A perfect balance
December 1st 2006

Based in the UK's industrial heartland, Narrow Aisle Ltd has been one of the world's foremost manufacturers of very narrow aisle (VNA) equipment for over three decades

Narrow Aisle's range of VNA products includes man-down and man-up trucks, order pickers and reach trucks, but Narrow Aisle is perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the awardwinning FLEXI range of articulated forklifts.

The FLEXI is now the biggest selling articulated forklift truck model in Europe and FLEXIs are becoming an increasingly common site in warehouses and distribution centres in the United States and Asia.

Effectively two trucks in one, the FLEXI's design enables it to load like a counterbalanced machine (both inside and outside) and work in very narrow aisles like a reach truck although, significantly, without the need for any special attention to be given to the surface of the warehouse floor.

As well as providing greater operational flexibility, using a FLEXI articulated truck ensures that warehouse operators get the most from their storage cube. It has been well documented that by operating a FLEXI it is possible to increase pallet storage capacity by anything between 30 and 50 per cent.

"But," warns Narrow Aisle's sales and marketing director, John Maguire, "successful warehousing has to be a balance of productivity and safety." "Articulated trucks are now capable of lifting pallets to tremendous heights, and while there is always a temptation to condense aisle ways to the narrowest possible width, safety has to be the foremost consideration with any new warehouse scheme," says John.

"That is why we always recommend that, for applications where standard UK pallets are being used, aisle widths must be at least 1762mm wide. This is still considerably less than the space that a reach truck requires to operate, but it does not compromise safety," he adds.

Safety first Indeed, for Narrow Aisle, the safety of the forklift operator and other warehouse or distribution staff has always been a priority, as John Maguire explains: "Operator safety is a key consideration within any materials handling operation and Narrow Aisle is a company that believes lift truck design can contribute a tremendous amount to forklift truck safety. Narrow Aisle's FLEXI articulated truck has an impeccable safety record and demonstrates how a lift truck can be built to aid a driver's safe practice."

Safety was at the forefront of the Narrow Aisle design team's thoughts when working on the very latest addition to the FLEXI series the FLEXI Generation 4, as seen on this month's cover of Handling & Storage Solutions.

Launched in the Autumn of 2006, the FLEXI Generation 4 or G4 as the new model is known is bristling with safety features. For example an operator presence switch fitted within the seat prevents the truck from being moved unless the driver is in the sitting position. The presence switch eliminates the risk of situations where, for example, forklift operators who only want to move the truck forward a couple of metres are tempted to start the machine while standing alongside it and pushing the accelerator with their hand.

This kind of act, while going against health and safety legislation and, indeed, the laws of general common sense, is surprisingly common as any warehouse or distribution centre manager will testify. By carrying out such an act, the driver runs several risks not the least of which is catching his or her foot under the wheel of the truck.

The presence switch system's sensors also prevent the mast from tilting, lifting or lowering unless the driver is sitting in the operating position A further safety advance on the G4 is the redesigned accelerator and brake layout.

FEM, the governing body of the European materials handling industry, recommends that the brake and accelerator pedals on any forklift truck should be biased towards the right to ensure a familiar 'automotive' type control arrangement for the operator.

The G4's automotive-style pedal layout complies with the directive and, in addition, the accelerator and brake pedals are now wider and fitted with rubber cushions. This means that the operator can operate the truck comfortably and efficiently even when wearing heavy insulated boots in a cold store environment.

When the brake of the G4 is applied, it switches off the traction and introduces electronic regenerative motor braking to ensure that the truck comes to a smooth, controlled stop every time and without excessive brake wear.

No roll back When working outside with FLEXI operators often need to stop and restart on an incline.

The G4 features the newly developed Narrow Aisle Safe Start (NASSA) system which allows the operator to restart the truck and move off up an incline without any possibility of roll back. If the truck is on an incline when it stops, the operator simply presses a button situated on the side of the steering column to reapply the traction for a few seconds and enable a smooth hill start to be made.

"Google 'forklift truck accident' and the search engine returns a list populated with compensation claim solicitors, each highlighting a case of a successful compensation claim for accidents involving lift trucks," says John Maguire. "Forklift truck design has an important role to play in safety and Narrow Aisle's FLEXI G4 articulated truck demonstrates how a lift truck can be built to give the operator and those working around him or her, the very safest working environment."

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