Very Narrow Aisle Technology Brings More Repeat Orders to Maintain Food Supply Chain

UK – INDIA – Very narrow aisle (VNA) forklift trucks can assist in boosting production by utilising a racking system which cuts down the amount of floor space required for an amount of items and often prove the best option for many in the supply chain. When ITC, one of India’s largest fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and food companies needed six forklift trucks suitable for use in such an environment, it turned to its long term supplier, articulated forklift truck manufacturer, Flexi Narrow Aisle, to assist with an urgent order for air freight to India.

The UK materials handling group had to build six of its Flexi forklifts in record time because the client needed the trucks to operate in a new warehouse that was due start receiving finished goods from its factory just six weeks after the order had been placed, hence the need to send as air cargo. ITC urgently needed to increase output at one of its food processing plants in the Pune region but was restricted by the storage capacity of its on-site warehouse which holds finished goods prior to their onward dispatch to retailers across the continent and beyond.

The introduction of Flexi articulated technology and reconfigured racking layout around a very narrow aisle design, allowed ITC to increase the pallet capacity of the Pune food store by 50%, which meant that the increased output from the factory could be stored within the existing facility. The producer was happy to employ Flexi once again, the current order brought the number of this type of fork lift operated at its premises to twenty. Speed was of the utmost importance and in fact the two Flexi’s were built in only four weeks and were dispatched on a Friday and installed by the following Tuesday, a mere four days later, allowing ITC to start their increased production project on time. John Maguire, Flexi Narrow Aisle’s sales and marketing Director, commented:

“We are very active in the Indian market and trucks built at our UK production site destined for India are usually delivered by sea in container ships which can take 5 or 6 weeks. Our existing supply chain model is efficient, but ITC’s needs were so urgent that it was agreed to ship the first two Flexis by air freight, which, of course, takes a fraction of the time that it takes a cargo ship to sail to India.

“We are delighted to have been able to meet the challenge that ITC set us. Flexi Narrow Aisle is an internationally focused manufacturing company with great products and a respected brand and this is reflected in the growing number of overseas buyers who are investing in Flexi articulated truck technology.”