Case Studies

Supporting our customers

Premium Cyder specialists Aspall, is one of the ten oldest family businesses in the UK. For the past eight years, Doosan’s Pro-5 forklifts have helped to bring a little extra fizz to the 285 year old Suffolk site.

Founded in 1728 by Clement Chevallier, Aspall Suffolk Cyder is owned and operated by the eighth generation of the Chevallier family.

Taking it’s inspiration from the apple tree for three centuries, the company produces a range of award-winning cyders, vinegars and apple juice, and is now the UK’s oldest independently-owned cider producer and the last remaining English owned family vinegar brewer.

Eight year partnership

A Doosan forklift user for over eight years, Aspall lay claim to an impressive heritage in cyder making and place a great deal of emphasis on establishing long-term relationships with suppliers.

Set amongst 90 acres of organic orchards, Aspall Suffolk Cyder has been produced at the same site in Debenham, Suffolk since 1728.

Legendary beginnings

The origin of the business is now the stuff of legend. Before settling in leafy Suffolk, the Chevalliers were Hugenot residents of Jersey, having left France to flee Catholic Persecution.

At some point they were involved in the Crusades and, as associates of the Knights Templar, they earned the family name as knights on horseback, which translates as ‘chevaliers’.

A heritage of Cyder making

During exile, the family started to miss their favourite tipple so much that Clement Chevalier is said to have arranged for the original cyder press stonewheel to be imported all the way from France. It was then dragged via horse and cart from Ipswich. Fortunately logistics has moved on somewhat since then!

Today the premium cyder brand is a recognised leader in its field and is exported across the globe. The brand has somewhat of a cult following and even counts celebrities such as rapper Professor Green and comedian Ade Emondson as fans of the brand. Aspalls is distributed to countries as far-flung as the United States, Thailand, Germany, France, Ireland, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.

The confluence of heritage, modern production techniques and the desire for quality positions Aspall Cyder as one of the truly great British manufacturers.

“We don’t compromise on quality,” says Henry Chevallier Guild, who heads up the business together with his elder brother Barry,”if there isn’t that quality taste, we don’t make it.” Having time-honoured processes and a devotion to doing things the proper way does, however, create its own issues.

One of the constant challenges of owning such a rapidly developing business is finding enough space. Every inch needs to be utilised as best it can be, and new developments, like the recent addition of new fermentation tanks, have to be mindful of the adjacent family home.

Aspall Hall

The elegant, moated, Aspall Hall has been owned by Chevallier family since 1702 and is an integral part of the companies infrastructure. The site features a pressing room, water treatment plants, bottling and storage areas.

When operating a fork lift truck at Aspall you require careful negotiation skills as well as expert understanding of how the vehicle works. That’s why the simplicity and maneuverability of the Doosan truck proved more popular than the other complicated machines that were featured in demonstrations.

“When you have a business steeped in tradition and heritage,” adds Henry,”you tend to place a lot of emphasis on establishing good working relationships over the long-term. We are obviously growing as a business, and that means we need a supplier that can support us with reliable, cost-effective equipment.”

Modifications

Some new modifications have been included on this latest delivery of the two and three tonnes capacity machines. Most kegs have been moved off site, but a small run of kegs continue for export. Wayward kegs can prove dangerous, if a keg was to fall on someone it would almost certainly be fateful.

To keep them in their place the load back rests were modified, and an additional roof guard adds an extra level of protection to the operators.

Doosan Fork Lift Trucks

Aspalls isn’t the only business with a rich heritage. When Doosan was founded in 1896, it was the first modern local store in Korea. But by the early 1950s, they were already engaged in the retail and brewing trades. Now, over 90 percent of revenue derives from technology businesses. The company also holds a number of export, design & safety awards, including four Forklift Truck Association awards for Design Excellence.

Building rugged, reliable, yet simple trucks, has allowed Doosan to become the leading provider of value forklifts. The range of electric, LPG and diesel Pro-5 models is Doosan’s most successful ever, with a host of features including trademark oil cooled disk brakes, integral sideshift as standard, plus award-winning safety features and class-leading ergonomics.

It all means that companies like Aspall can rely on the best possible equipment for their businesses. And with recipes handed down through generations, methods developed through centuries of careful development as well as the latest equipment at their finger tips, the future sweet success of Aspall is no doubt guaranteed.

HILLS PROSPECT GOES ALL-ELECTRIC WITH DOOSAN

Hills Prospect is the largest independent drinks distributor in London and the South East, supplying beers, spirits and soft drinks to many of the biggest names in catering and entertainment, across restaurants, hotels and public houses.

The business has grown rapidly over the last forty years and in 2012 it moved into a 54,000 sq ft distribution centre in Romford, where it assembles orders for its expanding customer base from its range of over 3,500 products.

Fast and dependable customer service is a cornerstone of the business, a critical success factor that places a heavy emphasis on the efficient running of the warehouse and the reliability of the materials handling fleet. As Nigel Metcalf, Depot Manager at Hills Prospect points out: “We’re operating six days a week, 22 hours a day, so there is very little room for downtime.”

Until six years ago Hills Prospect operated a mixed fleet of forklift trucks, but in 2012 the business decided to single source its materials handling equipment from Fork Truck Direct, the local Doosan dealer, and standardised on selected models from Doosan’s extensive range of counterbalance and warehouse trucks. Equipment supplied included reach trucks, powered pallet trucks and gas-powered counterbalance trucks.

At the time, gas powered counterbalance trucks seemed the best option for yard duties, unloading lorries and transporting pallet loads of heavy drink products and kegs of beer. However, when it came to reviewing the contract in 2018, Doosan’s latest, technologically advanced B20X-7 electric counterbalance trucks were considered to be the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for outside work.

Under the new six year rental and full service contract, Fork Truck Direct have supplied an all-electric Doosan fleet comprising: two of Doosan’s latest BR16JW-7 reach trucks, three industry-leading B20X-7 electric counterbalance trucks, five easy-access LEDH20SP platform pallet trucks and two LEDH20M powered pallet trucks.

The trucks supplied to Hills Prospect are all feature-rich standard Doosan models – designed for maximum reliability, safety and efficiency. The latest AC drive and hydraulic motors on the new Doosan reach trucks offer powerful performance, and the mast reach design and damping system provides excellent stability. In the yard, safety and performance go hand-in-hand as the two-tonne capacity electric counterbalance trucks are fitted with Doosan’s renowned oil- cooled disc brakes as standard.

“The drivers really like them,” says Nigel Metcalf. “We had speed limiters fitted for safety reasons which took them a little time to get used to, but they were impressed with the smooth operation, comfort of the driving position and good ergonomics – and they find them very easy to get on and off.”

Operating to a tight order-fulfilment schedule, with a 2pm cut-off for next-day delivery, demands maximum uptime from the forklift truck fleet, both within the warehouse and outside in the yard. So, ensuring uptime comes down to running a well-maintained fleet on a balanced charging regime.

“With a mixed fleet you have different people dealing with different parts of it, and it’s just not practical. We’ve had Doosan trucks for six years now and Fork Truck Direct have always provided us with a good, reliable service and they maintain our fleet well,” says Nigel Metcalf. “So when it came to reviewing and upgrading we were confident in what they could do and they came up with a good package.”

The all-electric fleet is meeting the challenge well. “Charging cycles are not a problem as the batteries last for a long time on one charge. Although we have quite a number of forklift trucks and powered pallet trucks, they are not used constantly, so one full cycle per week is sufficient – and it’s working well,” says Nigel Metcalf.

Having proved the case, a further Doosan B20X-7 electric counterbalance truck will soon replace the last remaining gas truck.

FORK TRUCK DIRECT PROVIDE A SIMPLE POWERFUL SOLUTION FOR A SIMPLE TASTY IDEA AT EAT NATURAL

In 1996 Eat Natural had a simple idea. They took nuts, seeds and dried fruit and baked them with honey into the shape of a bar. They wanted to keep the nuts whole and the fruit chunky and experimented with the first bars in the family kitchen in Epping where their first bar – date & walnut – was created. Texture has always been important to Eat Natural, wanting each mouthful to be different, to be special. That’s how we eat our meals, so they figured that snacking should have the same experience.

Now selling 100 million bars a year, co-founder Preet Grewal said “As the company grew, the need to scale up became a natural part of the process. Still fiercely independent, this gave Eat Natural the freedom to develop new processes and be open to change, meaning we can prioritise customers ahead of profit, have fun along the way and create a workplace that we are proud of”.

Working together with Fork Truck Direct for over 18 years, Sales Manager Jimmy Pascavage has been a trusted advisor to Eat Natural for all of their material handling requirements, assisting Eat Natural with advice and support on many projects during that time. A new fleet of equipment including new Doosan gas counterbalance trucks, electric powered pallet trucks and new reach trucks – promoting the quality, reliability and value of the Doosan product, whilst highlighting the unrivalled service support and customer care that Fork Truck Direct continues to provide.