FD25ZN for Huntsman Pty Ltd

Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals who manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotives and many more.

These new modifications which have been designed for the FD25ZN forklift trucks provide a safer, more sleek and unique working experience for those at Huntsman.

Huntsman's forklifts need to meet a safety regulation of Class 1 Zone 1 flameproofing. Class 1 is a type of hazard which is created by the presence of flammable gases or vapours in the air such as natural gas or gasoline vapour. When these materials are in the atmosphere, a potential for explosion exists, which could be ignited if an electrical or other source of ignition is present.

it is a vital necessity for Huntsman to adhere to these safety regulations as they operate with highly explosive chemicals, consequently operating a normal forklift truck under these conditions can extremely dangerous. It is because normal forklift trucks can become an ignition source base on any of the electrical components and during the engine's combustion process which could potentially cause an explosion.

In order to provide Huntsman workers with the safest working environment possible, MLA Holdings worked together with CHESS flameproofing to develop a Class 1 Zone 1 Flame proofed Forklift that would adhere to Huntsman's safety standards.

The CHESS/ MLA Class 1 Zone 1 Flameproofing modifications include the following features:

•  Water based exhaust conditioning
  
•  Onboard air start with onboard compressor
  
•  Flame-proofed engine
  
•  Air horn
  
•  Flame-proofed working light and strobe light

What this new design means is that all of the electrical components of the forklift truck have been changed to either mechanical or hydraulic components to eliminate the risk of an ignition source forming within Huntsman's highly flammable environment, as this could have disastrous consequences.

This particular Mitsubishi forklift model will be used by Huntsman for the production and storage of chemicals.

When asked the reasons why MLA Holdings were successful in winning their business, engineering manager of Huntsman, Radu Ghitescu stated: "We went through a tender process involving four suppliers. We visited all premises and evaluated all tenders based on various criteria which included appearance, organisation structure, safety systems, maintenance/ purchasing system, workshop workflow, management of spares, invoicing, customer complaint, documented inspection and test procedures, history in the local market, quality of proposal follow up. 

"Huntsman marked everybody against the above criteria and whoever scored the highest got the contract."