WTSIreland,
The European market has always been light years ahead of the US in VNA & other high density storage system & equipment. The main rational is the US much more usable land mass. So VNA solutions are slow to catch on. For example - the side loading lift truck is common in Europe and widely used in timber (lumber) yards for storage - in the US most timber (lumber) yards will used front loading 8-10K counterbalanced w/triple & side shift. And there is an issue with insurance when inflammable (or flammable) products are stored close together = potential for greater loss = greater insurance premiums.
On the other hand, electric side loaders are or were commonly used in steel service centers in the US - China seems to be doing a lot of our metal stuff now..