Bendi VNA trucks save space for ASDA

Back of house solution involving VNA and Mini Bendi pedestrian trucks provides nationwide warehousing blueprint for British supermarket chain

Through engineering innovation and design, supermarket chain Asda has been able to save, on average of 40% space in its back of house high bay racking areas per store thanks to reducing aisle widths to less than 2m and operating VNA Bendi trucks.

By replacing Reach and Counterbalance trucks and opting for a fully remanufactured rear wheel drive Bendi model; a design which was patented by Translift Bendi in the 1980s, Asda now has the specification for indoor and outdoor use.

With the first Bendi machines delivered to Frome followed by Capehill,Motherwell and Glasgow some five years ago, many of Asda's stores nationwide, use Bendi.

According to Simon Grass, back of house manager for Asda, it was a natural progression: "We have been working with Bendi for many years and the team continually looks to support our operations through cost effective, space saving solutions. They truly understand what we need to achieve and have worked with us to meet our requirements." With over 99% uptime, nationally, and the space gained turned into 'front of house' space, the decision to take the Bendi solution continues to be reaffirmed.

Now with the introduction to store of the new Mini Bendi, Asda are looking to make even greater storage space savings.

Launched earlier in the year, the Mini Bendi was developed in answer to the significant call from the industry for a smaller, lighter machine that didn't necessarily have the speed or reach of a normal Bendi but could accommodate the UK style perimeter based pallets.Working closely with Asda and other clients, it was a natural step for Bendi to develop a pedestrian truck that provides the versatility and safety required regardless of industry sector.

"The Mini Bendi pedestrian articulated forklift truck is an impressive feat of design ingenuity," continues Grass. "It is a smaller, lighter machine than others in the Bendi range yet it offers superior levels of safety and functionality previously considered unattainable in our back of house warehousing."