STARCO expands FLT tyre production capabilities

The original specification for the Sri Lanka factory called for the manufacture of 80,000 solid rubber fork lift truck tyres annually – divided between the STARCO Tusker and Unicorn product ranges.

The mixture of the rubber compound is perhaps the most critical quality parameter in the entire manufacturing process. The manufacture of tyres for different FLT applications and loadings necessitates that the rubber compound formula is precisely engineered to the particular order.

With the forthcoming acquisition and commissioning of a new rubber compound mixing line within the STARCO Lanka facility, the company will be able to further enhance its rubber compounds to give the best quality level whilst controlling product repeatability. These improvements will also give greater in-house control of the entire process and will result in reduced costs and improved delivery service.

At the same time the factory has been reconfigured to achieve a more efficient and logical workflow with the necessity of manual handling of the product being almost eliminated. The reconfiguration was planned and implemented by the local manufacturing team as part of the LEAN continuous improvement culture within STARCO manufacturing facilities.