British Seed Houses (BSH), part of the largest independent family owned seed company in the UK, has taken delivery of an Aisle-Master articulated forklift which has speeded up the handling of bags of seed at the company’s HQ in Lincolnshire.
BSH supplies a wide range of seeds and fertilisers to the agricultural, amenity and domestic markets across the UK, Ireland and Europe as well as distributing grass and clover varieties on a global scale. A new warehouse has recently been opened at its site to accommodate the growing volume of products and also to allow BSH the flexibility of reserve capacity due to the seasonal nature of its business.
Aisle-Masters are renowned for their ability to work in very narrow aisles, enabling maximum storage density in any given area to be achieved. For BSH, other features of the truck’s design were the deciding factor in this case when it came to choosing a new forklift, as Operations Manager Matt Stevens explains: “The aisle-widths of 2.2m in the new facility are fine for us in terms of space optmisation. More crucial was the ability of a truck to move quickly across our very extensive 10 acre site with 80,000 square feet of warehousing, to keep operations moving at the pace we require.”
BSH found that the Aisle-Master’s ground travel speed was superior to other brands of articulated trucks it had looked at, and the 20SHE electric powered model is now ensuring rapid transfer of the 700kg bags of seed across the three warehouses on site. Versatile indoor and outdoor capability also means that bad weather or uneven ground conditions are no impediment to 12 hour operation.
The new facility has been fitted with racking to a height of 7.2m and has provided 450 extra storage spaces. “A further concern we had after previous experiences with other trucks was mast stability at this height,” says Matt. “But we had nothing to worry about with the Aisle-Master. Drivers find it extremely smooth and stable to operate even when quickly lifting and lowering bags from the top beams.”
At the busiest times of year, typically in the spring, BSH needs to pull out all the stops to ensure customer orders are fulfilled, and the Aisle-Master’s robust build, easy maintenance and therefore minimum risk of downtime has been of great benefit. Matt Stevens: “Aisle-Master’s Stephen Wells was right when he said that we’d find the truck reliable and an asset to our business. We have been so impressed that we will definitely go for an Aisle-Master again should we need to expand our fleet.”
Aisle-Masters have capacities of up to 2.5 tonnes, and now offer lift heights of up to 15 metres, with a choice of AC electric or LPG power. The range is designed and built at the dedicated production facility of its parent company Combilift in Monaghan, Ireland, and can be customised for individual requirements. Aisle-Master design engineers also offer a site visit and warehouse layout service and supply free layout proposals illustrating how to maximise the use of available storage space.
Aisle-Master Ltd
UK Tel: 07870 976 758
Email: info@aisle-master.com
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