Narrow aisle forklift trucks are critical in maximising storage space and improving operational efficiency. But what is a narrow aisle forklift truck and in what scenarios are they best used?
In this blog, we will explain what a narrow aisle forklift truck is, when your business should use them and the advantages they can provide to you and your employees.
- What is a narrow aisle forklift truck?
- When should narrow aisle forklift trucks be used?
- What are the benefits of narrow aisle forklift trucks?
What is a narrow aisle forklift truck?
A narrow aisle forklift truck is specially designed for working in tight spaces. These trucks are most efficient in aisles less than 10.5 feet wide.
There are two types of narrow aisle trucks produced by Toyota; Man-up and man-down. You can learn more about both of these trucks and how they differ from each other here.
Powered by electric, this truck features long forks that reach out to pick up pallets of goods or materials.
Narrow aisle forklift trucks provide wire or rail guidance, allowing fast but safe working with optimised drive and lift speed.
We will explain how these trucks can improve your business operation in the next section.
When should narrow aisle forklift trucks be used?
Narrow aisle forklifts navigate and operate in tight areas, allowing for efficient operation in warehouses with limited space.
Scenario one: Moving stock around the warehouse.
You may need to move items around your warehouse when stock-taking or reorganising your storage space. This can be time-consuming and difficult with traditional lift trucks because operators need help manoeuvring through tight spaces with bulky items.
However, with a narrow aisle forklift truck, you can move large items quickly between two areas of your warehouse, even with space restrictions.
Scenario two: High-level picking and storage.
If your warehouse has tall shelves or racking systems, it can be difficult for your operators to reach these areas without the correct equipment.
Using a narrow aisle forklift truck gives operators access to high places of up to 16.8m, allowing them to pick items from hard-to-reach areas.
What are the benefits of narrow aisle forklift trucks?
Narrow aisle forklift trucks can offer many benefits to businesses and employees. Some of these benefits include:
Increased efficiency.
One of the most significant benefits of using a narrow aisle forklift truck is its high-efficiency levels. Due to their small size and great manoeuvrability, narrow aisle forklift trucks can reduce travel distances between racks, resulting in faster loading and unloading times. Because they are smaller than other trucks on the market, more of them can be fit into warehouse spaces, which also can create additional efficiency gains.
Improved safety.
Toyota’s narrow aisle forklift trucks have been designed with safety in mind. They feature ergonomic controls, which provide extra stability for truck operators.
Our narrow-aisle trucks also have advanced safety features, such as drive-assist systems, which help reduce operator fatigue and warehouse accident rates.
Reduced costs.
By way of their compact design, narrow aisle forklift trucks require less maintenance over time than traditional lift trucks. Also, by reducing the time it takes for goods to move around the warehouse, your business can increase overall throughput by freeing up resources for other tasks.
As well as being built with advanced safety features, all our narrow aisle forklift trucks are equipped with telematics hardware.
Telematics allows you to easily monitor activity and further improve productivity, safety and efficiency. If these are the goals you are looking to achieve, why not start exploring your options?
Increased manoeuvrability.
Narrow aisle trucks have a slim profile, allowing them to perform better than traditional forklifts in warehouses with limited space. By reducing the truck's overall size, they can turn in tighter radius turns, making it easier to move around quickly and accurately.
Introducing our industry-leading narrow aisle forklift trucks.
If you want to learn more about our narrow aisle trucks, their range of features and how they can help your business succeed, get started below.
