We’ve made a six-figure investment in a new Combilift multidirectional straddle carrier at our Wakefield site, strengthening yard handling infrastructure to support increasing throughput, improve dispatch performance and unlock additional capacity.
As activity continues to build across the business, it’s important that site infrastructure keeps pace with demand. This investment forms part of a continued focus on improving operational efficiency, removing constraints in production flow and strengthening control as we scale.
Unlocking Yard Capacity and Improving Flow
Completed modular units do not stay in the factory for long. They need to be stored safely, moved efficiently and dispatched on time. When yard space becomes constrained or lifting arrangements are complex, it can create avoidable friction in the movement of units through the site.
The new Combilift will allow us to:
- safely double-stack completed units, increasing usable yard capacity without the need for additional space
- improve the movement of units through the yard
- support more consistent dispatch performance
- reduce reliance on complex lifting operations and lower manual handling requirements
Together, those improvements help create better flow through the yard, reduce the risk of delays during peak periods and give the site greater operational control.
Supporting Throughput as Activity Builds
Wakefield handles high volumes of modular units across multiple live projects, where maintaining control of the yard is critical to keeping production and dispatch aligned.
By improving how finished units are handled and positioned, the new system is expected to support productivity and site efficiency while allowing teams to be deployed more effectively into higher-value activities. That matters as activity continues to build and the business works to maintain throughput, reduce lead times and deliver more consistently for customers.
Matt Goff, Group Managing Director at Thurston Group, said:
“With the backing of GCH Corporation, we are continuing to invest in practical improvements that strengthen capability within all our operations. It also reflects increasing activity across the entire business, and the need to ensure site infrastructure keeps pace with demand.
The investment gives us greater control as activity scales, in turn improving production capacity and reducing lead times, while also enabling higher output from our existing footprint, ensuring we deliver more consistently for our customers.
We manage high volumes of modular units across multiple live projects, which means maintaining control of the yard is critical to keeping production and dispatch aligned.”
Continuing to Strengthen Operational Capability
This investment is not a standalone event. It forms part of a broader programme of operational improvement across the business, with continued focus on infrastructure, equipment and capability that support long-term growth.
It is a practical step, but an important one — strengthening operational performance, improving safety and efficiency, and helping ensure Thurston is well placed to support customers as demand continues to grow.
