ILG has grown to become a market leader in fulfilment warehousing and logistics services. Since its first Aisle Master was put into service in 2013 it has been adding to the fleet year on year and now operates seven Aisle Masters across various locations in West Sussex.
ILG was the winner of the 2017 UKWA Warehouse Company of the Year award and serves around 120 clients – predominantly in the rapidly growing fashion, beauty and e-commerce sectors. A new flagship site opened in 2017 bringing the total amount of warehouse space to 200,000 sq. ft. “We generally pick, pack and ship around 4,000 – 5,000 orders a day, but during peak periods, such as Black Friday, this can rise to 18,000,” said H&S and Facilities Manager Helen Nichols. “So Reliable operation of MHE is crucial to fulfil the promise of quick turnaround for customers.”
Depending on their location, the Aisle Masters work in aisle widths from 1850mm load to load, up to 2020mm, which are dictated by the size of the pallets. Side shift as standard on all the trucks allows quick and convenient fork adjustment from within the cab for the different sized loads that ILG deal with. The trucks lift to heights from 5m to 9m and are equally at home inside the warehouse and outside in the yards for speedier offloading procedures. “This versatility is a definite advantage over other types of trucks such as reach or counterbalance, which tend to be limited to either indoor or outdoor use,” said Helen. “In our new sites we have also been able to capitalise on their narrow aisle capability by keeping aisle widths tight for maximum use of space.”
“Recent rapid growth and the fast pace of operations at all our locations is inherently demanding on our handling equipment,” said Managing Director Mike Stephenson. “The Aisle Masters’ reliability and flexibility enable us to deliver the goods to our customers to ensure that their own business thrives. We aim for the highest professional standards of warehousing, which was recognised by the UKWA this year and these forklifts definitely contributed to this success.”