Narrow aisles, broad appeal
April 1st 2007 Sales of articulated trucks shows they are a viable alternative to the traditional combination of counterbalances to unload and reach trucks to put away palletised loads Rapidly increasing sales of articulated trucks are having an impact on the reach truck market both in the UK and overseas. The articulated truck has long been promoted as a viable alternative to the traditional combination of a counterbalanced truck to unload and a reach truck to put away palletised loads and, in recent years, more and more fleet operators have been converted to the articulated approach – at the expense, it appears, of the reach truck. "Until the articulated truck was introduced, companies had little alternative but to operate a two truck system with a counterbalanced machine working outside and feeding a reach truck inside the store or warehouse," says John Maguire, sales and marketing director of Narrow Aisle Flexi. "With the arrival of articulated machines users realised that they could eliminate this often costly and generally inefficient arrangement. Articulated trucks load and unload lorries and deliver pallets directly to the racking in a single operation. By doing so, they increase efficiency and productivity while abolishing double handling and the costs associated with running a bigger truck fleet than is necessary." Narrow Aisle Flexi has honed articulated and VNA truck design and production for over three decades. The company claims its eponymous Flexi forklift – the latest version of which, the Flexi G4, was demonstrated at this year's International Materials Handling Exhibition – is now the biggest selling articulated model in Europe. "To be competitive, profitable and successful, a modern logistics operation has to be consistently efficient and reliable, therefore it is essential that the solutions offered by materials handling equipment suppliers are of the highest standard," Maguire continues. "Increasingly manufacturers are seeking new solutions to their handling and storage problems. This ability to load like a counterbalance machine combined with a capacity to work comfortably both inside and out and within very narrow aisles, has established the articulated forklift as a popular choice with truck specifiers." More articles from Narrow Aisle Limited: | 
