27/10/2015 B&B Attachments helps improve productivity at Olam Foods

Olam International Ltd is a leading agri-business operating in 65 countries, and supplying food and industrial raw materials to over 13,800 customers worldwide. Its team of 23,000 employees has built a leadership position in many businesses, including the cocoa, coffee, cashew, rice and cotton trade.

Olam International was established in 1989. “Olam” means “Transcending Boundaries”, which fittingly describes the company’s journey from a start-up business to a global leader. Olam International now sources one eighth of all cocoa used in chocolate and cocoa drinks worldwide.

The company’s cocoa business has grown rapidly in the UK, with the acquisition of Britannia Food Ingredients and its plant in Goole, Yorkshire. The key assets and processing capabilities at the Goole site comprise of melting plants, blending and refining facilities, with a total capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes per annum. The plant also has warehousing, tank storage, modern packing, R&D and analytical laboratories. Its product offering includes Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Butter Equivalents, Filling Fats, Reduced Saturate Frying Oils and Dairy Butter Oil.

To continue Olam International’s growth and to improve productivity at this site, B&B Attachments, the UK’s leading supplier of forklift truck attachments and the exclusive distributor of KAUP equipment, has supplied Olam International with a KAUP 2T403 Bale Clamp Attachment, specially modified for the food industry.

The Bale Clamp Attachment, used together with an Enterprise Handling UK Limited lift-truck, has been modified to withstand the delicate nature of the food processing industry. A special coating has been added to the inner edges of each arm of the attachment to protect the product during handling, and wear strips have been added to the under arms to prevent premature wear.

“The opening range has also been restricted to ensure the arms of the attachment do not come into contact with the ovens when loading, ensuring productivity and safety during this process” adds Michael Atchison, Managing Director at Enterprise Handling UK Limited, specialists in sales, leasing, rental, servicing and maintenance for the forklift truck industry.

Geoff Rankin, Logistics Director at Olam Storage and Distribution Ltd, comments “The modified attachment from B&B Attachments allows 1,100kg blocks of cocoa butter to be handled at one time, where previously much smaller cocoa butter blocks were handled by hand. Now ovens can be fully loaded by this specially designed clamp, saving us precious time and labour. We are delighted with the speed and versatility of this attachment, which has significantly increased our safe working practices and productivity on site.”

Geoff also adds “Now, with the use of this attachment, the process of melting the cocoa butter blocks down to oil to be used as a major ingredient in the manufacture of many different food products, mostly chocolate, has been significantly accelerated.”

Established over 35 Years ago, B&B Attachments Ltd offers the largest range of products from a single source. With customers throughout the UK and Europe, B&B continues to build on its reputation for offering the most comprehensive aftercare service available in the attachment field.

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