Combilift has gained further global recognition as it secures two awards at the recent UK Materials Handling Association Awards in Birmingham over the weekend.
The local company was up against some of the biggest names in Material handling, they walked away with the coveted Ergonomics Award of the year and the Manufacturer Product Innovation of the Year.
20 employees from the UK and Irish team attended that awards ceremony. These awards come on the back of Combilift winning two other international awards in the past 10 days at the Engineering and Manufacturing awards in the UK. Combilift's Heavy Equipment Team won the "Design Team of the Year" award for their work on the company's innovative 12-wheel Combi-LC Blade", a machine specifically engineered to handle off-shore wind turbine blades.
The Combi-CB70E was celebrated for its groundbreaking ergonomic design. The 70-ton electric-powered, multidirectional counterbalance forklift is the shortest 7-ton capacity truck available, making it highly efficient in tight spaces. While the Combi LC Blade earned the Manufacturer Product of the Year award for its innovative design, which has revolutionised the handling of offshore wind turbine blades. These blades, which can reach up to 115 meters in length and weigh as much as 70 tonnes, require specialised equipment for safe transport.
Combilift CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar says the company is more than delighted to have won not just one, but two prestigious accolades at this year's Archies 2024, making it their 12th Archies to-date. He says competing against such high-calibre competitors highlights what a fantastic team we have that are willing to push the boundaries of the material handling industry.
The CB70E also incorporates a gas strut suspension system, typically found in larger industrial machinery. This advanced suspension and large super-elastic tyres ensure a smooth ride, even across rough or uneven terrain or during extended shifts. Combilift’s independent electric traction system -previous Red Dot award winner- provides 100% traction control for all front and rear drive wheels. This system eliminates the need for a differential lock on slippery surfaces, reduces load swing, and enhances safety and precision when transporting long, heavy loads particularly when navigating sideways, regardless of ground conditions.
Combilift’s second award, the ‘Manufacturer Product of the Year Award’, went to the Combi LC Blade, a cutting-edge machine designed specifically to address the growing challenges of transporting offshore wind turbine blades from the manufacturing plant to storage or transportation facilities. These blades, which can reach up to 115 metres in length and weigh up to 70 tonnes, have long posed logistical challenges due to their size, fragility and complexity.
Combilift’s Heavy Equipment Design Team, known for developing pioneering solutions like the Combi-SC Straddle Carrier and Combi-MG Mobile Gantry worked hand in hand with Siemens Gamesa, a leading supplier of offshore wind turbines, the LC Blade ensures unparalleled stability and safety during transport. Now implemented in manufacturing sites across the world, Combilift has transformed the logistics of handling wind turbine blades and set a new industry standard. Combilift CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar; "We are more than delighted to have won not just one, but two prestigious accolades at this years Archies 2024, making this our 12th Archies to date. Competing against such high-calibre competitors highlights what a fantastic team we have, which are willing to push the boundaries of the material handling industry."
These awards solidify Combilift’s winning momentum after taking home ‘Design Team of the Year’ for the LC Blade and the ‘Industry Leader Award’ - recognising McVicar’s transformative leadership at the UK EMA Awards in London, bringing a total of 4 awards for the Irish manufacture within two weeks. As Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Combilift embodies this spirit of innovation, continuously pushing the boundaries of material handling solutions
