Narrow Aisle the leading manufacturer of articulated warehouse lift trucks pioneered the development of Articulated WarehouseTrucks in 1990 and have built a reputation for efficient use of warehouse space, absolute reliability and exceptionally high resale values.
Sales & Marketing Director, Narrow Aisle Limited
Narrow Aisle build Flexi’s in the UK, for Europe and Middle East and Taiwan for Asia and Americas; they are built with high quality European Tier One components across the range, which allows them to provide ultimate reliable and exceptionally high levels of parts support. They offer national after sales and technical support in the UK and a global network of local independent distributors in over 60 countries.
John Maguire, Sales & Marketing Director at Narrow Aisle Limited, speaks to Warehouse and Logistics News.
What are your best-known products and services?
We pioneered the design, manufacture and supply the Flexi range of articulated warehouse truck solutions. Our best-selling line is the Flexi AC Range. Easy to operate and popular with lift truck drivers, the manoeuvrable Flexi truck increases usable storage space by between 25-50%, because it is able to operate in aisles of 1.8 metres, load and unload from transport and transfer to pallet storage in a single operation, eliminating double pallet handling.
We do not make or sell any other products just the range of Flexi variants. Other manufacturers make, for example, engine power forklift trucks or dock container handling equipment, which have no synergy with warehousing intralogistics. This allows our company to specialize in designing efficient warehouse storage solutions for customers in the food, retail and 3PL sectors.
Which market sectors and countries are your customers in? Which ones are growing fastest?
We have seen a growth in demand across the world. In our key markets, such as the UK and USA, a lot of demand is coming from third party logistics providers who use the Flexi articulated truck to save space.
In addition, new food industry and beverage customers to the articulated truck concept often have a need to lift heavier loads to higher levels – which makes our HiLOAD and HiMAX ranges an ideal choice.
This ‘high bay’ very narrow aisle market segment was once the preserve of man up lateral stackers. However, users are now aware that the Flexi HiMAX is able to provide the same functionality as these traditional VNA trucks but without the constraints of having to provide ‘super flat’ floors and mechanical or inductive guidance systems.
Pallet throughput rates are a key factor for all warehouse operators, the Flexi HiMAX does not require guidance in aisles as the operating clearances are much greater than with guide lateral stackers, this means the Flexi can typically travel down the aisle at 40% greater travel speed than a VNA truck with inductive guidance.
Who are your major customers and what do you do for them?
In the early days, many of our Flexi customers were in the SME category. However, over time larger warehouse operators have recognized the cost-saving benefits that Flexi technology can bring to their logistics processes and supply chains. Today our customer list includes most of the blue-chip users in food, retail, automotive and third-party logistics industries.
For example, one of our most recent developments is the Flexi StorMAX. It’s a revolutionary product that increases pallet density by over 50% compared to traditional reach trucks. The StorMAX is exceptionally popular with large-scale food manufacturers and e-commerce fulfillment companies due to its ability to minimize the cost per pallet stored and the fast throughput rates it brings to an operation.
How do your products benefit your customers’ businesses?
Our customers are in a way more discerning, they never buy a Flexi until we can prove that it will provide them with a rapid payback on their investment. The added benefits of increasing their storage capacity and allowing their business to grow more rapidly are a given.
Why should customers choose you as the main supplier in their area?
The development of the Flexi Articulated warehouse truck concept in 1990 provided a step change; it allows our customers to reduce stacking aisles and maximize storage capacity without the need for steel rails or wire guidance. At the same time, they can safely carry out efficient customer order assembly at the key ground level locations, allowing the operator to bulk store pallets about the ground level pick face and therefore create a real Distribution Centre solution, with over 30% more pallet storage density.
Our team of project managers provide a totally free design service to help businesses who have storage capacity and pallet throughput challenges to find cost-effective solutions to their needs, often in their existing building. Our provision of contract hire, short-term rental and excellent aftersales support across the country makes us the ‘go to’ supplier for all articulated warehouse truck needs.
What’s business been like in the past year? How have conditions changed over this period and how have you reacted?
Our Flexi product concept has been growing steadily since 1990, as more warehouse operators adopt this modern handling and storage method. The last year has been the exception, even though the world economy has grown more slowly we have seen significant gains especially in North America and the Middle East. Our new range of Flexi model variants helped us to develop more customer solutions, the Flexi VNA satisfies those customers who need the smallest possible aisle widths, often with existing guided VNA installations. The Flexi StorMAX for those who need to ‘Max out’ their warehouse capacity, by using two deep pallet racking and warehouse management systems we can make gains of over 50% in pallet capacity.
What were the business highlights for you in the last 12 months?
Our business has managed to make major inroads into many markets in South East Asia, the increasing costs of real estate and warehouses in this region has made our Flexi a very popular storage equipment concept. The continued economic growth in North America has allowed us to sell over 25% more Flexi’s into the USA this year. The US market is somewhat different from Europe. Lower average building height and absence of ‘curtain sided’ trailers in North America means customers are far more likely to unload vehicles using docks, the Flexi LITE has become popular as its lower point loading weight and low profile triple or quad lift mast can be used in the back of semitrailers or ISO containers.
What’s been your most outstanding recent project?
Our development and launch of the Flexi Lithium product range in Spring 2018 has been very exciting, since the Hannover CeMAT launch event there has been a constant interest in the product especially among those customers who previously used propane gas powered articulated trucks. Deliveries of Flexi Lithium trucks have already been made to customers in the UK, as well as in France and the USA, with many more project enquiries already in the works for next year.
How have you fine-tuned your offering in the last 12 months and why?
We introduced a number of variants to the Flexi range, customer demands for smaller/tighter aisles produced the VNA range, demand to ‘max out’ space produced the StorMAX range and the rapid move across both public transport and logistics to create a more modern, greener energy platform produced the Flexi Lithium range.
What new products have you brought out?
Thanks to the developments in lithium-ion battery technology, Flexi AC Lithium trucks require zero battery maintenance. Lithiumion also means faster battery charging times. The Flexi AC Lithium range features heavy-duty batteries that can be fully charged within one or two hours, even if the battery is fully discharged, ensuring truck uptime is optimized.
The Flexi AC Lithium’s battery’s ability to distribute consistent power levels each hour means maximum warehouse throughput efficiency is realized, even during the longest and busiest shifts. It is also worth considering that there are many differing emission control and operation noise level standards worldwide, which make the manufacture and operation of engine-powered trucks more and more difficult in many markets.
There is also the Flexi Easy-Change, a new intelligent forklift truck battery ‘Call Forward’ charging and change management system that further improves lift truck fleet efficiency for users of battery-powered Flexi articulated trucks. When combined with highly efficient HF chargers, energy costs can be reduced by up to 50%.
What factors do you see affecting your business in the coming year? How will you turn these into opportunities?
The UK political situation aside, our key worldwide markets are growing and prospering. The ultra-logistics sector we operate in will be heavily invested in due to the global growth of e-commerce and online retail sales. Our Flexi products are well suited to the changes that are taking place and we have a well-developed distribution network in over 60 countries to take advantage of.
Are you planning to branch into any new areas, target new customers and take on more people?
We see strong growth in the USA as an opportunity, our Flexi product is already well established there, the articulated warehouse truck market is growing due to the rapid changes in retail and logistics. We are invested in additional sales, product management and distribution capacity in North America as a priority.
Are you investing in new premises and extra staff? What about staff development and training?
The company is growing. We are employing more staff across the business with an emphasis on bringing more young people into the company and the industry. We employ a number of apprentices and this will increase, we will also take on a number of graduates this year who will add to our multi-lingual, highly qualified engineering skills base.
We have begun a major upgrade of our factory in Tipton, during the first quarter of 2019 we will completely refurbish our buildings installing new production line functions allowing us to increase production capacity by 50% over the year to keep up with increased demand in Europe and the Middle East.
Are you involved in any major trade shows or other industry events over the next year?
At IMHX we are taking the opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of the Flexi AC Range. The concept is to make our products come ‘alive’ for the customer with a few of our innovative products on display. In addition, our Flexi Warehouse Systems Division will debut at the show. They use our 30 years of industry experience to develop customers’ projects looking at all the elements that influence the efficiency of their operation and future payback of their new warehouse, especially the concept of compressing the project timeframe to accelerate implementation and therefore payback starts earlier.
This attribute is very important in the fast-growing e-fulfilment and third-party logistics sector, where fixed contract terms and customers needing early fulfilment start dates are critical. We have an expert multidiscipline team with the skills and experience of successfully supplying space saving intra-logistics solutions to the warehousing industry over many years.
Using CAD, modelling and partners in WMS, storage equipment systems and complementary materials handling equipment we are able to optimize the efficiency of a given warehouse space to provide the most cost-effective solution in a much faster implementation timeframe than has previously been possible.
What big news from Narrow Aisle can our readers look forward to seeing in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2019?
We are continuing to develop our VNA Storage product range, the rapid uptake of Lithium powered Flexi range to include the larger HiLOAD and HiMAX with lift heights up to 14 metres. The elimination of battery changing and LPG engines in multi shift operations for many warehouse operators is a key.
NARROW AISLE LTD
0121 557 6242
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