As a part of
the Emptying and Transport sanitation technology stream of development undertaken
by Sani-Hub, a method of lifting barrels onto the back of a pickup truck is needed
to improve pit emptying operational logistics.
Currently
pit emptying entrepreneurs are restricted by logistics costs, because
households appear unwilling or unable to pay for more than 3 barrels of sludge
to be removed from their pit. At current rates, the removal of 3 barrels of
sludge will generate 90,000UGX, however the rental of a pickup truck will cost
a minimum of 80,000UGX, and the pickup is required to remain at the site for
the whole pit emptying operation. Therefore the profit margin is not great
enough to allow rapid business expansion.
Fabrication of the first prototype
With the use
of a barrel lifting device entrepreneurs will be able to increase their net
income by reducing the transport costs per pit, because they will be able to
service multiple pits in one area with one pickup truck. The pit emptying
entrepreneurs can coordinate between each other and share transport vehicles
this will increase their net income by reducing transport cost individually.
And if barrels of sludge can be lifted onto a transport vehicle when they are
full, this could lead to rapid expansion of the pit emptying services
generating more business for the pit emptying entrepreneurs, and mitigate the
issue of the pickup having to remain at the pit emptying site all day.
Barrel
Lifting Device Prototype One:
The first
prototype developed uses the concept of a counterweight through a simple lever
system to lift a barrel of sludge. The device can be fully disassembled, so it
can be loaded onto the back of a pickup truck, and then fully assembled once on
the site where it is needed to lift barrels.
The image shows the first prototype lifting a 150l barrel
(Of water, the test with poo is still to come)
(Of water, the test with poo is still to come)
We aim for 3
pit emptying team’s equipment to be loaded onto the back of a pickup truck
consisting of, 6 barrels, 3 gulpers, hand carts and a barrel lifting device.
The 3 teams will be dropped at 3 different sites within an area with a gulper,
hand cart and 2 barrels. They will empty two barrels worth of sludge and then
manoeuvre the full barrels with the use of a handcart to the roadside where the
barrel lifting device can be set up and the barrels lifted onto the back of the
pickup truck. This means the rental cost
of a pickup truck to be split between the 3 pit emptying teams allowing them to
gain more net income from emptying a pit.
The barrel lifting device when disassembled
We are
currently testing the barrel lifting device prototype evaluating its ease of
assembly and disassembly, lifting capabilities and usability for the pit
emptying operators. It’s evident that the lifting arm of the device is heavy
due to the weight in which it has to lift. Additionally, a driver to reverse a
pickup underneath the barrel once it is hoisted. Evaluating these challenges
will enable us to refine the barrel lifter’s design such that it effectively
reduces the logistics costs of a pit emptying operation and allows businesses
to scale up.
Many customers view Forklift trucks hire as a commodity and only from a single dimension low service labor rates. Unfortunately, this approach does not provide the outcome they desire: lowest total cost of ownership. You need to view service from multiple dimensions such as trained service technicians, the availability of quality parts, first-call fix rate and response time. When you’re able to look beyond low service rates and acknowledge these factors, you’ll begin to understand that you need a system in place in order to achieve the highest levels of performance and reliability. We call it the International Forklift. It’s built on a system of performance.
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