Feeding Thousands Of Sheep, Pigs And Cattle All In A Days Work For Manitou MLT

Meat and related products producer, The EAC Group, could soon become one of South Africa’s largest single agricultural users of Manitou materials handling machines.

At any one time, EAC holds between 34 000 and 37 000 heads of cattle on three farms between Betlehem, Wolwehoek and Blokhuis in the Free State, as well as 3 000 pigs and 12 000 heads of sheep. Although the Group grows around 50 000t of silo-fodder a year, this is only 30% of consumption and only one of many types of feed required. Every day, 375t of feed is mixed, loaded and transported.

Before the Group was introduced to Manitou, it used conventional front-loaders and up to 10 forklifts to carry out these functions. This meant high operating costs, high noise levels and smoke pollution, damage to ground surface and – because these machines can only carry out one function each – accumulation of a host of expensive-to-maintain machines. The EAC Group owns and operates around 300 vehicles, including those used to transport the meat and by-products, processed in its own processing and packing plants, to market.

Upon introduction of the Group’s first Manitou MLT845 conventional forklift, it soon became clear that the machine’s ability to change between attachments in under a minute, quiet operation and high manoeuvrability would entrench it in everyday life at EAC. Having grown their fleet of Manitou’s to three, EAC is interested in replacing a variety of other machines with Manitou’s as they reach replacement age. These range from an electric forklift to be used in the tannery to a powerful MLT for cleaning pens and a variety of forklifts.

“In the building where we unload different kinds of feed and distribute those into various augers, the Manitou’s ability to turn sharply and even move sideways has proven highly beneficial and has sped up feed processing significantly,” says the man at the head of EAC, Edwin Claassen. “And the fact that you can now stand next to the machine – indoors – and have a conversation is something you could never do with a conventional front loader. Add to that the reduction in exhaust fumes and you have a much more operator friendly environment.”

Manitou has trained EAC’s operators on site to get the best from their machines, including how to benefit from the three standard steering modes, how to reduce the need for driving around by using the telescopic boom and how to capitalise on the clutchless automatic gearbox. The company is also now in the process of training EAC’s maintenance personnel so that they could fully service their fleet of Manitous on site, along with the rest of their operating vehicles.

“The slogan for our brand of meat products – Midlands Meat – is ‘from the farmer’s gate to the centre of your plate’. Manitou now makes it easier for us to carry out that promise as cost-effectively and quickly as possible,” Claassen enthuses.

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