Thames Reinforcements save 75% on loading times with Kaup attachment supplied by B&B

A Kaup coil handling attachment, supplied through exclusive UK distributor B&B Attachments, has cut Kent based Thames Reinforcements loading time by 75%. Specified by Global Rebar Services, a specialist machinery company based in Peterborough, the Kaup 6T416B-H coil handling attachment is able to handle the coils of reinforcement bar (rebar) in either a vertical or horizontal position.

Thames Reinforcements supplies cut and bent reinforcement from its purpose-built production unit in Sheerness. The production building is conveniently located adjacent to one of the UK steel mills producing reinforcement bar. The plant has a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per annum, thanks to new state-of-the-art machinery installed during the past 12 months. The company also has a fabrication service, particularly for the piling industry.

Global Rebar Services has equipped Thames Reinforcement site with Stema/ Pedax rebar machinery producing 1000 tonnes of cut and bent rebar per week and also two Knuth Terra-Tech forklift trucks. As Kaup is Knuth's preferred attachment supplier, Global Rebar Services immediately contacted B&B Attachments for an attachment that would improve and speed up the unloading and loading of coils of rebar.

"Prior to purchasing the Kaup attachment from B&B, we had to offload coils of rebar using the forks of a forklift truck," said Ian Jeffries, Managing Director of Thames Reinforcements Ltd. "When the bundles were required from store, they were lifted out using the forks and then had to be upended so that chains could be attached for lifting, which was a two-man operation. Now, using the attachment the process is extremely efficient and takes a quarter of the time".

The Kaup 6T416B-2H is able to handle coils of rebar measuring 800mm high x 900mm diameter and weighing around 1500kg. Using the 180-degree forward rotation together with the sideshift the operator is able to use the attachment to place the coil in the correct position on the de-coiling machine for production.

The attachment has also been supplied with 1600mm high contact pads to cover the handling of Wild Coils which measure1200mm in diameter by 1600mm long and weigh 2500kg. These coils have very limited banding and therefore require total coverage by the attachment's contact pads.

Established for over 25 years, B&B Attachments is the UK and Ireland's leading independent supplier of forklift truck attachments and masts. From its sites in Newbury, Berkshire and Cramlington, Northumberland, the company operates the largest fleet of service vehicles in the forklift attachment industry, handling site maintenance and repairs for a client base that includes OEMs, forklift truck dealerships and end users.

B&B Attachments Ltd
Tel: 01635 232000
www.bandbattachments.com