To allow for growth, Werner Ladder Company built new warehouse space at its Franklin Park, Ill. complex of buildings. Management of the firm, the world's largest manufacturer of climbing equipment, also decided to reduce the width of storage aisles, cutting them from 13 feet to 7.5 feet in width. This decision results in denser, more efficient storage for purchased and fabricated parts.

To work in this reconfigured layout, Werner chose a forklift specifically designed for space-efficient, highly maneuverable handling in narrow aisles. The selected vehicle has an articulated front end that allows the lifting mast and front wheel assembly to rotate a full 180 degrees. This design enables the forklift to stack and retrieve loads in aisles as narrow as 6.5 feet. Equipped with three- or four-stage masts, the vehicle can lift loads as high as 26 feet.

To see this vehicle in action prior to purchasing it for Werner's use, Leigh Carlson, manager of industrial engineering, and several colleagues visited a warehouse where the trucks handled pallet loads. "We saw what we needed to see," says Carlson. "They made the work look easy, so we measured the aisle spacing to make sure it was as narrow as advertised." The Werner team also thought it was especially important that the vehicle's controls "seem well designed and easy to learn," as Carlson recalls.

One narrow-aisle truck was ordered and assigned to work in the purchased parts storage area, replacing conventional forklifts. This new vehicle does double duty. It unloads trailers on the docks, then places materials weighing up to 4,500 pounds in narrow-aisle storage without having to stage them. Or it can retrieve from narrow-aisle racking and load directly onto trailers.

After less than 6 months of experience with the first narrow-aisle vehicle, Carlson and his group ordered a second machine. This type of forklift, says Carlson, "is one of the most versatile trucks I've seen. It's quick in the revamped rack area and a good size and weight to drive into trailers for loading and unloading."

This second vehicle moves parts made on site from production to storage and later, as needed, to the assembly line. Parts are held and transported in wire baskets measuring 48-inches by 40-inches by 36 inches.

This type of narrow-aisle vehicle, Carlson says, "fits our operation, lets us do more in less time, and lets us make more efficient use of our storage space. So we save labor and square footage. And it meshes nicely with the other materials handling equipment we use. We're sold on the machine."

Landoll
800-428-5655
www.landoll.com