CEFCO switches to Aisle-Master
October 1st 2011 Electrical goods distributor CEFCO outlines a number of benefits after moving from
reach trucks to an Aisle-Master articulated truck. These include increased warehouse
capacity, which meant the firm did not have to invest in extra facilities.
Doncaster based CEFCO is the distribution arm of CEF,
the UK's leading electrical wholesale network, which
ensures the regular supply of the company's wide range
of electrical products to its national and international outlets.
Due to a marked increase in the volume of goods handled at the
warehouse, the need to make maximum use of the storage space
available became a priority. By bringing in an Aisle-Master
articulated forklift as a replacement for reach trucks, CEFCO has
been able to increase storage density by 30% in its 37,000 sq ft
footprint.
"The upsurge in business coincided with our fleet of reach
trucks nearing the end of their working life," explained
warehouse manager Neil Dillon. "So we were very receptive to a
suggestion from Gary Hawkhead of Forkway, our local materials
handling consultant, that we look at a more space saving system.
The Aisle-Master's ability to work in narrow aisles has enabled us
to drastically reduce the widths between racking and increase the
pallet count from 1,300 to 2,000. This has also avoided the need
for additional outlay on extra warehousing facilities."
Aisle-Masters have a reputation for build quality and reliable
operation, and Neil was struck by this when he looked at the
various articulated brands on the market.
"You could tell just by its appearance that it stood out from
the rest – we all liked the fact that it is a sturdy piece of well
engineered kit with a high end finish, made of solid steel with no
flimsy fibre glass panels."
In practice the truck has proved to be as reliable as it is good
looking: it has a 100% operational record in its 18 months of
service and has had no need of any attention from Forkway's
service engineers.
An AC electric powered Aisle-Master model was chosen from
the manufacturer's range, and its versatility enables it to work as
a reach truck for outside offloading and loading, before taking
the pallets to the interior racking.With the ability to lift to 12.5m
it easily copes with CEFCO's top racking height of 8m.
"The articulated system was new to us when we made the
change from reach trucks," says Neil. "But we are more than
happy with the outcome. Our drivers adapted easily, we have
increased our warehouse capacity and we know that we can
reliably fulfill any delivery schedules that are required."
Aisle-Masters can work in aisles of just 1.75m, have capacities
of up to 2.5 tonnes, lift heights of up to 12.5 metres, with a
choice of AC electric or LPG power. A parts warranty of 5 years
or 5,000 hours now offers even more peace of mind for users and
underlines the extreme
reliability of the range. More articles from Aisle-Master Ltd: | 
