Latest News

  • Warehouse automation is at the heart of business continuity in 2023 
  • Automation: the key to sustainable warehousing
  • Flexi Truck technology is at heart of JD Group sportswear wholesaler’s storage system revamp
  • Post-Covid – Meeting the On-line & Warehouse Challenges of the New Normal
  • Jungheinrich AG to acquire Storage Solutions group to add strategic foothold in fast-growing U.S. warehouse automation market
  • Home
  • News
  • Materials Handling
  • Health & Safety
  • Notice Board
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Book Review
    • T.V.
    • Video
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

Flexi truck tech meets Expect’s expectations

Aug 19, 2017 Warehousing Ireland Logistics, Materials Handling, News Comments Off on Flexi truck tech meets Expect’s expectations


Expect Distribution operates around 300,000 sq ft of modern warehousing and distribution space across strategically located sites in West Yorkshire.

The company’s high quality facilities – in Halifax and Bradford – provide storage for a diverse variety of products ranging from medical supplies and foodstuffs to industrial equipment.

As part of a major investment programme, Expect recently announced the completion of a 20,000 sq ft, expansion to its warehouse and head office facility in Bradford.

The extra space was essential to enable the company to keep pace with the growing demand for its range of logistics services and the extension provides enough high quality warehousing to allow an additional 2200 pallets to be stored at the site.

“We have seen a big increase in demand for our warehousing services and the expansion gives us the ability to meet that demand as well as cater for our existing customers’ requirements,” explains Expect Distribution’s Storage Warehouse Manager, Chris Ramsden.

When planning the layout of the original pallet store, Expect chose to make maximum use of the additional space and optimize throughput efficiency by specifying a narrow aisle storage system based on Flexi articulated warehouse trucks. As this strategy has proved to be reliable, cost effective and efficient, when it came to planning the new extension, Expect decided to increase the size of their existing fleet of Flexi articulated forklift trucks.

Expect were committed to narrow aisle storage but because a large part of the company’s business involves cross docking (Expect Distribution is one of the largest inputters of freight into the Palletline network) it was important to select a truck that could function efficiently and safely in all areas of the warehousing operation.

Chris Ramsden explains: “We needed trucks that would allow us to optimise storage density while at the same time permit fast and efficient individual pallet accessibility – which can become a problem with many other truck-based high density storage systems.

“Having operated Flexi trucks for a number of years, we were in no doubt that Flexi articulated forklift truck technology represented the best materials handling solution for us.”

Following a period of close consultation between key personnel from Expect and the warehouse planning team at Narrow Aisle Ltd the optimum aisle width for the extended store was agreed.

While Flexi trucks can pick up and turn pallets in aisles as narrow as 1.6 metres wide, in applications like Expect where high throughputs need to be achieved and faster travel speeds are required, the speed at which a truck can efficiently operate in the aisleways is more important than the need to achieve the narrowest aisleways.

But, even when setting the aisles 200mm wider than the minimum width, the Flexis are still in excess of 25% more space efficient for Expect than conventional moving mast reach trucks.

As the site is a multi user facility, Expect do assemble some customer orders within the racking – the Flexis do pick many full pallet loads or, if part load picks of several boxes or layers are required, the Flexi trucks can drop a pallet from its storage location and deliver it to a marshaling area where orders are made up, before quickly returning the load directly to its original location within the store.

All of the pallet put away and picking within the racking is undertaken by the Flexis while the job of unloading and loading incoming and departing trailers in the yard is shared between the Flexi articulated trucks and a fleet of counterbalanced trucks.

“The Flexi’s ability to unload incoming trailers like a counterbalance machine and serve our narrow aisle racking means we reduce double handling,” says Chris Ramsden.

“The Flexi trucks allow us to maximise storage capacity while maintaining a safe and productive operation that allows fast and efficient pallet put away and retrieval cycles and to provide an order picking assembly facility for our customers who need that service.”

The trucks have been provided on an inclusive contract rental package that means all planned maintenance, safety inspections and repairs are included in one fixed monthly rental charge.

John Maguire, Commercial Director of Narrow Aisle Ltd, commented: “We are delighted that Expect has once again chosen our proven and reliable Flexi truck technology as the ideal intralogistics solution for the company’s materials handling needs.

“The Flexi truck is popular among logistics service providers who need to maximise storage density and require safe and efficient throughput and Expect recognise the benefits that articulated truck technology brings to their operation.”

Tweet

  • tweet
Safety Pads makes warehouses & factories safer & less likely to suffer damage Hoppecke delivers free energy to power Museum

Warehousing Ireland

Related articles
  • Warehouse automation is at the heart of business continuity in 2023 
    Warehouse automation is at the heart of...

    Feb 04, 2023 Comments Off on Warehouse automation is at the heart of business continuity in 2023 

  • Automation: the key to sustainable warehousing
    Automation: the key to sustainable...

    Feb 04, 2023 Comments Off on Automation: the key to sustainable warehousing

  • Flexi Truck technology is at heart of JD Group sportswear wholesaler’s storage system revamp
    Flexi Truck technology is at heart of...

    Feb 04, 2023 Comments Off on Flexi Truck technology is at heart of JD Group sportswear wholesaler’s storage system revamp

More in this category
  • Warehouse automation is at the heart of business continuity in 2023 
    Warehouse automation is at the heart of...

    Feb 04, 2023 Comments Off on Warehouse automation is at the heart of business continuity in 2023 

  • Automation: the key to sustainable warehousing
    Automation: the key to sustainable...

    Feb 04, 2023 Comments Off on Automation: the key to sustainable warehousing

  • Post-Covid – Meeting the On-line & Warehouse Challenges of the New Normal
    Post-Covid – Meeting the On-line...

    Jan 28, 2023 Comments Off on Post-Covid – Meeting the On-line & Warehouse Challenges of the New Normal


Tweets by @warehousingIrl

Recent Posts

Forklift market rebound causes gap between order intakes and shipments

Forklift market rebound causes gap between order intakes and shipments

Nov 24, 2021 Comments Off on Forklift market rebound causes gap between order intakes and shipments

Long-term forecast of global market in 2028 raised by 40% APAC accounts for 54% of 2021 forklift shipments E-commerce, digitalization, and electrification will drive the market  Updated...
The new Visuclean vinyl from Beaverswood

The new Visuclean vinyl from Beaverswood

May 01, 2021 Comments Off on The new Visuclean vinyl from Beaverswood

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

Nov 14, 2020 Comments Off on New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

Hyster Europe expands its range of electric counterbalance lift trucks

Hyster Europe expands its range of electric...

Sep 13, 2020 Comments Off on Hyster Europe expands its range of electric counterbalance lift trucks

Linde Training Solutions – Well Trained Without Fail

Linde Training Solutions – Well Trained...

Aug 09, 2020 Comments Off on Linde Training Solutions – Well Trained Without Fail

Recent Posts

Beaverswood has hazards and restricted area marking safely taped

Beaverswood has hazards and restricted area marking safely taped

Nov 05, 2022 Comments Off on Beaverswood has hazards and restricted area marking safely taped

Quick and effective highlighting of hazards and restricted areas in industrial premises and offices is provided by yellow/black self-adhesive marking tape, now available from workplace...
RHA launches tail lift safety guidance

RHA launches tail lift safety guidance

May 15, 2021 Comments Off on RHA launches tail lift safety guidance

Axial Properties Ltd fined €80,000 following serious incident in Clonee warehouse

Axial Properties Ltd fined €80,000 following...

Nov 22, 2020 Comments Off on Axial Properties Ltd fined €80,000 following serious incident in Clonee warehouse

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

Nov 14, 2020 Comments Off on New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

How to safely buy a used ATEX forklift

How to safely buy a used ATEX forklift

Jul 12, 2020 Comments Off on How to safely buy a used ATEX forklift

Newsletter

Recent Posts

  • Warehouse automation is at the heart of business continuity in 2023 
  • Automation: the key to sustainable warehousing
  • Flexi Truck technology is at heart of JD Group sportswear wholesaler’s storage system revamp
  • Post-Covid – Meeting the On-line & Warehouse Challenges of the New Normal
  • Jungheinrich AG to acquire Storage Solutions group to add strategic foothold in fast-growing U.S. warehouse automation market
  • New Warehouse facility at Good Hope Close, Normanton Industrial Estate, Yorkshire
  • The rise of the intelligent warehouse
  • Kivnon to introduce its versatile Forklift Pallet Stacker
  • World Record! ProGlove Makes It Into The Guinness Book Of World Records
  • Tesla moves into Garbe Industrial Real Estate property in Holzgerlingen
  • Industry Insight: Concrete foundations can release 21,315kg of CO2 
  • Tough Grit announces new workwear & hi-vis range
  • Forklift donated by Toyota MH boosts the flow of ‘Boxes of Hope’ humanitarian aid to Ukraine
  • GEODIS opens a new warehouse with 33.000 m² in the Nuremberg metropolitan region
  • Brambles ranked #1 for industry category in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index
Copyright 2020 Warehousing Ireland / All rights reserved