French group Sodexo is an energy and resources industry Fly-In Fly-Out (FIFO) site services provider and Linde material handling equipment user which knows what it takes to succeed. The company was chosen recently to manage all of the villages for Rio Tinto’s iron ore division in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, in a multi-billion dollar ten year contract.
The contract will also require Sodexo to service all Rio offices and accommodation at the Cape Lambert port, handle waste management and even run the remote aerodromes that iron ore workers are flown into.
Sodexo wanted to partner with a company which had the same commitment to service and that’s what we have found with Linde.
Logistics are crucial
“Across Australia we offer over 100 services to our clients, including catering, cleaning, accommodation, bus services, laundry, and building maintenance,” Sodexo WA’s Transport Operations Manager, Andy Banks said. “Getting the logistics right is vital to our operations, that’s why we partner with companies such as Linde.”
Sodexo’s forklift resources are 2.5 tonne capacity Linde Series 351 diesel engine forklifts which are well known for their suitability in heavy duty applications or where maintenance opportunities are limited.
Linde Material Handling is well positioned to help us wherever we need it and I have a very good relationship with their sales and service people with whom I have regular contact.
Linde forklifts essential
“Trucks bringing everything we need for our operations arrive only once or twice a week at most sites so our Linde forklifts are essential for unloading and storing supplies.
“For the rest of the week they can be involved in anything from moving large tubs of linen to moving electrical and plumbing repair and maintenance materials in and out of racking. We also use Linde electrical and manual pallet jacks in our cold stores.”
Switching from used to new
The switch to Linde forklifts on long term rental is a relatively recent one for Sodexo which has always used forklifts but generally purchased second hand equipment because of the light duty requirements involved.
“A couple of years ago we found maintenance costs on those old forklifts were getting out of hand,“ Andy Banks said. “When you are winning long term contracts you are better off with quality new equipment on long term rental, which is the arrangement we have taken with Linde.
Performance and reliability
“I had extensive experience with Linde forklifts in previous roles and was a firm believer in their reliability and cost efficiency, but we decided to look at all the alternatives before committing. We did our due diligence.
“Linde turned out to be neither the cheapest nor the most expensive but their forklifts have the performance and reliability we need and their support is first rate.
“Linde Material Handling is well positioned to help us wherever we need it and I have a very good relationship with their sales and service people with whom I have regular contact.
Partnering with Linde
“We still have some other non-Linde forklifts at various sites around the state, but as they become a problem we replace them with Linde forklifts,” he said. “We’ve been purchasing only Linde forklifts for the past two years.
“In some of the remote areas Linde sends out maintenance kits to the service providers performing routine maintenance in those areas. We haven’t had an issue yet which couldn’t be resolved.
“Sodexo wanted to partner with a company which had the same commitment to service and that’s what we have found with Linde.