Flexi Narrow Aisle – the UK-based articulated forklift truck technology pioneer– expects global sales of its Flexi range of articulated trucks to more than double over the next five years and the company has recently announced a number of initiatives and product enhancements that will help to support this growth strategy.

For example, Flexi Narrow Aisle has developed its Warehouse Systems Division.

The new Division is offering a comprehensive range of warehouse planning and design consultancy services to the Logistics and Materials Handling Industry.  These services

are supported by a wealth of accurate throughput data gathered in many practical warehouse operations.  This approach has proven to be of great benefit in reconfiguring

existing outmoded warehouse rack installations at reasonable cost.

Impartial warehouse planning and optimisation advice

 “Flexi Warehouse Systems offers impartial advice on a broad spectrum of warehouse based intralogistics solutions. Our aim will be to offer the most space efficient and cost effective system for each application – even if the solution does not involve Articulated or VNA trucks!” explains John Maguire, Flexi Narrow Aisle’s sales and marketing director.

John Maguire adds: “Using warehouse planning and throughput simulation software and drawing on the many years’ experience of the Flexi development team, the Flexi Warehouse Systems Division will deliver tailored and impartial input and advice to any intralogistics development process.”

The dedicated Flexi Warehouse Systems team employ the use of computer aided design to identify cost effective space saving, high throughput pallet storage and customer order picking solutions especially suited to existing warehousing operations that have reached the end of their useful life and have often become unfit for purpose.

Flexi Narrow Aisle was formed in 1976 as a provider of forklift based space saving solutions for the warehousing industry; the company developed the Flexi articulated truck in 1990’s since which time many thousands of units have been sold throughout the world to customers operating in hugely diverse industries.

With their ability to operate in aisleways as narrow as 1.6 metres – articulated to 220 degrees – and lift pallet loads to heights of over 12 metres, Flexis can save warehouse operators at least 30 per cent of their storage costs. Furthermore, the ability to unload pallets from road vehicles or goods in marshalling areas and deliver loads directly to the storage racks can reduce existing handling costs by a further 50 per cent.

The easy to drive option

Of course, as more and more warehouse operators realise the space saving and efficiency benefits of the articulated warehouse truck concept, the number of warehouses being developed using these trucks is rising significantly.

But, despite the large (and growing) number of articulated trucks in operation worldwide and their proven ability to maximise storage and handling efficiency, some potential users hesitate to invest in the technology because of a misplaced perception that compared to, say, a traditional counterbalanced  or moving mast reach truck, articulated forklifts may be more difficult to drive.

John Maguire, sales and marketing director of Flexi Narrow Aisle – manufacturer of the Flexi articulated truck range – says that these ‘operator difficulty’ concerns are groundless.

He comments: “Flexi trucks are in use at thousands of sites in 40 different countries around the world and our sales have been driven to a large extent by the fact that operators enjoy working with their Flexi trucks. Indeed, a truck operator at one of our customers’ sites told me recently that it is easier to stack pallets with a Flexi than it is to park a car!”

He continues: “People seem to have all sorts of misconceptions about articulated trucks. I have heard them described as difficult to drive, likely to damage loads and racks and slower than other truck types. 
“We have been designing and building Flexi trucks for over 20 years and in truth every aspect of the Flexi’s design concept has been optimised to ensure easy driving, safe and highly productive pallet movements and long battery shift life.

“For example, wheel arches have been designed out of the Flexi’s unique `True Radius’ chassis which means that the risk of pallet rack or product damage when turning at 90° in the aisle has been eliminated – no matter which rack aisle or pallet load configuration has been chosen – because the operator can see exactly where the outer radius of the truck is in relation to the pallet racks and loads in the aisle.