Page 46 - HUB-4 Magazine Issue 88

Bulk Handling
Custom-built bucket by Ulrich Attachments helps
set records at The Bristol Port Company
A 6.3m3 High Tip bucket is the star of the show at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks.
The Bristol Port Company’s buyer for plant equipment may have inherited Ulrich Attachments as a supplier from her predecessor but the relationship has gone from strength to strength, to such an extent that this year could be a record one for the partnership.
Lucy Ellis, project engineer (procurement) and her colleagues at The Bristol Port Company have purchased 24 attachments from British manufacturer Ulrich in the past 10 years.
Most of the buckets are the High Tip high-discharge buckets designed for light material or stone re-handling into high sided trucks and hoppers. Ulrich has been at the forefront of the development of these, and at Bristol Port, they are complemented by a pusher blade designed to reduce areas where grain may become trapped or lost, ensuring the maximum grain stays in the store.
Four of the Ulrich attachments were purchased since Easter – two 3.3m3 and one 5.3m3 High Tip as well as a 6.3m3 High Tip that was custom-designed for the port which has existed since Roman times.
Lucy said: “The bucket was designed to allow maximum capacity with good visibility over the top. It was an adjustment from an original design sent and has performed well, with no issues.”
And three more stone buckets are now on order.
Ulrich’s attachments are typically used across a range of front- end loaders on the company’s Avonmouth and Royal Portbury
docks, which opened in 1877 and 1977 respectively, for bulk materials such as animal feed, stone, and gypsum.
Lucy added: “I have continued to purchase Ulrich Attachments as we have had good performance from them, and the price is competitive. I have also had good support technically and from the sales personnel.
“We have used a mix of suppliers in the past and we do tender out work and review costs and design before making a decision. But our service contact at Ulrich, Drew, is very helpful, and we have had a positive experience overhaul with them.”
Ulrich national sales manager Emma Pierce said: “We redesigned the 6.3m3 bucket for them to better suit the application and the material they are working with. The material is a finely ground maize powder and they were finding they were losing a lot of material over the sides of the bucket.
“We looked at the design and went back with a solution, but they needed to see the leading edge of the bucket for health and safety reasons. So, our design team worked closely with Lucy and myself to come up with a new design to meet these needs and they ordered the bucket based o. his new design.”
The Bristol Port Company was formed in 1991 when entrepreneurs Terence Mordaunt and David Ord purchased the Port of Bristol from Bristol City Council. Since privatization, more than £600 million has been invested to create a modern, thriving business offering the full range of shipping, distribution, and logistics services.
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www.hub-4.com Sept/Oct - Issue 88