Information and notice boards have seemingly been around forever but we are now finding that companies are using them in a far more interactive way. Businesses want to engage in detail with customers, visitors and employees, about how their company operates, what it's core values are plus clearly present product info.

It is not unusual for a company with specific needs to find themselves looking for a bespoke solution when ordering equipment. Off-the-shelf products in ready supply may have once satisfied work tasks but the more specialist an undertaking becomes, often the more bespoke the requirement demands.

I have a vague recollection of turning up at school with my plimsols, running shorts and my oh so bright and tight obligatory sports shirt. I remember where we stored them all whilst we were having lessons, only to have to swap them over with our school uniforms when Mr. Skinner insisted we jog miles around the school playing grounds during PE. Yes, we stored them in the wire mesh lockers next to the absolutely freezing cold changing rooms!

The two things about the British weather that we all know, is that first off it is not predictable and the second is that we never seem to be prepared for it! Snow in November right through to March or beyond is a distinct possibility and yet businesses across the UK systematically fail to be ready to deal with what should be an inconvenience rather than a complete disaster. Companies would fair better by assessing the risks and then order the equipment and supplies needed in advance so they will be better prepared for what is coming!

Sometimes we are just all so busy that we overlook the simple things in business. Maintenance and servicing of equipment is an area that is often overlooked, yet with a little help from your friends at Action Handling Equipment this can be a scheduled event that you do not have to worry about.

One of our regular customers recently conducted a survey poll of their own staff and found out that their workforce reported a difficulty in contacting the company’s supervisors throughout their national depots. It was felt that supervisors were not visible enough and often seemed to have no designated point of contact.

Whiteboards provide a highly visual method of detailing information. Offices have been using them for years to help plan and record all manner of business activity and scheduled tasks. Whiteboards are often referred to as notice boards, planning boards or schedulers and they come in a large variety of standard designs and sizes.

The Disney Magic cruise ship has been anchored in the UK since May 2020 because of the Covid 19 pandemic. It is the first vessel of a fleet of four, operated by Disney Cruise Line. The owners had confirmed that the ship will be used for UK only sailings during the 2021 summer period. This meant that the boatyard needed to ready her for her voyage from Liverpool.

When you start to look at the huge variety of clothes lockers that are available today, it can seem a little daunting finding out which one suits your needs best. Aren’t they basically all the same? A locker is just a locker, isn’t it?

The answer to both of those questions is ‘no’ of course! Buying clothes lockers is easy but buying the best type of locker can be anything but and far too many companies have in the past made poor choices and ended up paying dearly for a rash purchase.

Abellio Bus are part of the Abellio Group who run bus services across London on behalf of Transport for London. Recent developments have seen the introduction of their new electric bus fleet with the Caetano e.City Gold Bus operating on certain routes. The company recognised that they needed some steel shelving to store replacement components for their maintenance teams who work at various depots around South London. Their engineers need easy access to replacement batteries for the electric buses along with general replacement parts for the essential maintenance and repair of those buses as and when required.

“Do what you know best; if you’re a runner, run, if you’re a bell, ring”. Ignas Bernstein is credited with this quote and if you think about it sensibly, you can understand why we are a firm advocate of the 'one stop shop' approach.

PVC strip curtains have a variety of uses when installed in factory, warehouse or despatch areas. They can be used to keep the heat out in the summer and keep the heated air within the area during the colder months. They provide segregation between different work areas allowing for various processes to take place without disrupting each other. Keeping dust, debris, insects and even pests away from the workplace is very important and these curtains can help to achieve this as well.

We all love a good whodunnit gripping tale in which we guess and second guess the identity of the murderer. By playing detective and piecing together the snippets of information, we can try to figure out the motive and reason as to who is the culprit. The board game Cluedo immortalised the very principle as far back as 1943 when it was devised in Birmingham by Anthony E. Pratt.

Technological advancements in electrical hand tools have revolutionised industry and enable us to enjoy increased productivity and quality performance. However, we are often hearing from customers that one of their problems involves the 'storage security' and 'down time' of equipment when they need to be electrically charged for future continued use.

Female football has seen increased coverage in the news and media over the last few years. With the launch of the FIFA Women's Football Strategy the profile of the ladies game has been placed firmly high up on the international agenda.

The Great Fire of London scarred the landscape of our wonderful capital city way back in 1666 and ever since the UK has been respectful of the damage and devastation that fires can cause to both businesses and homes. Ensuring that safety measures are in place is paramount, especially where construction work or manually intensive labour is used.

When the Government announced the easing of lockdown restrictions in December, Action Handling were already busily working behind the scenes with a major UK parcel distributor. Our task was to supply acrylic barrier screens to ensure their office staff could return to work safely and in full accordance with all guidelines.

The Coronavirus pandemic and national lockdowns has meant that businesses have needed to implement new and inventive measures to help their customers. The team at Action Handling Equipment have developed systems and processes that have ensured that their customers are continued to be provided with easy access to help, advice, service and products through great methods of connection.

Trinity College Cambridge was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 when he combined existing colleges and seven hostels to form what has now become this world famous British educational institution. It was an absolute privilege and pleasure to be able to visit this majestic place back in early September of this year.

Demand for workplace lockers has rocketed over the last six months. Home delivery is here to stay and several of our logistics customers have created tens of thousands of new jobs in the UK as they invest over £250 million to meet the demand caused from stay-at-home shopping.

When there is a pile of goods that are needed to be moved from one area to another, there are various ways in which that can be achieved. You can either handball each item or place the goods onto a truck or trolley of some description and push or pull them to their new location.

With the UK clocks going back recently, the dark evenings and cold mornings give fair warning that winter is well and truly on the way. It makes great sense to prepare now, well in advance for the frost and snow conditions that will inevitably follow over the coming months.

During the past eight months it has been very easy to overlook an important responsibility for employers and businesses when being faced with the new challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. Health and safety in the workplace is pivotal to company operating strategies and cannot be compromised at any time.

Protect your investment in equipment by maintaining it through regular servicing

Look no further, over 12000 products to choose from!

50 years of bespoke fabricating means we can help solve any handling problems you may have.

Providing you with every working day products, off-the-shelf and bespoke.

With the advent of people being asked to work from home due to the Coronavirus outbreak, suppliers of office furniture saw an exponential increase in the need for work chairs, desks, printer stands and cupboards, in a very short space of time.

When relocating to new premises, the thought of moving large pallet racking or shelving systems could be a daunting task. Not least the actual dismantling and re-erecting on site but the multitude of other considerations that have to be taken into account, like what to do with the stored stock and how to achieve the safe transit of goods and equipment? Our 50 years of experience came in very handy when we were asked to help with this project.

Applying strapping as a packaging measure to pallets, boxes, cartons and loose products seems like an easy thing to do but getting it right in terms of the actual requirement and the costs involved can be anything but!

You know it's going to happen and then you find yourself hunting around for an old and no doubt part damaged broom! You remember back to last year when you swore that you would be better prepared this year. Well, you still have time provided you act quickly!

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK lockdown from March 23rd 2020. Three months later he then reported that lockdown easing measures would start to be implemented from July 4th with the re-opening of some of the hospitality industry and other public spaces.

Some bespoke projects really get you excited and this one was no exception. The London bus fleet has been operating since 1829, albeit they were initially horse drawn and of course things have moved on slightly since then.

Moving the drums around in small confined areas is another process that requires careful consideration. The simple and most economical way is by using a drum dolly or drum truck.

We have enjoyed a 50 year association with the aerospace industry in the UK, providing materials handling equipment to support the manufacture, service and repair of all types of aircraft. This wealth of experience means we have an understanding of the standards of excellence expected in the supply chain for this line of business.

Action Handling Equipment will be 50 years old in July 2020. This got us thinking about the notable events that have taken place over that period in time. What started out as a little bit of research soon became something fascinating in terms of not actually being able to remember how long ago certain events took place!

When approached by a national water authority to quote for an unusual job, we found it beneficial to attend the site to assess the risks and to discuss with on the ground operatives about their expectations surrounding the requirement. This particular job spanned separate sites and several different areas within each site.

As the lockdown eases across the UK, thousands of businesses and public buildings are having to consider how they can minimise the risk of infection from entering their premises.

The lunchtime rest period or tea break is normally seen as a social time for employees in the UK. Businesses are having to adapt in light of the Coronavirus epidemic, whilst still managing to provide that vital time for workers to take a well earned break from daily work duties and to recuperate in time for the tasks ahead.

We are having to get used to very different rules and guidance in our daily lives regarding the Coronavirus epidemic. This is no more illustrated than in the workplace with businesses having to adapt their working practises and define policies that allow for social distancing and safe practises. Indeed, the front entrance to a building is now being seen as the first line of defence.

From May 13th lock-down procedures are being eased across England in an effort to help stimulate the economy. Those who can easily work from home are still advised to do so but for many, returning to their place of work has now become a reality.

Action Handling Equipment offer the service of Thorough Examinations, repairs, servicing and the maintenance of lifting equipment. So what should happen during the Coronavirus outbreak? 

We are living in very strange times. Every day brings yet another challenge to test us all, both individually and collectively. Things that we took for granted just a few weeks ago are no longer just as straight forward. This was clearly highlighted this week by one of our long-standing customers.

Coronavirus (Covid-19)
The events of the last few weeks has made us all acutely aware of how important safety through hygiene and personal protection is needed to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. We have amazing key-workers including staff behind counters at supermarkets, pharmacies and hospital administrators who are facing customers multiple times a day.

These are extraordinary times and our absolute priority is to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees.

A high street discounter supermarket and a logistics giant both called on Action Handling to supply floor marking tapes to mark out areas where customers and staff should stand for social distancing.

We were very happy to recently supply a quantity of our freestanding office partition screens to a local pharmaceutical company near Stansted Airport, Essex. Having acquired new offices for a growing sales team and a new quality controlled warehouse area, our client was considering ways to help with the expansion of their offices and warehouse.

The US Military in Germany were looking to site some specialist welded cabinets that they use to store 'in-house military equipment'. Very hush hush, we can’t tell you what’s in them buddy! 

Manually moving loads on even a flat surface can be an arduous task at the best of times, but factor in the additional effort to complete this task up or down a flight of stairs and the task can become extremely physical not to mention having a far greater risk of injury. Narrow stairways, twisting stairs and small landings can all present dangers. The risk extends from the individual carrying out the task itself, through to injury of dropping goods on people using the stairs below and of course to the accidental damage to the goods in question.

Action Handling are proud to be helping the UK's communications and media services infrastructure. Our service teams have been carrying out 'Thorough Examinations' on lifting equipment across the whole of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. 

Staying conversant with current health and safety law can be a difficult and time consuming task but have you considered that you may also need to be up to date with road traffic law too? If your business delivers goods, then a full understanding of the laws governing their safe transport and handling is a must.

One of the most frustrating and annoying thefts is that of having your tools stolen. Not only are you losing your precious and prized tools, but you are also having your livelihood put on hold and or even at risk. Despicable as it is, the thieves seem to have no qualms about preventing a fellow man from going about his work and providing for his family.

Knock on the door, ring the bell, ring it well, wipe your feet and walk in.  It’s a rhyme I was recently reminded of, that my great grandfather shared with us as we grew up. I am sure if you are from the Sheffield area, it’s a rhyme you might have heard of too. It then got me thinking about entrance matting and how it relates to the rhyme.

Our friends at Fully Charged London were looking for a set of mobile safety steps for stock picking at their new service centre. This would enable service technicians to carry out repairs direct from the racking area, so we were pleased to assist them in selecting the right steps to suit their exact requirements.

Manhole covers or maintenance hole covers are removable plates that form the lid over an opening of a manhole. This is an opening that a person can pass through or maintenance can be conducted from. It usually gains access to a utility vault, pipe or void and can be rectangular, square or circular, whilst coming in a whole variety of sizes.

Human nature often leads us to act in haste but needlessly means we sometimes end up repenting at leisure! We have all tried at one time or other to pick up some awkward load that we wish we hadn’t. Either we end up with a back injury, suffer a fall or damage the load in question. If we had stopped for one minute to ponder what help was at hand, then we might well have saved ourselves from avoidable anguish.

An analysis of work injuries across all job types, shows that slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of physical harm. The degree of harm sustained depends on the hazard in place and the height at which it occurs. A simple stumble can result in anything from a minor mishap to a serious accident which may involve dangerous machinery, or even a person falling from height to death.

A County Durham based company recently approached us to manufacture three bespoke roll forward tipping skips. Having seen our standard range of skips online, they talked to our sales manager, Jon Ball about having their specific needs and requirements met.

The red London bus is an iconic image recognised all over the world. There are 8,600 buses in the whole fleet, operating on 700 routes, serving 19,000 stops, carrying a jaw-dropping 6.5 million passengers each day. So that means that when the buses return to the workshops, there is an immense behind-the-scenes maintenance schedule to uphold daily, to keep the fleet operational.

Why you should choose a company that offers much more than just e-commerce.

Businesses are often faced with the need to provide new or additional materials handling or access procedures in order to deal with trading expansion, health and safety implementation or new legal requirements. It is very easy to overlook the existing equipment that you already have within your organisation, that could easily be adapted to suit the task in hand.

Once again, we were delighted to be approached by one of the UK’s big name retail brands to assist in an exciting new project to help improve picking and packing processes at their large training facility in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

If I was to say to you Southend On Sea, your first thoughts might be ones of a typical British seaside resort, famous pier, amusement arcades and Punch and Judy shows on the beach. You would be forgiven for not thinking of a major airport or a world leader in aircraft seating manufacture. But it is true that both are tucked away in the south east of England along the Essex coast.

Podium steps are considered a safer method of low-level access than conventional stepladders and platform steps. They comprise of a climbing ladder frame but fitted with a 360° fully enclosed working platform area and normally come with the option of having outrigged stabilisers fitted in order to increase base stability.

When you normally think of pallet trucks you think of a helpful tool that moves wooden or plastic pallets around a warehouse or factory floor. Well, of course they do predominately do that, but there are also a whole variety of other styles that are designed for many different tasks or uses in less traditional environments.

Having the responsibility for a large warehouse or factory project can be a huge undertaking. However, there’s no need to face this task alone. There are professional companies well placed to handle part or all of the work. Knowing how to delegate is the only skill you’ll need! Find a company that can schedule, organise and deliver it all on time, leaving you to continue with your normal work duties.

Choosing pallet racking for your business can be a very tricky exercise. There are so many options, styles, sizes and basic considerations that you need to factor into making the correct choice. Most decisions on whether to use pallet racking are based on either the need to use a more economic method of storing pallets at your facility, the need to improve the speed of delivery of pallets to customers or the improved use of the pallet contents within your own business..

The UK's ‘Cash & Carry’ grocery wholesaling trade was first reported as starting in June 1957 with the opening of Vye and Son in Ramsgate, a subsidiary of the Home & Colonial Group. But Lawrence Batley is widely accredited as the originator of the concept in the UK and in April 1958, L. Batley & Co. of Huddersfield opened a large 30,000 sq. ft. modern cash & carry warehouse which was by far the biggest of its kind to date.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) now account for over a third of all work related illness and the loss of more than 10 million days each year. Although often associated with back pain, the term MSD covers a wide range of ailments and can affect joints and tissue in many parts of the body.