Trucks allow racking revamp
December 1st 2010 United Coffee UK has increased
storage capacity by 56 per cent by
reconfiguring racking and
introducing Atlet Forte reach trucks.
Storage and handling operations have
been optimised at the company's
Milton Keynes distribution centre.
"We store more and we are more
efficient because we found the right
trucks and rearranged the
warehouse," says Ray Holland, supply
chain and distribution manager at
United Coffee UK.
The number of stock lines had
grown to fulfil demand for greater
customer choice.More stock was
sourced from overseas and delivered
in containers. This presented a major
challenge because, with up to five
arriving each month, demand for
storage fluctuated dramatically.
Changes in pack sizes also meant
fewer items could be stored on each
pallet which led to inefficient use of
capacity in terms of vertical and
horizontal spacing.
The company approached four
prospective lift truck suppliers for
their proposals.Working with the
team from United Coffee UK, Atlet
assessed a number of options and
used its Logistics Analyser Program
to simulate various racking
configurations, including narrow
aisle and double deep. Double deep
offered the potential to maximise
storage capacity but did not support
the selectivity and throughput
required for this particular
application. So Atlet proposed two of
its Forte reach trucks which could
operate in 2.5m aisles and handle full
1400kg loads to the maximum 6.3m
of the highest proposed racking
beam.
"Atlet was the only manufacturer
that could meet our specification,"
says Darren Wilcox, logistics manager
at United Coffee UK. More articles from Atlet Limited: | 
