"In many companies in the natural stone industry, damage occurs during the transportation, stacking and shipping of palletized marble blocks," explains Botros Hanna, Industry Manager for Big Truck Solutions at Hyster. "If handled carelessly, even minor damage such as chipping, cracks or scratches can render the expensive building material unusable. This also results in additional costs."

Block clamp helps with handling
To overcome these challenges, Hyster now offers a solution for marble logistics applications. It uses the Pars Express 5 block clamp - a special block clamp - which is installed on a robust Hyster forklift truck. Depending on the requirements, the H5.5FT diesel forklift or the J5.5XN electric forklift are usually suitable for these applications.

According to the manufacturer, both offer excellent visibility and controllability for the driver when handling demanding loads. As a result, they help to increase handling accuracy and reduce damage. "Other stone clamps are only designed for unloading containers," says Hanna. "This is the first attachment we offer for handling palletized stone loads."

Flexibility is also increased by the fact that the same robust truck can also be used in many other supply chain applications, from manufacturing and showrooms to ports and railways. In addition to good driver visibility and high rigidity, the trucks offer optimum residual capacity when using attachments thanks to their robust chassis and stable mast design.

"In the building materials industry, we are seeing growing interest in both diesel and battery-powered forklifts with this particular attachment," continues Hanna. "Companies are also using electric forklift trucks from other areas of their fleet, such as the J3.0XN electric forklift truck for handling marble loads packed in crates. "as