CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
Marks Electrical Real-Time Van Weighing Solution
Leading white goods retailer Marks Electrical approached MWS to develop an innovative real-time vehicle weighing solution.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
Marks Electrical is a well-established appliance and electronics retailer based in Leicester, UK. Known for their exceptional customer service and wide range of products, Marks Electrical has built a solid reputation across the nation. They operate their own fleet of delivery vans, providing nationwide delivery services seven days a week. With a commitment to ensuring timely and safe deliveries, Marks Electrical is proactive in adhering to UK road laws, particularly those regarding vehicle weight regulations.
THE CHALLENGE
Marks Electrical faced a challenge common to many delivery services: ensuring their vans are not overloaded. UK road laws impose strict limits on vehicle weight to ensure safety and minimise road wear, with serious consequences for non-compliance, including hefty fines and potential revocation of driver licenses.
To meet these regulations, Marks Electrical sought a solution that would allow them to weigh their delivery vans in real-time during the loading process, rather than after the vans had been fully loaded. They needed a visual reference to instantly determine whether the vans were underweight, slightly overweight, or significantly overweight, both for individual axles and the total vehicle weight.
THE SOLUTION
Given that no existing solution on the market met Marks Electrical’s specific needs, Micro Weighing Solutions (MWS) developed a custom weighing system – the AxChk4 – tailored to their requirements. The solution comprised the following components:
- Four Weighpads: These are placed under the vehicle’s wheels to measure the weight applied to each axle in real-time.
- Ramps & Levellers: Used to enable the driver to load the vehicle onto the pads quickly and easily.
- MWS Micro 6000 Touch Screen Indicator: This serves as the central processing unit, receiving and analysing the weight data.
- Three Display Screens: These provide visual feedback to the loading staff, showing whether the vehicle is within the safe weight limits
- WeiMon Software: This software captures and stores the weight data on a PC for further analysis and record-keeping.
The Micro 6000 indicator plays a crucial role in the system. As weight data is received, the indicator performs calculations to determine if the van is under or over the legal weight limits. This information is then displayed in a colour-coded format on the screens: green for underweight, yellow for slightly overweight (by no more than 7.5%), and red for significantly overweight (by more than 7.5%). The calculation app within the indicator was custom-built by MWS, offering flexibility and easy customisation to meet any future requirements of Marks Electrical.
CONCLUSION
The implementation of this custom weighing solution has provided several key benefits for Marks Electrical:
- Time Savings: By weighing the vans as they are being loaded, Marks Electrical can immediately identify and correct any weight issues. This prevents the need for unloading and reloading, which would have been time-consuming and potentially still inaccurate if the van was not weighed a second time.
- Compliance with Highway Codes: With an increase in police checks for overweight vehicles, Marks Electrical confidently complies with weight regulations, eliminating the risk of fines and protecting their drivers’ licenses. This proactive approach also contributes to the safety of road users and minimises wear and tear on the vans.
Marks Electrical’s commitment to safety, compliance, and efficiency has been significantly enhanced through the innovative real-time van weighing solution provided by MWS. This partnership underscores the importance of customised solutions in addressing specific operational challenges, ensuring that businesses like Marks Electrical can continue to deliver excellence to their customers nationwide.
TESTIMONIAL
