Williams Shipping invests to boost logistics

The company then upgraded the fleet at subsidiary company Willbox by replacing a heavy duty forklift truck with a new 10 tonne Hyster H10XM-6. The overall equipment value is £270,000 and Briggs is providing full maintenance support for both machines.

Founded in 1894, Williams Shipping provides a broad range of services, including vessel charter, port services, transport and logistics, marine lubricants distribution and container hire and sales.

In Southampton, although well located to move flat rack containers from lorries on to ships, Williams Shipping did not have the lifting capacity to deliver this kind of cargo handling service. As part of the company's strategic business expansion, Briggs was able to provide a quality, LOLER-certified low hours reachstacker that met key budget requirements.

With the capacity to handle 10 tonnes and lift loads to 7 metres, the Hyster forklift is particularly suited to ports and industrial applications with high duty cycles and extreme conditions. Operating in a small yard and working under low doorways, this compact machine is helping Williams Shipping's subsidiary company Willbox to increase container throughput.

Willbox operates 18 regional depots across the UK and is one of the country's leading providers of containers for hire and sale. Serving a wide range of domestic and commercial uses, including onsite storage and site accommodation, its versatile container types include offshore, flat pack and ISO tanks, as well as refrigerated containers.

Managing Director Jonathan Williams said: "As a company we put great emphasis on relationships with suppliers as well as customers and from the outset we were impressed with Briggs Equipment's commitment to helping us achieve reliable, cost-effective handling solutions for two important areas of our business."

Maintenance was a key factor in the decision making process. Both Williams Shipping's logistics operation and Willbox would incur significant costs if its machines were out of action for any length of time, since they would have to bring in short term hire equipment to minimise any adverse effect on productivity.

Steve Fogg, Heavy Truck Manager at Briggs Equipment, said: "We're delighted to be supporting Williams Shipping and Willbox with complete cargo handling solutions. "We appreciate that when it comes to maintenance, flexibility is vital, so we take the time to understand the applications, making sure our engineers are able to work around the constraints associated with a busy operation that supports the requirements of shipping lines, oil terminals, freight forwarders, ships agents and civil engineers."