Yorkshire-based company Shafton Steel Services has significantly reduced both costs and maintenance time after replacing a traditional conveyor system with a tailored lifting solution. At its facility in South Yorkshire, Shafton Steel Services, part of Billington Holdings’ group of companies, operates a robotic coping and drilling line that generates large quantities of steel scrap, which falls into a pit beneath the machine.

Typically, conveyor systems are used to handle this type of waste. However, due to space constraints at the installation site, the company opted for an alternative solution based on a scissor lift table. A conventional conveyor system would have required too large a footprint to accommodate the machine in its intended location.

Compared to a conveyor system, the footprint is significantly smaller, while maintenance requirements and safety risks are reduced. The lift table allows us to raise the entire unit by crane, ensuring full access to all components and safer cleaning of the pit.

“It’s 20-25% easier to perform maintenance work on the lift compared with a conveyor, which has a clear impact on our bottom line,” says Ryan O’Connor, profile manager at Shafton Steel Services.

The company commissioned the design and implementation of the scissor lift table, which runs on a rail system inside the pit. Steel scrap is collected in a bin placed on the lift platform and transported to one end of the system, where it is raised to floor level and removed. The total investment came to just under £29,000, approximately half the cost of a comparable conveyor system, according to O’Connor.

The lift table was developed and supplied by Sax Lift. The project reflects a broader trend for the company, which is seeing increasing demand for bespoke products in the UK market.

More information www.saxlift.com