11 Aisle-Masters for 99p Stores

Advertisement
- 9 Sep 2010 ( #478 )
3 min read
99p Stores started with a single location in London in 2001 and has since become a major national brand with 135 outlets across the country. With this figure expecting to rise to 200 by the end of the year, the company has built a new National Distribution Centre in central England which is two and a half times the size of its old HQ. To cope with the exacting demands of a site of this scale, 99p Stores has chosen a fleet of 11 Aisle-Master articulated trucks to handle and store pallets of incoming and outgoing consignments.

"With an area of 375,000 sq. ft, this is the largest site for a single price retailer in the UK," says Commercial Director Hussein Lalani. "When choosing equipment for the warehouse the focus was on top quality products for absolute dependability to enable our 24/7 operations to proceed unhindered. We were familiar with the articulated system which operated in our old premises, and after thorough evaluation of all brands on the market we made the unanimous decision to switch to Aisle-Master."

The 11 AC electric powered Aisle-Masters are fully customised to 99p Stores' specifications and were the first batch of trucks to come off the new manufacturing line since the company moved production to its new site in Monaghan, Ireland. The 11.4m mast has an impressive capacity of 700kg to full lift height. Other features include weighing scales and a mast mounted camera with in-cab screen to ease pallet placement and removal in the extremely high top racks.

As befits an operation of this size, the statistics are impressive. Hussein Lalani explains: "We currently have 4,000 to 5,000 pallet movements a day, send out 26,000 pallets a week to stores, which will soon rise to 52,000 in the run up to Christmas. When all the racking is installed we will have 51 aisles to accommodate 44,000 pallet spaces. We therefore need very robust trucks to handle this rigorous workload with the minimum risk of downtime. A senior colleague had visited the factory and seen at first hand the quality manufacturing process, and having also tried out an Aisle-Master on a long term rental basis before we moved, I knew this was a machine we could rely on. Driver preference is also very important, and when surveyed, all drivers agreed that it was better than others for smoother operation and mast stability at height."

The Aisle-Masters were supplied by Linde Creighton, which will also look after service and maintenance. Four Linde engineers were factory trained by Aisle-Master so have inside out knowledge of the trucks, which are specifically designed for easy access to components to speed up routine tasks. The AC technology incorporated as standard in all electric Aisle-Masters also minimises wear and tear on parts and reduces energy consumption for longer operation per charge. 99p Stores is also fitting the Transmon fleet management system for improved monitoring of truck movements.

The AC electric or LPG powered Aisle-Master range can work in aisles of just 1.75m, with capacities of up to 2.5 tonnes and lift heights of up to 12.5 metres. The company also offers a free of charge warehouse planning service. Customers can either supply a layout of their premises, or Aisle-Master personnel will visit to undertake a site survey. On the basis of this, design engineers supply layout proposals and storage density calculations, illustrating the optimum use of space.


Aisle-Master Ltd. Co. Monaghan, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)47 80400
UK Tel: + 44 (0)7870 976 758

E: info@aisle-master.com W: www.aisle-master.com

For more company and product information: click to view the Aisle-Master ShopFront.
To learn more about impactful advertisements: download our media kit
The article on this page is supplied by and shown on behalf of an advertiser and does not in any way represent the views of Forkliftaction. The originators take full responsibility for their content. We advise you to contact the advertiser directly for any matters concerning this article.
Words of support …

At Linde Material Handling, we appreciate Forkliftaction for its competent and informative reporting and its global perspective. Forkliftaction is one of the few industry media with a transnational readership.

Heike Oder, Head of Trade Press
Upcoming in the editorial calendar
WIRELESS CHARGING
Aug 2025
MANAGING MIXED FLEETS
Oct 2025

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading
Upcoming in the editorial calendar
WIRELESS CHARGING
Aug 2025
MANAGING MIXED FLEETS
Oct 2025
Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading
Words of support …

These releases in Forkliftaction are a nice experience for SNDC... We got seven inquiries coming from Canada, USA, Mexico, Israel and Australia (five from retailers, two from machines manufacturers) and we are still in contact with them. I can state that's a success story!

David Massat, Sales Director OEM and Export

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Upcoming industry events …
October 6-9, 2025 - Detroit, MI, United States
November 14, 2025 - Melbourne, Australia
Inside The News
While innovation and new technology are evolving at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace, the need to capture the data (telemetry) from this tech, and the ability to utilise it (telematics) for efficiency and cost savings, is one area attracting more and more attention ... Continue reading
Words of support …

I know I can count on them. They give valuable suggestions on the campaign planning, and to publish content is as easy as abc, as they take care of the material layout and check links. This is a great support.

Annalisa Castellini, Marketing Manager
TOC Europe wraps up Rotterdam, Netherlands

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Upcoming in the editorial calendar
WIRELESS CHARGING
Aug 2025
MANAGING MIXED FLEETS
Oct 2025