Lifting Heavy Paper Reels Simpler with Specialized Forklift

Paper reel warehouses are usually tight spaces. There’s not a lot of room for forklifts and other vehicles to maneuver. Yet the heavy cylinders of paper are constantly being moved.

How? By use of a specialized forklift that is specifically designed to maneuver in cramped quarters.

The compact Hyster S7 provides a lot of power in a very tiny package. It has the ability to lift 7 tons but has the same footprint as a standard forklift that can lift only 4 tons.

Matthew Allen, of Hyster’s European division, said that quality makes them ideal for use in paper reel warehouses and other operations where power and maneuverability are important.

“In the paper supply chain, paper reels are usually stacked vertically, directly onto clean warehouse floors,” Allen told SHD Logistics, an online materials handling industry website based in the UK. “As stacking heights are limited according to widths and dimensions, businesses are typically looking to reduce warehouse aisles and pack more in.”

Compact But Powerful

While relatively small — the Hyster Fortens S7 has an overall width of only 1,438 mm and a length of just 2,965 mm, excluding its forks — the S7 is ideal for moving paper reels in tight spaces.

“The S7 can increase the utilization of existing warehouses, and its compact size can help improve driver productivity and confidence and result in less product damage,” Allen said. When fitted with a clamp can forklift attachment, for example, the vehicle can stack 4 ton paper rolls at heights up to 6. 5 meters.

The forklift comes with cushion tires and can accommodate many different forklift attachments, including a 180/360 rotation,and single and split arm contact pads that allow for clamping, lift, side shift and rotation functions.

Separate Tensions and Widths

In a paper reel warehouse, the paper rolls can be made out of a lot of different materials, including news print, high quality magazine paper, tissue, board and Kraft liner, all of which have different diameter and width. That’s no problem for the S7, however, because it is specifically designed to handle the costly and delicate reels.

“Different grades of paper require different clamping pressures which would be identified during a site survey,” Allen said. Using the on-board computer, the forklift operator would be able to determine which reel requires a specific diameter and tension to best protect the reel during movement.

The S7 comes with both diesel and propane engine options and come with oil immersed brakes that require less maintenance and are more durable than standard forklift brakes. It also has a stability mechanism — which enhances lateral stability when the vehicle is stacking heavy loads, such as news print reels — as well as return to set tilt control to ensure correct alignment for clamp contact pads and reduce edge damage when setting reels on the floor or onto a stack.

Optional features include Pedestrian Awareness Lights (PALs), which lightup when the forklift is backing up, and telemetry systems.

The vehicle also can be fitted with an on-board warehouse management system computer system and scanners to give it additional versatility.