GBS is a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) of ten breweries in France, responsible for 500 beer brands

While each brewery looks after its own sales, marketing and pricing, GBS manages the logistics, administration and requirements such as customs to ensure these beers successfully reach supermarket, catering and leisure customers across France.

One of the breweries, Brasserie du Castelain, is an artisanal independent brewer in the Pas de Calais region of northern France. Materials handling is extremely important on this 4000m2 site, where product handling, storage and customer order picking each have to be carried out precisely and quickly.

Loic Schoutteten, GBS Director: “When I arrived seven years ago, the existing forklift trucks needed to be replaced. We spoke to Cesab dealership Saimlease Nord, who were close to the brewery and offered fast, responsive support, including rental, full service, repair and replacement and operator training. We now have four 2.5 tonne gas Cesab M325 and electric B625 forklifts and two Cesab R116 reach trucks.” The Cesab M325 counterbalanced forklifts are used outdoors for loading and unloading and the Cesab B625s – indoors.

As with other Cesab counterbalanced ranges, the Cesab M325 and B625 forklifts feature Cesab’s Intelligent Mast Design (IMD). This gives operators high levels of visibility through the mast and means that they do not need to adjust their position as often or move their head as frequently when positioning the forks. This helps to increase operator comfort and productivity throughout shifts.

The two Cesab R116 reach trucks are used indoors for handling product at heights of up to 8500mm.

Loic Schoutteten: “The forklift operators are impressed with the reliability and visibility of the Cesab trucks. The cabin area is easy to access and the truck is comfortable to sit in and operate, which is essential for high productivity. We are delighted with the improvement that these trucks have brought to our operations.”