The introduction of a new Aisle-Master electric articulated forklift has enabled gourmet chocolate manufacturer Lily O’Brien’s to increase storage capacity at its Irish plant by 30%. Mary Ann O’Brien formed the company in 1992 with little more than a few saucepans, wooden spoons and a passion for chocolate. Since then the company has grown into an internationally recognised product which counts some of the world’s leading airlines amongst its customers.
Racking supplier Euromec carried out a site survey and suggested various very narrow aisle configurations and truck options, but none offered the substantial increases in storage space that could be achieved with the Aisle-Master articulated forklift.
As some of the product to be stored was lightweight packaging, a “double deep” solution was proposed. The Aisle-Master was fitted with a set of telescopic forks, enabling them to extend through the first row of racking to retrieve pallets stored in the row behind. This solution enabled Lily O’Brien’s to add an extra third row of racking down the centre of its warehouse to achieve a 30% increase in storage capacity with minimum disruption to operations.
