a small area, so a vehicle access turntable was undoubtedly the perfect solution.”

Craig then went on to say: “To make the delivery yard work efficiently and safely within the reduced delivery area, installing a turntable would certainly achieve this, and would allow the store to push forward with their plans to extend their warehouse capacity.

“The 17m diameter, 50-tonne capacity revolve, is the first, and largest, vehicle access turntable we have ever had the pleasure in designing, manufacturing and installing in mainland Europe, and from the consultancy phase, right up to the installation and handover, it has been an exceptionally enjoyable project, particularly when you’ve successfully helped turn someone’s problem into a solution.

“From start to finish, the whole process has taken 13 months, and we are more than happy with the end result. We are extremely honoured to have been given the opportunity to consult and offer a successful solution to the access problems the stores management team encountered.

“We will continue to support the company, by training the staff on how to use the turntable, in addition to servicing the turntable to make sure it continues to provide the high standards we expect from every one of the products we produce.”

Ian West, Movetech UK’s Technical Engineer added “I’ve been involved on this project from the very beginning, and the detail put into the design has allowed the installation of the turntable within the delivery yard to occupy as little land as possible, leaving more space for the store’s additional warehouse capacity, which was the stores main goal in this particular project.

“The added benefit of the stores delivery vehicles being able to drive straight into and out of the delivery area, without the need to make complete manoeuvres to turn the vehicles around, has also vastly improved the overall safety of the yard, as well as increasing efficiency by allowing deliveries to be completed in a much faster time scale.”

Ian then finished by saying “For this type of turntable, 44 tonne capacity is usually all that is needed in the UK and most of Europe, so being given the opportunity to be able to expand our expertise beyond this, as regulations in the Netherlands are slightly different, have been a great way of demonstrating whatever problem we are faced with, we will always produce a solution.”

Movetech UK vehicle access turntables provide effective access solutions, from improving car parking provision in city centre office blocks, to enabling delivery trucks access to sites that would not otherwise be accessible.

Additional benefits of a vehicle access turntable include meeting local planning requirements where a vehicle is required to enter and exit in a forward gear, assisting vehicles manoeuvring in a restricted area creating a safer working environment, freeing up storage space for more profitable use, as well as helping lower work environment pollution by reducing vehicle engine emissions, and improving logistics by reducing delivery turn round times.

Construction site benefits from a 15m diameter Movetech UK Vehicle Access Turntable

A 15m diameter, 44 tonne capacity, vehicle access turntable installed by Movetech UK at the location of a new multi-million-pound construction in London, is not only speeding up delivery turnaround times for the contractor, but is also proving to offer many other economic and operational benefits.

The construction company’s development of the new building, is sited at the core of London’s King’s Cross district and is positioned right next to the extremely busy King’s Cross station, which has proven to be very problematic when it comes to the delivery of construction materials.

Due to the location, and the long and narrow architectural footprint of the construction area, it left very little room for deliveries to and from the site, therefore a traffic management plan had to be devised to find a suitable solution to comply with regulations, allowing the delivery trucks to enter and exit the construction site safely, in a forward gear.

As the surrounding area also sees a footfall of thousands upon thousands of pedestrians every day, public safety was also a major factor the company had to consider.

Movetech UK worked closely with the project’s management teams, and with the company knowing the small amount of space the delivery yard had to manoeuvre and operate in, a vehicle access turntable was undoubtedly the obvious solution to help manage the day-to-day transportation of materials to and from the construction site.

A vehicle access turntable would typically be installed as a permanent solution in areas such as delivery yards, and would generally be required to be installed inside a recessed turntable pit, so that the turntable platform would sit perfectly level with the current yard surface – but with this project, it had to be slightly different, because the turntable was required to be installed above ground level.

Craig Wright, Movetech UK’s Technical Sales Director, explained further: “When we were originally approached by the contactors, we suggested the turntable should be installed in a pit, however after working closely with their project team, we eventually came up with the above-floor option with a lightweight pedestrian walkway around the turntable. This removed the need for costly on-site preparations, and meant that when the turntable is eventually removed there will be no pit to fill.

“The location of the turntable is directly adjacent to the eventual footprint of the development so complex manoeuvres were just not an option for the client. The turntable allows the delivery drivers to complete their deliveries by entering the construction site in a forward gear, from a busy main road, and drive up a pre-made narrow through road, where they would then park on the turntable, the vehicle would then rotate, allowing the drivers to complete their deliveries, and then exit safely, again – in a forward gear.”

Craig continued: “We have manufactured and installed many Ø15m units for HGVs over the years, but this is the first temporary unit for a construction site we are aware of in the UK.”

“In addition to everything else, construction site traffic management is a critical area of Health and Safety, with reversing vehicles posing a significant risk to personnel on construction sites. By removing the necessity for vehicles to reverse, whilst simultaneously reducing the space required to turn around, the turntable has made the site safer and more efficient. As sites become more and more restrictive, turntables offer an elegant but robust solution.”

Movetech UK will continue to help and support the contracting company, by offering on-hand help and advice, in addition to servicing the turntable throughout the construction process, to make sure it continues to provide the high standards they expect from every one of the products they produce.

The advantages of using a vehicle turntable vary from one application to the next, however where they add value in most cases is to reduce turning space and potentially dangerous reversing manoeuvres, subsequently improving the health and safety within the restricted area. End users can eliminate large turning circles and complex manoeuvres, not only saving fuel and tyre wear, but more importantly reducing emissions to zero at the point of use, further improving the working environment for operatives in the area.

Movetech UK vehicle access turntables provide effective access solutions, from improving car parking provision in city centre office blocks, to enabling delivery trucks access to sites that would not otherwise be accessible.

With 60 years’ experience behind them, Movetech UK offer excellent customer service and superb product quality – their products often outlive their design life, and many units are still working after tens of years in service. With a first-class rental team to match, they supply a wide range of turntables and movements to the biggest names in the industry.

Second British Turntable HGV Access Turntable for Waitrose

British Turntable has supplied a second 15 metre diameter HGV access turntable to Waitrose, creating an efficient loading and unloading operation at the company’s new store in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The contract follows the success of the unit British Turntable had previously installed in the underground loading area at the Surbiton store in Surrey.

Installation of the turntable has allowed the service yard to occupy as little land as possible, leaving more space for the store’s sales area; additionally, vehicles can drive straight into and out of the service area, a safer procedure for the village, whose roads are very narrow and busy.

The turntable fills the service yard and is capable of taking an articulated truck up to 16.5m long and with 40 tonnes capacity. On entering the yard from the main road, the truck drives straight onto the turntable and is then rotated approximately 90 degrees to line it up with the unloading dock; after unloading it can be rotated a further 90 degrees to allow it to drive straight out again.

As the service area is so restricted the turntable has been designed to allow cages to be stored on an area of the turntable not required by the truck and also for a transit-sized van, used by the store for home deliveries, to be parked on the turntable without preventing an articulated truck from using it. The cages and van simply rotate with the turntable.

A safety light beam has been installed to protect a static construction close to the turntable; if the beam is broken this will stop the turntable from rotating further.

The Waitrose turntable has been adapted from one of British Turntable’s standard vehicle revolve designs and is typical of the many vehicle revolves which British Turntable has manufactured and installed in government buildings, major high street stores and other commercial establishments throughout the world.

Standard features of the HGV access revolve design include: a fixed speed rotation of 0.5rpm, which allows vehicles to be moved into the ideal position in only 60 seconds; yellow markers to make positioning of the vehicle on the turntable easier; and a vandal-proof, security key protected control box to aid the manoeuvring process. The turntable components are generally located in a pit that has provision for water drainage.

ASDA Benefits from British Turntable Access Revolve

A 15 metre diameter HGV access revolve installed by British Turntable at the new Asda store in Bearsden, Glasgow, is not only speeding up delivery turnaround times but is also proving to offer other economic and operational benefits.

The 44 tonne capacity revolve, which is capable of carrying an articulated truck up to 16.5m long, has been sited in a covered service yard, which is accessed from a busy main street. Vehicles must enter and exit this street in a forwards direction, and a solution therefore had to be found which would allow delivery vehicles to be turned round in the restricted loading area.

A turntable was the obvious choice with British Turntable chosen as the supplier.

Asda had been looking at installing turntables for a number of years and prior to the Bearsden installation visited Marks & Spencer and Waitrose stores where British Turntable access revolves had previously been installed. They were impressed with the simplicity of the turntable operation at these sites.

Asda’s primary objective was to make the yard work better, and the installation of the turntable at Bearsden has achieved this. It has been instrumental in improving the layout and product flow of the back-of-house at the new store, and the cost of the turntable has been partially offset by the reduction in excavation costs in the rear yard.

After only a couple of training sessions the store team and delivery drivers have become used to the turntable, such that the docking operation is now quick and straightforward.

British Turntable agreed a generic turntable specification with Asda for the Bearsden store, and this was then adapted in consultation with the architect to meet the site’s specific needs. As part of this a simple red/green traffic light arrangement has been provided by British Turntable to inform drivers waiting at the entry door if the turntable is clear of traffic and ready to accept their truck.

Standard features of British Turntable’s generic turntable design include: a fixed speed rotation of 0.5rpm, which allows vehicles to be moved into the ideal position in only 60 seconds; yellow markers to make positioning of the vehicle on the turntable easier; and a vandal-proof, security key protected control box to aid the manoeuvring process. The turntable components are generally located in a pit that has provision for water drainage.

Staff training is also included, as is stand-by provision on store opening, an emergency rotation facility and maintenance.