Leading materials handling solutions provider, Briggs Equipment helped an Essex-based company to spread a little extra festive cheer last Christmas by supplying a unique piece of warehouse equipment able to service double deep racking and lift over half-tonne loads to a maximum height of 12.5m.

PMS International is one of the UK's largest importers of novelty gifts, toys and Christmas decorations and it took delivery of a new Hyster VNA C1.5L with an extended fork attachment - the first of its type in the UK - ahead of the seasonal rush.

Briggs Equipment Area Account Manager, Mark Gregory, explained: "We've worked with PMS International for many years and when they needed to replace their very narrow aisle equipment we proved to be the only company that could meet their requirements.

At its 385,000 sq m warehouse in Basildon, PMS holds more than half a million cartons of goods at peak times such as the run up to Christmas. A relatively small proportion of the goods are palletised and a section of the warehouse is dedicated to pallet storage.

"The warehouse is also two stories high and the pallets are stored on the ground floor which has racking to a height of 12.5m," Mark continued. "As a result, space is at a premium and the company required a VNA truck capable of double stacking,"

To further improve productivity at the facility, the new Hyster truck has been fitted with a state-of-the art asset management system. In addition to providing real-time data for reporting, fleet utilisation and control, Briggs Equipment's exclusive Speedshield telemetry system also ensures operator access is controlled whilst providing full health and safety audits and compliance reporting.

Clive Acklam, Warehouse Manager - PMS International commented: "throughout the relationship we have found Briggs Equipment to be very professional, delivering a tailored solution that meets the demands of our business.

"We've were particularly impressed with the efforts made by the Briggs Equipment team during the installation of the new equipment to make the warehouse operation as safe and efficient as possible. Going forward, we know we can rely on excellent service support."

The Hyster VNA truck will operate alongside PMS International's existing fleet, which also includes a Hyster 4 wheel counter balance and an articulated fork truck.