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A persistent problem in the material handling industry is the need to provide more space-efficient and cost-effective storage in both new and existing warehouses. Landoll Corporation manufactures versatile forklift trucks designed to help solve this problem by taking full advantage of modern narrow-aisle racking systems. In production since 1993, Landoll's battery-powered Bendi™ was the first modern forklift to offer 180-degree articulated front-end steering. Today's compact models can load and unload trailers and are engineered for laborsaving performance on both the loading dock and the warehouse floor.

The Bendi Forklift's articulating front end enables both the mast and front axle assembly to rotate left and right through a full 180-degree arc. This permits the compact forklift to turn sharp corners and to pick and store loads on either side of aisles as narrow as 6 feet.

Here are a few real-world stories that illustrate the Bendi Forklift's role in solving a variety of problems.

Get More Capacity From Existing Storage
In response to increased demand for its temperature-sensitive shrink film products, Gunze Plastics and Engineering Corporation in Olathe, KS, needed to create more usable storage space. Expansion of its existing temperature-controlled storage area would be costly. To add storage more economically, Gunze decided to reconfigure the area using narrow aisles and a new storage-racking system to maximize the capacity of its 16,000 square foot warehouse. To store and retrieve product in the new space-efficient layout, Gunze chose the environmentally friendly Bendi Forklift. Gunze operators adjusted quickly to the Bendi and found that it allowed them to load and unload trailers as well as place pallets directly on the racking without staging.

Make Use of Inaccessible Space
Graybar Electric Company of St. Louis, MO, the largest privately owned wholesale electric supply company in the U.S., needed more storage capacity at its Charlotte, NC, facility. The Charlotte warehouse had some narrow-aisle racking that could not be serviced by Graybar's conventional lift trucks as well as areas Graybar deemed inaccessible for storage. A lift truck dealer recommended trying the Landoll Bendi. Not only could the Bendi navigate the narrow aisles, but it also allowed Graybar to open up previously inaccessible areas in the building and increase usable storage by 30%.

Save Space and Money
Wine & Spirit, Inc./KKD Carriers in Sommerville, NJ, specializes in next-day delivery of wines and spirits. With a 100% sudden growth in sales and a warehouse that could not be expanded beyond existing walls, KKD faced a potentially costly dilemma. A local equipment dealer suggested cutting the facility's 10- and 14-foot aisles down to 7 feet and replacing the conventional lift trucks with Bendi Forklifts. The narrower aisles provided the needed capacity, and the ergonomic, user-friendly design of the Bendi enabled operators to make a smooth and easy transition. The truck's ability to pick from both sides of the aisle allowed racking to be deadheaded against walls for added storage.

Boost Productivity With Bendi™
Werner Ladder Company is the world's largest manufacturer of what is known in the industry as climbing equipment. After several years of running at full capacity, its Chicago-area complex was due for expansion, and increased parts and finished-product storage with modern narrow-aisle racking to aid production and to reduce the costs of leased remote warehousing was part of the plan. The Chicago plant's main forklift dealer recommended introducing a Bendi Forklift even before construction was complete. Operators found the Bendi easy to use, quick and agile in the narrow aisles, and a good size and weight to drive into trailers and eliminate most staging. After less than six months on the job, with warehouse construction still in progress, the Bendi was so popular that Werner ordered a second one.

Contact Landoll For More Information and Technical Assistance
Landoll Corporation - Material Handling Products Group
1900 North Street - Marysville, KS 66508
Phone: 785-562-5381 - Fax: 785-562-4853
E-mail: landcorp@landoll.com

Werner Ladder Company is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of climbing equipment. Werner's lines include a wide assortment of ladders, staging, and scaffolds. To keep pace with the demand and maintain its leadership position, the company operates plants in Greenville, Pennsylvania; Franklin Park, Illinois; Anniston, Alabama; and Carrollton, Kentucky.

The Chicago-area facility in Franklin Park, the largest of these, with over 660,000 square feet of floor space, runs three shifts seven days a week, manufacturing aluminum and fiberglass ladders, step-ladders, and scaffolding. The plant has been operating near full capacity for some time. Remote warehousing had been leased to free up additional space for production.

To allow for growth, corporate and local managers have been planning for several years to build on and to make more efficient use of existing space. To facilitate new construction, the company purchased the street and easements between its two main Franklin Park buildings. Management's long-term goal is to increase production space, parts storage, and warehousing for finished product. Increased fabrication and assembly capacity is needed to meet demand. Increased storage space will both aid production and reduce the reliance on, and cost of, leasing remote facilities. In addition to building new warehouse space, management has also decided to reduce its 13-foot storage aisles down to 7 1/2 feet to achieve denser, more efficient storage for purchased and fabricated parts.

Once expansion plans were approved, going to narrow-aisle racking meant finding lift trucks that could maneuver in the new setup. Even before construction began, the plant's Manager of Industrial Engineering, Leigh Carlson, sought the advice of Marty Szekely at Voss Equipment in nearby Harvey, Illinois. Werner has a long-standing relationship with Voss for leasing and servicing most of the specialized vehicles used in the Franklin Park plant.

Two of the forklifts Werner had previously leased from Voss were PivotMast™ Forklifts manufactured by Landoll Corporation. Carlson had been attracted to the PivotMast because of its ability to transport long loads - like bundles of 20' ladder rails. Long in-process mill lengths of rails can be difficult to handle safely with conventional forklift trucks even through wide aisles. But the PivotMast design allows long loads to be turned sideways - parallel to the length of the truck and direction of travel - and rested on the unit's carrying deck for safe transport even through narrow aisles. With nearly two years experience running the PivotMast trucks, Werner operators were enthusiastic about its maneuverability and ease of operation.

To handle the reconfigured racking layout, Voss recommended that Werner managers consider another Landoll truck - the Bendi™ Forklift. Landoll designed the Bendi to be space-efficient and highly maneuverable in today's narrow-aisle warehouses. The Bendi has been specifically engineered for narrow-aisle work: its articulated front end allows the lifting mast and front wheel assembly to rotate a full 180 degrees. This enables the compact Bendi to stack and retrieve loads in aisles as narrow as 6 feet. The Bendi also has standard three- and four-stage masts capable of lifting loads as high as 26 feet.

Voss felt that the Bendi could provide both the narrow-aisle and high-stacking capabilities needed for the kind of high-density storage Werner had on the drawing board. But to make sure Bendi was a good match for Werner, Marty Szekely arranged for Carlson and his colleagues to visit a warehouse where Bendi trucks were already handling loads in narrow aisles. The Werner group came away impressed with the Bendi in action, and the operators they talked to liked the way the trucks handled. Carlson noted: "It was a finished product warehouse operation where they handled product on pallets, but we saw what we needed to see. They made the work look easy, so we measured the spacing to make sure it was as narrow as advertised. It was especially important to us that the Bendi controls seem well designed and easy to learn."

During the summer, Carlson took delivery of a Bendi and immediately assigned it to replace LP-fueled forklifts in the purchased parts storage area. Given the present plant layout, some of Werner's purchased ladder parts have to be shuttled between the two main plant buildings. With its front-loader design, the Bendi can be used on the docks to unload trailers and place materials weighing up to 4,500 pounds in storage. No need for staging. Subsequently, it removes parts as needed from the storage aisles and loads them directly onto trailers that shuttle across the street to the assembly area.

By early fall, after less than six months on the job, the Bendi was performing so well that Carlson and his group ordered a second machine. Carlson commented: "The Bendi is one of the most versatile trucks I've seen. It's quick in the revamped rack area and a good size and weight to drive into trailers for loading and unloading. Even though we haven't finished reconfiguring all our storage yet, we figured it was a natural for our situation and decided to get a second one for our fabricated parts department."

Voss delivered the second Bendi in October. After preliminary training, operators in the fabricated parts department started using the Bendi to move parts manufactured on site from production to storage and later, as needed, to the assembly line. Werner uses typical wire baskets measuring 48" x 40" and 36" high to collect and move parts such as ladder feet, guide brackets, spreaders, and locks. Carlson noted: "The drivers are already getting used to the Bendi, and we plan to use Landoll's Training Kit to do more extensive in-house training. When there's downtime, we can use our PivotMast forklifts as emergency backup. The Bendi fits our operation, lets us do more in less time, and lets us make more efficient use of our storage space. So we save labor and square footage...and it meshes nicely with the other material handling equipment we use. We're sold on the machine."

Gunze Plastics and Engineering Corporation of America approached Oram Material Handling Systems, Inc., with a problem that has become increasingly familiar in the material handling industry: "Can you help us create more usable storage space in our existing building?"

Located in Olathe, Kansas, Gunze is a primary manufacturer of "FIXAR." The FIXAR line consists of polypropylene shrink film products for the Japanese based Corporation, Gunze Limited. Over the past year, Gunze has had to increase production in response to market demand. The increased production has resulted in the need for additional space in which to store the firm's temperature-sensitive product.

To meet its growth demands, the company looked at several options, including an expensive expansion of its existing temperature-controlled storage room. After studying several alternative methods of expansion, Gunze executives asked Oram Material Handling Systems of Kansas City, Kansas, for its recommendations.

Working with the general manager of the Gunze facility, Oram identified the objectives and parameters of the storage expansion. The Oram team proposed that Gunze reconfigure its existing temperature-controlled warehousing area. Oram's plan included a new narrow-aisle racking layout and the installation of a storage-racking system designed to maximize storage space in the 16,000 square foot warehousing area.

Gunze followed Oram's guidance and redesigned its existing temperature-controlled room around new selective pallet racking. Oram also proposed that Gunze purchase a Bendi narrow-aisle lift truck to store and retrieve loads in the new layout. The savings Oram projected more than offset the difference in cost between the Bendi and a conventional forklift. Bendi four-wheel lift trucks have 180-degree articulated front-wheel steering that allows them to maneuver in storage aisles as narrow as 78 inches. In addition, the electric Bendi lift trucks allow operators to load and unload trailers as well as place pallets directly on pallet racks, without staging and without the need for other forklifts.

In making the recommended changes, Gunze increased its pallet storage by 60% and eliminated the need for time-consuming staging. Gunze operators quickly adjusted to the new lift truck and especially like the versatility and flexibility of the Bendi. It saves handling time by allowing operators to use one piece of equipment for managing warehouse storage and loading activities.