John Roberts, project manager with Sainsbury Supply Chain Development Department explained: "We were faced with a situation where our existing dolly could not meet our needs but we did not want to introduce further dolly variants into our supply chain. The challenge was to develop a single base dolly which could accommodate all of our requirements, while fulfilling an in-store merchandising role."
The new merchandising dolly features a flat deck which can handle standard footprint containers, boxes or packaged product. Spring loaded pop-up locator pegs are incorporated in the dolly's deck to keep containers securely in position.
Lighter than its predecessor, the dolly is said to be stronger, accommodating loads up to 500k compared with the previous 300k. This means the dolly can transport heavier produce such as bottled soft drinks. Its improved weight capacity also offers increased stacking potential during transit.
Sainsbury is initially using the dolly to supply 30 high volume, fast turnaround lines into store, with many suppliers electing to deliver goods direct on the new dollies.
