Freight forwarder doubles storage with a Bendi forklift
May 17th 2007

Maximising usable storage space was the only way freight forwarders, GSG Cargo, of Worthing, could make its new warehouse pay, and the Bendi forklift was the only practical solution, explained MD, Stuart Spicer.

The multi award-winning Bendi typically allows operators to store more pallets than conventional forklifts by virtue of its articulating mast, while losing none of its operational versatility.

In GSG’s case, every inch of space at its small, 3,500ft² store had to be used so the racking was designed around the Bendi. GSG had considered dedicated, very narrow aisle (VNA) trucks but their higher purchase and running costs and inflexibility ruled them out. They would also have needed rail/wire guidance, larger turning space at aisle ends and would be hopelessly unsuited for lorry loading/unloading in the yard.

“We have 300 pallet spaces here but had we not got the Bendi it would have been half that because we would have been unable to fit in an extra double aisle,” explained Mr Spicer.

Established in 2000, GSG is a small company but growing fast, a factor it attributes to being 100% customer-focused. “We may sometimes be beaten on price but we cannot be beaten on service,” said Mr Spicer. At first it handled only import and export work but pressure from clients dictated that a UK distribution facility would also be helpful, this now accounts for nearly half its business.

Unlike reach and VNA trucks, the Bendi is also at home working outside on rough yards, thanks to its large, soft rubber wheels, good chassis ground clearance and articulating wheel axle. This dual functionality is crucial to GSG for unloading containers in the yard. Many businesses have found that such forklift versatility can mean dispensing with a mixed fleet of trucks and cutting out double handling, which leads to much higher truck productivity. The Bendi is also inherently faster than reach or VNA trucks, in some cases by as much as 20%.

Summing up the Bendi, Mr Spicer explained that having no Bendi would be like running his business without a ‘phone. “We have not encountered one thing which the Bendi will not allow us to do.”

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