Plastics and rubber plants share a typical flow: receiving resin, masterbatch, rubber bales and chemicals; weighing and compounding; supplying injection moulders, extruders, blow moulders and mixers; collecting finished goods at the end of the machine; storing and shipping. Raw materials are heavy and dense, while finished products are often light but take up a lot of space. A plant therefore usually needs several truck types, each suited to one step. This page brings together STILL forklift solutions for the industry, with a detailed article for each truck type.
Operational challenges in plastics and rubber
- Heavy raw materials, bulky finished goods: resin bags, bulk bags and rubber bales are heavy; containers, boxes, basins and pipes are light but voluminous, so finished-goods stores fill quickly.
- Machines running continuously: moulders and extruders often run several shifts, so material supply and finished-goods removal never stop, night shifts included.
- Slippery floors: spilled pellets, hydraulic oil, fillers and anti-tack powder make wheels slip; regular cleaning and suitable wheels are needed.
- Varied containers: standard pallets, octabins, bulk bags, closed-bottom bins and long pipe bundles each need a different way of lifting.
- Mixed sites: enclosed halls need trucks with no local emissions, while recycling yards, container yards or mould stores may be outdoors.
- Combustible materials: plastics and rubber burn; charging areas, truck parking and fire procedures should be assessed under current regulations. Areas with explosion protection requirements need a separate survey.
Overview: truck type – STILL model – application in the industry
| Truck type | STILL models | Application in the industry |
|---|---|---|
| Electric counterbalance forklifts | RX 20, RX 60, RCE | Unloading resin containers, lifting bulk bags onto hoppers, clearing finished goods |
| Diesel & LPG forklifts | RX 70, RCD | Rubber bale container yards, recycling yards, outdoor mould stores |
| Reach trucks | FM-X, FXR, FM-4W, FM-X SE | High-bay finished goods, long PVC pipes and profiles |
| Stacker trucks | EXV, EXV-CB, EXD, FXV | Machine-side buffers, octabins, loading small trucks |
| Electric pallet trucks & hand pallet trucks | ECH, EXH, EXH-S, FXH, HPS/HPT | Weighing and compounding, machine supply, heavy rubber bales |
| Tow tractors | LTX 20, LTX 50, LTX 70, LXW | Tugger trains along moulding lines, linking buildings |
| Order pickers | OPX, OPX-L, OPX iGo neo, EK-X | Multi-SKU household goods orders, seal stores, mould spare parts |
| iGo autonomous trucks | AXV, EXV, EXV-CB, FM-X, AXL iGo | Automatic end-of-line collection, put-away, truck loading |
Very narrow aisle trucks such as the STILL MX-X and NXV have no dedicated article for this industry. They are only worth considering when a plant builds a very high-density finished-goods store with narrow aisles and tall racking; most plastics and rubber stores are well served by reach trucks. See very narrow aisle forklifts.
Choosing trucks along the material flow
- Receiving raw materials: electric counterbalance trucks indoors, diesel or LPG where the container yard is outdoors.
- Weighing, compounding and machine supply: scale hand pallet trucks, electric pallet trucks, tugger trains for long machine rows.
- End-of-line collection: stackers, or autonomous trucks where the rhythm is steady.
- Storage: reach trucks for high racking, FM-4W for long goods.
- Dispatch: order pickers for multi-SKU orders, electric pallet trucks or AXL iGo for truck loading.
Solution articles
- Electric forklifts for plastics & rubber: machine feeding and line clearing
- Diesel & LPG forklifts for plastics & rubber: outdoor yards
- Reach trucks for plastics & rubber: finished goods and PVC pipes
- Stacker trucks for plastics & rubber: buffer stores beside moulding machines
- Electric pallet trucks for plastics & rubber: batch weighing and machine supply
- Tow tractors for plastics & rubber: tugger trains supplying moulding machines
- Order pickers for plastics & rubber: mixed orders, spare parts, seals
- Autonomous trucks for plastics & rubber: automated end-of-line collection
Supporting services
When machines run several shifts, forklifts must be ready continuously too. We provide maintenance and repair and genuine parts, forklift rental for seasonal peaks, fleet management to track operating hours and drivers, and operator training. Charging solutions for multi-shift operation are on the energy solutions page.
Industries close to plastics and rubber: chemicals and automotive & engineering.
Send your plant layout, container types and number of shifts via our quote page, or call 0902 63 79 70 for a site survey and a truck recommendation for each step.