Forklifts maximise storage capacity for furniture maker

The sliding doors and storage systems manufacturer's purpose-built, 110,000 sq ft HQ at Woodhouse Mill, near Sheffield, is 10% larger than the old site nearby, but increased demand for products meant best use of space was vital. "Although we now have much-needed extra space, we still need to ensure that we can accommodate increasing volumes of materials," said Jim Barras, logistics manager, who oversaw the commissioning and implementation of the new equipment and vehicles on site. After research the market and seeking advice from local deal Forkway, Home Decor chose a mix of racking types together with two electric-powered Combilifts – a C4000E 4t and a 2.5t Combi-CBE. "This gives us the best level of flexibility for our handling requirements across the factory floor and outside," Barras adds. Standard packs of roll-formed and extruded aluminium rails (stiles) and pallets are stored in narrow guided aisles; a bay of cantilever racking is used for the longer, non-standard 2m, 3m and 5m packs. The C4000E truck works predominantly in the racking and is fitted with guide rollers. A larger battery means it can pick and place loads up to the top beam height of 9m – 4m higher than before. This additional height, plus the ability to lay awkward loads across the cantilever racking, has given Home Decor space for 800 extra pallets. The other Combilift truck, a compact counterbalance model, is used for offloading deliveries and moving pallets of fixtures and fittings around the manufacturing area. "Without its multi-directional capability and ability to turn on its own axis, we would need to set aside large areas of unproductive space just for manoeuvring," Barras comments. "The differing sizes of products we deal with would also be a nightmare to handle with a less versatile truck but the hydraulic fork positioners, operated from within the cab, enable quick adjustment to fit the loads."