Linde Material Handling has supplied Poundland with a 50 per cent increase in specialist forklift trucks on short-term rental (STR) to help it meet seasonal peaks in demand.

In the three months before Christmas, Poundland faces many extra challenges when demand for its 4,000 product lines increases significantly.

The products are all handled through two purpose-built warehouses, totalling 517,050m2, and Linde Material Handling supplies the forklift trucks.

'We supply [Poundland] with more than 120 trucks in "normal" conditions and an additional 60 or so trucks to cope with its peak demand for Christmas orders,' said Kevin Gillespie, corporate account manager, Linde Creighton.

The Poundland warehouse team uses around 45 low-level order pickers and 15 x 12m reach trucks most of the year.

To bring in another 60 trucks on short-term rental from October to December is a difficult task because the trucks have specialist features.

'We fit radio data terminals to the order pickers, which are configured to carry two pallets at once,' said Gillespie.

'We also send a team to the warehouses to fit the masts on the reach trucks as they are too high to be transported in one piece,' he added.

Linde also organises and supplies the additional batteries and battery charging stations that are needed for the peak period.

'We match the STR trucks as closely as possible to the existing fleet and we supply the trucks early to train the operators on any differences,' said Gillespie.