BASF, has increased its very narrow aisle fleet at its Bradford warehouse as it looks to provide the most efficient storage and handling solution of chemicals.
With racking reaching heights of over 13 metres and aisles of just 1.65 metres, BASF has a very specific materials handling equipment requirement for its raw materials and finished products warehouse, where there are over 25,000 pallet movements every week.
It is using seven Yale MTC series VNA trucks operate using a computerised order picking system that automatically determines the most time and energy efficient route through the racking.
The trucks can handle industrial bulk containers or pallets up to 1,500kg transporting them from the racking to marshalling areas at the end of every aisle ready for loading and unloading by electric counterbalance forklift trucks.
Craig McAllister, logistics manager at the site, says: “The chemicals and materials that are stored in the warehouse are required 365 days a year as the site must run continuously. Any breaks in supply can be very costly and cause the entire operation to shut down. Our first consideration when replacing the VNA fleet was therefore reliability.”
Yale dealer Forkway, working in the UK alongside Briggs Equipment, secured the deal for the seven VNA trucks and is also responsible for the supply and maintenance of an additional 20 pieces of materials handling equipment on site.
McAllister says: “Another important consideration was the ease of use and comfort for the operators. With a 24 hour shift pattern, split over four shifts, operating trucks in a quiet warehouse in the middle of the night can be very solitary and we needed to maintain optimum efficiency and keep operators focused and alert.”
