British Turntable has supplied a second 15 metre diameter HGV access turntable to Waitrose, creating an efficient loading and unloading operation at the company’s new store in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The contract follows the success of the unit British Turntable had previously installed in the underground loading area at the Surbiton store in Surrey.

Installation of the turntable has allowed the service yard to occupy as little land as possible, leaving more space for the store’s sales area; additionally, vehicles can drive straight into and out of the service area, a safer procedure for the village, whose roads are very narrow and busy.

The turntable fills the service yard and is capable of taking an articulated truck up to 16.5m long and with 40 tonnes capacity. On entering the yard from the main road, the truck drives straight onto the turntable and is then rotated approximately 90 degrees to line it up with the unloading dock; after unloading it can be rotated a further 90 degrees to allow it to drive straight out again.

As the service area is so restricted the turntable has been designed to allow cages to be stored on an area of the turntable not required by the truck and also for a transit-sized van, used by the store for home deliveries, to be parked on the turntable without preventing an articulated truck from using it. The cages and van simply rotate with the turntable.

A safety light beam has been installed to protect a static construction close to the turntable; if the beam is broken this will stop the turntable from rotating further.

The Waitrose turntable has been adapted from one of British Turntable’s standard vehicle revolve designs and is typical of the many vehicle revolves which British Turntable has manufactured and installed in government buildings, major high street stores and other commercial establishments throughout the world.

Standard features of the HGV access revolve design include: a fixed speed rotation of 0.5rpm, which allows vehicles to be moved into the ideal position in only 60 seconds; yellow markers to make positioning of the vehicle on the turntable easier; and a vandal-proof, security key protected control box to aid the manoeuvring process. The turntable components are generally located in a pit that has provision for water drainage.