Home » News » RNLI saves precious workshop hours with Nu-Star Super Power Pushers

RNLI saves precious workshop hours with Nu-Star Super Power Pushers

Super Power Pusher essential to RNLI production line operations

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest UK charity that saves lives at sea. The RNLI Inshore Lifeboat Centre (ILC) builds and carries out essential maintenance of lifeboats for lifeboat stations across the UK. The Nu-Star Super Power Pusher aids in this operation at the ILC in East Cowes, which looks after up to 80 boats a year.

Following thorough on-site demonstrations back in 2007, RNLI invested in two Super Power Pushers™ which have served the ILC well for the past 15 years. One to move the Atlantic Lifeboats through the production line in the workshop and one for outside use, to move the boats to the external boat scissor lift.

In the workshop the Atlantics are placed on trolleys with a specially designed coupling arrangement on each side of the trolley for flexibility of movement along the line. Once loaded the trolleys weigh around three tonnes, which the Super Power Pusher hitches up to using a steering arm attachment enabling the trolleys to be easily manoeuvred around the workshop in tight spaces. The boats need to be frequently moved through the production line from cell to cell, so it’s essential that they are moved swiftly and safely. Prior to the electric movers, a diesel-powered tractor was used to move the trolleys which was a timely operation and unkind to the environment.

RNLI have recently approached Nu-Star to replace the machine that is frequently used outdoors as it has been exposed to a lot of salt water damage over its lifetime causing corrosion. The team are happy that the indoor unit is still going strong with minimal signs of wear and tear.

When asked to review the Nu-Star Super Power Pusher, Glyn Ellis MBE, ILC Operations Manager for the RNLI said: “We build and refit a number of Atlantic 85s each year, and using Continuous improvement and lean, we move the boats from their line positions every 71 hours currently. The electric tug moves the trolleys in just minutes, with just one person. The Super Power Pusher makes the task very efficient and we rely on them to keep our workshop operation running smoothly.”

Matt Smith, Nu-Star expressed: “We’re pleased that our Super Power Pushers are able to aid the RNLI in their essential lifeboat maintenance programme to save them precious time in operations that can be spent elsewhere. As a charity we are even more happy that we can provide a robust electric tug that is built to last and stands the test of time providing our customers with value for money for their machinery investment.”

Contact us to find out how we can help make your operations more efficient and for expert advice on material handling solutions. Find out more about the Super Power Pusher Electric Tug. The Nu-Star Power Pusher Electric Tug has been a trusted brand for over 60 years, remember If it rolls… we can move it! ®

Home » News » Nu-Star Power Pusher takes the hard work out of moving heavy loads for William Haley Engineering

Nu-Star Power Pusher takes the hard work out of moving heavy loads for William Haley Engineering

Power Pusher facilitates improved Health and Safety and increased productivity at the Somerset base

William Haley Engineering, part of The Haley Group, based in Somerset are one of the leading steelwork fabricators in the UK.  William Haley Engineering specialise in the construction industry and have been involved in many high profile projects which have resulted in them supplying steel frame structures for buildings all over the world.

William Haley Engineering is renowned for its strong safety culture in the workplace and has annual safety improvement objectives toachieve. This is where Nu-Star’s electric tug solutions aided Haley Engineeringreach its safety targets.

Haley Engineering first contacted Nu-Star back in July 2014 with the aim of improving safety in the workplace by reducing the amount of manual handling. The production line at Haley Engineering utilises a rail system structure with transfer cars to move steel structures weighing up to 20 tonnes through the factory. Pushing the transfer cars by hand could be very strenuous on employees’ backs and a risk to safety.

The Nu-Star Power Pusher with a push pad attachment was perfect for the application, Haley Engineering swiftly ordered the electric tow tug after seeing what the Power Pusher could do at the demonstration, pushing heavy loads was effortless.

Kevin Watson, part of William Haley Engineering team, said, “Introducing the Power Pusher has quite literally took the strain out of moving the heavy steelwork for us here on our production line. We’ve improved our health and safety by reducing the number of workplace injuries from manual handling.  We’re also doing our bit for the environment as the electric tug emits no exhaust fumes and it’s perfect for indoor use.”

The Power Pusher proved its credibility; as a reliable, cost effective solution and a robust asset to the assembly line. Subsequently, William Haley Engineering contacted us in September 2018 to invest in a second Power Pusher tug. This tug would run alongside the first Power Pusher to help improve efficiency and productivity in the factory, with a machine operating at either end of the production line, reducing down time in between moving one machine throughout the factory.

Matt Smith, Managing Director at Nu-Star explained “We pride ourselves in designing and building reliable solutions, which in turn make our customers come back to us, time and time again. William Haley Engineering are a valued customer and we’re happy that our Power Pusher helped them meet their HS&E and production targets.”

Find out how Nu-Star can help improve your workplaceoperations and view our wide range of Nu-Star electric tugs here.

Home » News » Compact Nu-Star electric pusher makes a big impact at Dressta Heavy Machinery

Compact Nu-Star electric pusher makes a big impact at Dressta Heavy Machinery

Nu-Star Super Power Pusher facilitates LiuGong Dressta Machinery hit their business targets by optimizing efficiency and production line costs.

Liugong Dressta Machinery is a global manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, known for creating durable, powerful machines for the toughest applications – from wheel loaders, crawler dozers, tracked excavators for pipelines for transporting gas and crude oil. The machines manufactured at Stalowa Wola in Poland are distributed to the markets of Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and Africa, North America and Latin America, while ensuring unrivaled technical services and knowledge of all machines is maintained.

At the Stalowa Wola factory, 18 technological trolleys are used to move machines through the manufacturing line. Manual labour was used to push the trolleys along the production line and with the increase in demand, operations became more and more labour intensive and cumbersome for the employees, which in turn prompted Dressta to look for alternative solutions to relieve this pressure.

The solution Dressta implemented was investing in a Nu-Star Super Power Pusher. The Super Power Pusher generates up to 9,000 N pushing force and is able to withstand loads with a high rolling resistance, providing high torque to get the heavy machinery moving. A bespoke angle bracket attachment with an adjustable height was designed and built for Dressta’s specific application.

Ryszard Łokaj, Head of the Tooling Department at Dressta, said “In the past, pushing technological trolleys to the next production nest required a lot of effort; staff, equipment and time. We looked into alternative solutions, one option was to purchase and assemble electric motors for each of the 18 trolleys. Thanks to Nu-Star, we found the answer to our problems with their Super Power Pusher. Since we invested in the electric pusher we have transformed factory operations, improving workplace safety and increasing productivity, because we no longer have to distract employees from their basic work in order to push through technological trolleys. This operation is now supported by one worker and an electric tug. What’s more, the one device turned out to be several times cheaper than 18 electric motors!”

“Nu-Star electric tugs are used in many industries around the world on production lines as a cost-effective and safe solution for moving industrial loads. LiuGong Dressta Machinery faced several challenges; increased employee safety and efficiency on the production line, taking into account the optimization of the cost of the solution. The Super Power Pusher, Nu-Star electric pusher overcome these challenges, whilst taking on moving the heavy duty machinery, pushing 55kg technological trolley loads through the production line on rails.” explains Bartosz Sowiński, Polish distributor of Nu-Star

Find out how Nu-Star can help you solve your problem on the production line, contact us or view our products to find the right Nu-Star electric tug for you.

Home » News » Electric Tug mover helps keep the production line on track at Wagony Świdnica

Electric Tug mover helps keep the production line on track at Wagony Świdnica

Nu-Star provide a safe and cost-effective moving solution for pushing railcars

Wagony Świdnica, owned by the Greenbrier Europe group has a long-standing history in engineering and manufacturing freight railcars and wagon structures since the 1920s. Greenbrier Europe is a global operation, distributing products around the world from Europe to the Middle East.

Nu-Star’s Polish distributor was approached by the Investment Specialist, Jerzy Moskal at Wagony Świdnica in his search to find a more efficient and cost-effective solution to move railcars through the manufacturing process.

The Świdnica plant utilises a rail dolly system to move railcars through the production line. The incumbent operation consisted of heavy manual handling, requiring a number of the workforce to move the wagons by hand, which could be dangerous with a risk to Health and Safety of the workforce.

Bartosz Sowiński, Nu-Star’s Polish distributor explained, “Nu-Star Electric Tugs are utilised in a number of industries Worldwide in production lines as a cost-effective and safe solution to moving industrial loads. The real challenge presented by Świdnica was the curved track to move the wagons from the paint shop to the next stage of assembly. This was notoriously the difficult part of the production line to manoeuvre the railcar, involving multiple staff and equipment to do so. However, Nu-Stars Electric tug mover overcome the increased rolling resistance of the curves with ease and pushing the 35,000kg wagons was no problem at all for the Super Power Pusher.”

The Super Power Pusher generates up to 9,000N of push force and can tackle loads with a high rolling resistance. A range of tug attachments are available to suit application requirements, in Świdnica’s application an adjustable height push pad is an ideal attachment to push the railcars through the factory environment safely.

Daniel Taradaj, Maintenance Manager, at Wagony Świdnica was delighted with the capabilities of the tug mover and positive impact on operations; “In the past, moving wagons after leaving the paint shop was difficult and required a lot of effort; staff, equipment and time. The Super Power Pusher easily solved this long-standing problem. Thanks to Nu-Star and their Super Power Pusher we have transformed factory operations, improving workplace safety and increasing efficiency as we no longer need to take employees away from core work in order to move wagons, this operation is now operated by a single employee and the electric tug mover.” As a result Greenbrier Europe now have four Super Power Pushers operating at Wagony Świdnica.

See how Nu-Star can help solve your production line problem, view our applications galleries and get in touch for more info.

Home » News » Dual Motor Super Power Pushers move cable drums effortlessly through the production line at Tele-Fonika Kable S.A.

Dual Motor Super Power Pushers move cable drums effortlessly through the production line at Tele-Fonika Kable S.A.

Tele-Fonika Kable S.A. invest in three Nu-Star High Torque Cable Drum Pushers to improve workplace safety and factory productivity.

Tele-Fonika Kable S.A. are a leading European manufacturer of cables and wires, operating globally, supplying some of the largest companies in industries ranging from telecommunications to mining.

The expansion of the Tele-Fonika operations across eight production plants and increasing changes to health and safety regulations prompted Tele-Fonika to review workplace safety and efficiency when moving cable drums.

As part of the production of wire and cables, large cable drums up to 60 tonnes need to be moved through the production lines. Tele-Fonika contacted Nu-Star’s Polish distributor to find a solution for pushing cable drums in a safe and easy way to reduce manual handling.

Bartosz Sowiński, Nu-Star’s Polish distributor explained, “In order to push heavy cable reels, a high starting torque is required to overcome rolling resistance, therefore I recommended a free demonstration of Nu-Star’s High Torque Dual Motor Super Power Pusher electric tug.”

The Dual Motor Super Power Pusher is powered by two 1.5kW electric motors generating up to 17,600N of pushing force. The machine is equipped with a special roller application for moving both cable drums and paper rolls. The use of electric motors provides the additional benefit of the absence of smoke and fumes in the factory.

After the demonstration of a drum pusher, Stanisław Wajs, Head of Maintenance Services at Tele-Fonika Kable said, “The Nu-Star Dual Motor Super Power Pusher tug seems quite unique in the market, it’s very durable and generates enough power to easily push our largest cable drums. Compared to other solutions, such as forklifts, the electric tug is a much smaller and cheaper solution to move heavy industrial loads. The Nu-Star electric tug is extremely easy-to-use and much safer than attempting to manually move the reels.

After positive feedback from our employees on the production floor, we invested in three Dual Motor Super Power Pushers. The Nu-Star electric tugs have revolutionised the efficient and safe movement of cable drums through-out our production lines, reducing labour costs of tasks that would normally require at least two members of staff.”

View our wide range of Nu-Star electric tugs. Nu-Star have been providing material handling solutions and moving machinery for over a decade, remember If it rolls… we can move it! ®

Home » News » First Power Pusher for Faurecia, France

First Power Pusher for Faurecia, France

The Faurecia Group (Europe’s second largest Automotive equipment supplier), have recently taken delivery of their first Nu-Star power Pusher at their Exhaust Systems production plant in Poissy, France.

The Faurecia Poissy plant manufactures over 250,000 exhaust systems per annum for the Peugeot 1007 & 207 models & supplies them on a ‘just in time’ basis to the nearby PSA Peugeot Citroen factory.

Previously the large 1100 Kgs trolleys, laden with the exhaust systems, were manoeuvred by hand until Laurent Tissier (Responsable du JAT de Poissy) became aware of the Power Pusher.

During a 6 month trial period, Faurecia developed & modified the standard Nu-Star coupling mechanism to enable quick & easy connection to all of the exhaust trolleys on site.

Faurecia’s Laurent Tissier commented; “Following an ergonomic analysis in our site, we had to improve the way we were moving our trolleys. The best solution we have found after different trials was to use the Power Pusher. It’s very easy to use even when you do not have a lot of space. All our operators are very happy and feel better at the end of the day”

The Power Pusher is one of a range of pedestrian operated, electric tug units for moving wheeled industrial loads. The machines are manufactured by Nu-Star in Derbyshire, UK (www.nu-starmhl.com) for the EU, Middle East & Australasian markets and also in Minneapolis, USA (www.nustarinc.com) for N. & S. American & Canadian markets.

Home » News » Cummins unleashes the power with Nu-Star Super Pusher

Cummins unleashes the power with Nu-Star Super Pusher

Cummins Engine Company recently took delivery of their first Nu-Star Super Pusher unit at their site in Daventry, UK for moving the engine blocks during the build process.

Cummins Engine Company are one of the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of diesel engines with key markets in off-highway vehicles, industrial equipment and power generation. Cummins has manufacturing plants in 14 countries, over 23,000 employees and a global turnover of approximately $6 billion.

At their site in Daventry, Cummins manufactures high horse power diesel engines ranging from 900hp to 3000hp, for the marine, generator, construction and gas markets.

The engines are mounted on dedicated engine trolleys during the manufacturing process, and can weigh from 7,000Kg to 12,000Kg depending on the model and stage in the build process.

Mr. Eddie East (Kaizen Improvement Technician) explained; “A specific requirement within the manufacturing process, necessitated the need for a new design engine trolley and the current movers were not suitable for this new design. I had to source a new type engine mover and after intense investigation of the market, I came across the Nu-Star Super Pusher. After explaining our needs to Matt Smith, Managing Director, he visited our site and demonstrated the Super Pusher, which met and exceeded our requirements to the full. After a weeks exhaustive trial, Cummins made the decision to purchase the Super Pusher, which has been in constant use ever since. We are extremely pleased with the product, and the professional manner in which it was presented to us.”

Nu-Star manufacture a range of pedestrian operated, electric tugs specifically designed to improve shop-floor productivity, eliminate the manual effort traditionally associated with the movement of heavy wheeled loads and often replace larger and more expensive fork lifts / tractor units, freeing up valuable shop floor space as a consequence.