Anilox Laser Technology, a manufacturer of quality metal rollers and sleeves for print machinery, has chosen Lowestoft-based Nexen Lift Trucks as the preferred supplier for its new electric counterbalance forklift.

Anilox Laser Technology uses its forklifts on a daily basis to handle pallets containing components that range in weight from 30 to 1,500 kg and rollers and sleeves of various dimensions up to 5 m in length. 

Anilox production manager Andy Duncan says he approached Nexen for advice when the existing, ageing forklift needed replacing. "They provided us with a brand-new lift truck as a demonstrator through their distributor, Lift Truck Rentals, and we liked it so much that we stuck with it."

Having handed Nexen a specification for a predominantly warehouse-based forklift, Anilox was offered a four-wheel FBX20 electric counterbalance forklift, which features a triplex mast and has a lifting capacity of 2,000 kg. The latest model in Nexen's range boasts unparalleled stability and productivity coupled with enhanced operator comfort and safety. The Nexen design team was tasked with designing a steer axle that would offer a significant reduction in turning radius and succeeded in producing a four-wheel lift truck that operates in a similar space to competitors' three-wheel trucks.

Explaining the decision to specify a four-wheel lift truck, Duncan says that many of the larger, heavier components Anilox manufactures are not square and not always placed centrally in wooden shipping pallets, so are therefore not balanced. "While three-wheel forklifts are obviously more manoeuvrable in an indoor environment, we decided that the off-central balance and length of some of the items we handle could pose a problem for them, so we opted for a four-wheel derivative. Having worked with Nexen to evaluate the best solution for our needs, the Nexen FBX20 more than satisfies our requirements."

Duncan says that Nexen took the time to listen to Anilox's requirements, instead of trying to sell whatever forklift trucks it had in stock.