Switch to articulated trucks pays off for Laura Ashley 02 October 2012

Following a review of storage and handling at Laura Ashley's Newtown, Wales, distribution hub, the company has restricted picking to the first and second racking levels, with bulk goods stored in the upper levels and dropped to the picking faces as required.

Laura Ashley says it has thus achieved a dramatic increase in order assembly efficiency – but only by also changing from guided man-up lateral stacker trucks to a fleet of Flexi VNA ac articulated forklift trucks.

John Maguire, sales and marketing director of Flexi Narrow Aisle, explains that the change has been all about enabling forklifts and order pickers to work alongside each other not only efficiently, but also and safely.

"In its elevated position a Man-up VNA truck might lift the operator 10 metres in the air, but if you have someone in the same aisle order picking at ground level there is always the risk of the Man Up truck operator not seeing the order picker or worker below," explains Maguire.

"This was viewed by the project team to make the man aloft trucks far too risky for Laura Ashley."

And hence the move to four-wheel, electric-powered Flexi VNA ac trucks, which are designed to offer faster, safer work cycles with in aisles as narrow 1,600mm.

As well as providing greater operational flexibility, the switch to Flexi articulated truck technology has meant that Laura Ashley has been able to get the most from its storage cube, according to Maguire.

Clear aisle widths within the facility have been set at a width that allows low level order pickers to work at ground level in the same aisle as the Flexis safely and efficiently.

Brian Tinham

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Flexi Narrow Aisle Ltd

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