With sales having grown by 100% duing 2006/7, forklift manufacturer Translift Bendi, plans to expand its UK factory by 75% to meet a soaring demand
To cope with soaring demand for its articulated forklifts, Translift Bendi, manufacturers of the Bendi forklift, plans to expand its factory at Redditch by 75% this Autumn. Bendi Forklift sales, which won the prestigious Queen's Award for Innovation, soared 100% during 2006/7. Translift said that this year, the Bendi will almost outsell the UK's most popular reach truck, despite costing significantly more.

But the initial purchase price of a Bendi should not influence the investment decision.

Rather, buyers consider the interface costs.

These include cost of warehouse space, rates, heating and lighting, and forklift productivity in terms of costs per pallet moved per hour.

The last of these can allow fleet operators to reduce their truck fleets by up to half owing to the Bendi's versatility.

In certain circumstances, where the Bendi is rented or leased, it is even possible to achieve instant forklift payback where the space saved by the Bendi allows off site warehousing to be closed down.

Managing director, Simon Brown, commented on why the market has grown steadily year on year: 'Our message is getting across that the Bendi is the cheapest way to store pallets in standard pallet racking when the entire warehouse is considered.

In terms of GBP/pallet stored, the Bendi solution has often shown payback withing 24 months.

In addition, the quality and reliability of the Bendi is peerless, allowing much longer truck life than most other forklifts'.

* Pioneers - pioneers of the articulated forklift in Britain some 25 years ago, Translift initially met with derision from forklift competitors, dismissing the truck as a Heath Robinson contraption that would never take off.

Today, Bendi production has just passed the 7,000 mark and it is impossible to by anywhere in the UK that is more than a few miles from the nearest Bendi users.

B and Q, for example, now have over 600 Bendis in their stores throughout the country.

Larger fleets of 20 plus trucks are now commonplace among blue chip companies, giving potential Bendi users total confidence in the truck.

Overseas markets are also boosting Bendi sales as new markets open up in Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany and South Africa.

'We are excited about the future of the Bendi and the new, mould-breaking products that are coming along to join the range,' said Brown.

'The new facility at Redditch will be able to produce 120 Bendi trucks a month by the end of 2008 and if growth continues we may be looking to implement an additional expansion plan already mapped out.'