John Maguire

Flexi Narrow Aisle has seen an increase of almost 80% in sales of its articulated forklifts in the December 2010-February 2011 period.

Sales and marketing director John Maguire says "the numbers are (the) highest in the company's history" and demand is not only coming from the UK but also from overseas.

"We saw a gradual improvement in the UK market from September 2010. Other markets, especially the BRICs [Brazil, Russia, India and China markets], have been solid throughout last year. The pace really picked up so far from December 2010 to February 2011," he says.

Flexi Narrow Aisle, which manufactures its forklifts at its plant at Tipton in West Midlands, is attracting new business from third-party logistics (3PL) specialists, freight forwarders and retailers operating internet operations who are investing in new facilities.

Maguire says Europe and the emerging BRIC economies continue to offer excellent export growth and future growth opportunities.

He explains that Flexi Narrow Aisle had made a strategic move to develop the BRIC markets "early enough for increased sales to make a real difference last year". "[If] this trend continues, we expect to obtain about 30% of sales from them in the near future. Our product suits these emerging market customers. They need space-saving solutions to very quickly respond to rapid growth."

"No-one can really be certain how the local and economic situation will develop over the coming months but indicators are very encouraging after three record months and we are seeing a real upward trend. There is every reason to be optimistic that we can consolidate and build on this growth during 2011," he continues.