Thirty years and still going strong

Sirdar built its warehouse in 1977 and decided to configure it for very narrow aisle operations. VNA was a new concept at that time, but Sirdar saw the advantages in terms of storage density and load selectivity. The project took into account factors such as layout and configuration of the racking and the introduction of special pallet-sized wooden boxes for storing the yarn, known as palcons. Crucial to the success of the warehouse was the choice of VNA trucks. The warehouse was configured with six 1,500mm-wide aisles, narrow even by today's standards, and six beams with the highest almost 9m. Palcons are double stacked at ground level only. The result is 6,000 storage locations with stock organised in groups, by colour and range, for simplicity. The assessment at the time suggested that two trucks would be needed. Both have been used for more than 30 years, one often acting as back up to the other, until Sirdar decided it was time for a replacement. Atlet had also supplied ride-on pallet stackers and powered pallet transporters as part of the original contract and these were replaced in 2003. The relationship between the two companies has remained strong. Although Sirdar approached other potential suppliers for the replacement VNA truck, it decided to go with Atlet. The new VNA truck is an Omni DCT man-rising order picker. Ergonomic design, push-button controls, mini-steer wheel and computerised on-board management have replaced the mechanical controls and levers of the older trucks. Another key difference is in the design: the operator rises with the load, giving a much clearer view of the load and racking so that the palcon can be placed or retrieved on either side of the aisle. Most of the handling is carried out with the new equipment, but Sirdar is retaining the other original truck as a back up and for use in busy periods.