Upat Assists with Heineken Brewery Storage Expansion

FE Shelv & Rack use Milwaukee and STABILA products extensively in their daily operations to increase productivity to streamline installations.

Milwaukee power tools and STABILA laser measurers played an integral role in assisting sub-contractor FE Shelv & Rack complete a storage-extension project at the Heineken brewery in the Kliprivier Business Park in Midvaal. FE Shelv & Rack Site Supervisor Rocco Potgieter explains that the project involved the erection of 150 frames for the expanded shelving-and-racking section.

The shelving-and-racking specialist is dependent on the Milwaukee and STABILA products to ensure its customised solutions are installed accurately and quickly. Milwaukee’s tools are built to last, owing to features such as compact brushless motors, in addition to gearboxes made from magnesium, and durable and heat-resistant material that extend the lifespan of the motor significantly. The power tools used by FE Shelv & Rack include impact wrenches to drills, screw guns, and grinders.

Milwaukee’s POWERSTATE™ brushless motors are supported by Milwaukee’s Red-Link Plus Intelligence system, an onboard electronic system incorporated in every tool to optimise performance and decrease overheating of the motor and batteries. This ‘smart’ system allows for full-cycle communication between the battery, charger, and motor. The system optimises performance by monitoring the internal workings of the tool constantly. In addition, Milwaukee’s advanced Red Lithium battery technology optimises motor performance while under load.

This all ensures that the battery can give users industry leading lifespan, which is on average five times greater than what other power tools can provide. Maintenance is minimal and mainly preventative, such as checking that all tools are dust-free and that batteries are fully charged.

Other features designed to make work both safer and more productive include built-in shock absorbers, which also boosts the durability of the power tools, as well as anti-kickback or safety clutches. Particular attention has been paid to safety, such as dead-man switches, while all battery-operated tools have built-in LED lights to illuminate the work area.

Potgieter points out that, since standardising on STABILA laser distance measurers, FE Shelv & Rack has seen a dramatic increase in turnaround times and quality on its project sites. STABILA offers laser distance measurers from 30 m to 200 m, with a 1 mm to 2 mm accuracy. The larger measuring tools can perform multiple tasks in conjunction with Bluetooth enabled distancers, such as measuring cubic meters, square meterage, and distance.

While the Milwaukee and STABILA innovations are key offering to customers such as FE Shelv & Rack the additional benefits of aftermarket and technical support offered by Upat is an essential value-added service to all Upat customer.

“It is not only important for our customers to have the right tools to be able to deliver the best solutions possible, but they must also be confident of having the full back-up of Upat as the official brand agents, which is an area that Upat prides itself on,” Milwaukee Product Specialist Werner Koch concludes.