Rite-Hite, one of the leading manufacturers of loading bay and health and safety equipment, is to start manufacturing the Eclipse Dock Shelter at its German facility in Volkmarsen, increasing availability, reducing delivery times and supply chain challenges, and providing a more sustainable option for its European customers.
Providing a tight, consistent seal all the way up trailer sides, across the top, and at the corners, the Eclipse Dock Shelter blocks both light and seals gaps for a dark, environmentally-secure dock. More than this, the seal also prevents unwanted airflow from entering the warehouse environment, while keeping the conditioned air inside, thus saving significantly on the cost of wasted energy.
In addition to the energy saving benefits, the dock shelter also helps to protect people, materials and goods by preventing wind (and therefore dust and grit), rain, snow and pests from entering the interior of the building through the dock.
The top of the Eclipse is equipped with an exclusive weighted head curtain that applies 100 pounds of pressure across the full width of the trailer top, which keeps the curtain in constant contact with the trailer. The corners work in tandem with the weighted header to seal the gaps that ordinary shelters don’t address.
Thorsten Mauritz, the Marketing Manager for Rite-Hite Europe, says the move brings manufacturing closer to its European customers: “It signals both our ongoing investment in our manufacturing capability, and our focus on supporting our customers in chieving their sustainability targets,” he says.
“By near-shoring in this way, we can not only reduce any current and future supply chain challenges, but also accelerate production and delivery times for our European customers. It is one of a series of announcements regarding investment in our European manufacturing capability that we expect to make in the coming months.”
Based in the centre of Germany in Volkmarsen, the facility manufacturing the Eclipse is equipped with the latest technology including robotic welding systems that vastly accelerate the rate of production, aimed at meeting the growing demands within the European and international markets. The latest equipment from the facility is supported by a Lean manufacturing process which aims to provide optimum efficiency and productivity, whilst minimising energy wastage.
