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Evolving Bendi family opens up new markets
New additions to the Bendi family are strengthening the company’s position in the warehousing sector as well as opening up new market places previously inaccesible to the company, including retail, manufacturing and cold storage sectors
O
ver the past five years the Bendi company has gone through some exciting changes as the Bendi product has matured in the UK from niche to main- stream. Whilst the core Bendi has attained many enhancements and retained its dominant market leading position, the company has seen other core products evolve and flourish in several directions.
As sales of other types of warehous- ing equipment have fallen, the articu- lated forklift truck has flourished and is now firmly established as a more effective alternative to reach trucks and VNA with Bendi leading the way. Three years ago Bendi decided to proactively export its extensive range of products and has received a warm welcome in the southern hemisphere on both sides of the Atlantic. Export sales went from a standing start to rep- resenting 33 per cent of sales in 2011, and with the launch of Bendi Europe earlier this year, the company is confi- dent of mirroring that success through- out mainland Europe.
In the UK, Bendi has ambitious plans for growth starting with the appointment of two regional sales directors and a number of new sales areas, which has already led to a sig- nificant increase in new opportunities. All of this new activity on top of a growing market is set to increase sales overall by 40 per cent and Bendi has been working for the last 12 months on increasing production its UK facility in Redditch.
A new factory has been dedicated to chassis production and a new machine plant installed to assist the flow of work to the tune of £250,000 to date and capacity is just starting to flow through to meet deliveries. The Redditch parts department is being relocated into a purpose-built building to cope with additional manufacturing and aftermarket needs caused by the increased volume, which in turn has created new staffing opportunities at management level.
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pallets. Working closely with Asda and a number of other clients, it was a natural step for Bendi to develop a pedestrian truck that provided the ver- satility and safety required regardless of industry sector.
The Mini Bendi is now being used to high acclaim at a number of house- hold names including B&Q and Asda which has reported a 40 per cent space saving in its stores ‘back of house’rack- ing areas.
Bendi Longloader
Innovative new products: Bendi B420AC High-Lift With more than 20 customer-driven enhancements the B420 AC HL truck is undoubtedly the company’s flagship model. Designed to give optimal aisle performance and greater space saving over conventional counterbalance and reach trucks, the Bendi 420AC HL was completely re-shaped in order to offer improved performance and driver comfort.
It was these features, together with the significant cost savings compared to VNA, that played a major part in the decision by B&M Bargains to award Bendi with the contract to supply a fleet of B420AC HL trucks for its new 625,000sqft warehouse facility in Speke, Liverpool. Lifting to a height of over 12m and with spare batteries for multi-shift operation the Bendi B420AC HL has proved to be a real ‘bargain’ for B&M.
Mini Bendi
Perhaps one of the most innovative products to be introduced into the UK market in recent years is the Mini Bendi. Launched at the IMHX in 2010, the Mini Bendi pedestrian articulated forklift 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 accommo- date the UK style perimeter based
JULY/AUGUST 2012 Materials Handling & Logistics
Above: Bendi’s B420AC High-Lift truck is its flagship model
Top right: The Mini Bendi answered a call for a smaller, lighter machine to accommodate the UK style perimeter based pallets
Below: The Bendi Longloader can handle long and awkward loads
Its not just companies which handle standard pallets that can benefit from a Bendi. The Bendi Longloader is a multi-directional four-way sideloading articulated truck designed to handle long and awkward loads as well as standard pallets. Ensinger, a specialist in engineering plastics, uses a Bendi Longloader to handle long loads of plastic stored in aluminum stillages in and around the new cantilever racking area. By using the Bendi Longloader, Ensinger has been able to maximise the space in the new warehouse, which gives the com- pany increased flexibility and room for expansion.
The Bendi Longloader is also used for loading vehicles and handling more standard loads.
Bendi T: 01527 527411
www.bendi.co.uk
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