25.09.2019

Working in Partnership with Fresenius Kabi

Fresenius Kabi is a global healthcare company that specialises in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition. The company prides itself on creating world-class products and services which are used to help care for critically and chronically ill patients.

After a 10-year relationship with STILL, Fresenius Kabi are still very much advocates of the STILL product and its dedicated levels of customer service. Having recently taken delivery of brand new STILL machines, Stuart Garswood (Fresenius Kabi Warehouse Operations Manager) was keen to express his satisfaction: "Our partnership with STILL is built on trust and loyalty, we work collaboratively with both the sales and service teams to ensure our operations are running seamlessly at all times. This new equipment will vastly improve our operations and our team are hugely excited to drive these state-of-the-art trucks."

Fresenius Kabi have taken delivery of a mixed fleet including thirteen OPX machines for picking, EXU’s for loading, FM-X’s which will aid in the replenishment of products and a new RX 20 electric counterbalance for external loading and unloading of goods. Richard Ellis (STILL Area Sales Manager) commented: "We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Fresenius Kabi. Over the years, we have worked hard to ensure the best possible service is delivered to Stuart and his team. As the company continues to grow and evolve, the team at STILL have worked hard to ensure we adapt to their ever-changing needs."

Fresenius Kabi have recently invested in a brand new, purpose-built warehouse facility at their existing premises in Runcorn, Cheshire. This new 90,000 square foot development is dedicated to their pharmaceutical supply chain and extensive operations. Jenn Sutton (Fresenius Kabi Operations Process Manager) remarked: "Once again, we are delighted with the STILL trucks and so are our operators. We are particularly fond of the scissor-lift option on the new OPX product, this is a new feature for us and one which will enhance the comfort and efficiency of our drivers. The STILL product has always been completely reliable and the reach trucks now provide us with the extra visibility that we need."

STILL’s FMX reach truck boasts a 13-metre lift height and is used in both wide aisle and drive in racking storage areas. This newly designed truck offers Active Lateral Stability (ALS) which means there is reduced oscillations when in operation. At maximum lift height, this means a reduction in waiting time by up to 80 percent. The result is a significant increase in turnaround speed and thus, improved productivity for Fresenius Kabi. The OPX series is STILL’s new, all-round, horizontal order picking machine which is designed for maximum performance. This series provides a great variety of different machines and functions which are suited to any application.

In addition to the new family of trucks at Fresenius Kabi, STILL have also installed a new battery-change facility which has improved the company’s process of managing the battery maintenance more effectively. This in turn reduces the impact on battery life and reduces costs throughout the contract term.

What made you choose STILL?

Beyond engineer level, there is a great working relationship with Richie and the team. We have regular review meetings to ensure we are always aligned. The partnership we have, is built solely on trust and reliability.

What were your requirements?

We needed to modernise our battery changing facility and upgrade our reach trucks to ensure they could perform at the top picking heights within our new racking. Essentially, we wanted to increase our fleet size with the view to increasing our outputs.

Are you happy with the level of service?

We have always been extremely happy with STILL’s service. We have very strong communication and dialogue with their key stakeholders. On the rare occasion that we ever suffer a breakdown, we have minimal downtime and their parts availability is very good. In peak periods, we sometimes utilise STILL’s short-term-rental trucks to ensure we demonstrate complete flexibility to our own customers.

Are there any areas that stand out for you?

The new trucks are fitted with STILL’s 4.x Fleet Manager software and GPRS which ensures total transparency of utilisation and damage reporting. In addition, we are looking to pre-programme the reach trucks to specific lift heights which will enhance our H&S, reduce racking damage and prevent impacts on the sprinkler heads.

Would you recommend STILL?

We would not hesitate to recommend STILL. They always go above and beyond. It is because of their professionalism and support in the early stages that our racking installations were so seamless. STILL as a company have wonderful people and ethics - this is the reason our partnership is so strong.