The Norwegian clothing manufacturer Helly Hansen has grown continuously. In 2011, the company therefore moved from its existing European Distribution Center (EDC) in Echt in the south of the Netherlands to a new, larger facility in nearby Born. The workwear stock, which had previously been stored in a separate distribution center in Sweden, is now stored together with the sportswear in the EDC Born. The 20,000 square meter center with around 60,000 storage spaces houses 24,000 stock items. A total of 2.5 million items are in stock. Helly Hansen ships 320,000 parcels and 17,000 pallets to customers throughout Europe and Russia from here every year. Growth continues unabated - the company recently expected sales growth of ten to 15 percent in sportswear and workwear alone. Helly Hansen has renewed a large part of its fleet in the new EDC. The modernization of the fleet was carried out in close cooperation with UniCarriers, the main supplier of forklift trucks. As a result, Helly Hansen benefits from a modern fleet that meets its requirements and puts the company in an optimal logistical position for the coming years.

Solid cooperation for years
Helly Hansen has relied on UniCarriers' industrial trucks for the logistical handling of all incoming goods and orders for many years. "Our cooperation is excellent. Together with our UniCarriers Key Account Manager, we are constantly working on optimizing our fleet. Our partner also proves to be very flexible, for example when we need additional forklifts to cope with order peaks. At least as important is the UniCarriers service technician who has been supporting us on site for years. He is a real expert who fits in perfectly with us, both professionally and personally. He takes care of even the smallest problem, thinks along with us and now knows our wishes and requirements inside out," says Hans Heijdeman, EDC Operations Manager at Helly Hansen, describing the situation.

Continuous optimization of the fleet
The forklift manufacturer has now delivered more than 40 new vehicles. The fleet - consisting of five reach trucks, two electric pallet trucks and 36 low, medium and high lift order pickers - will be leased over a period of 72 months, including service agreements and battery management. Helly Hansen and UniCarriers have also agreed a six-monthly review, during which they will discuss the use of the trucks and any potential damage.

Processes and equipment under the microscope
"As part of replacing the forklifts, we took a close look at our internal fleet," explains Dennis Rutten, Supervisor at EDC. "Together with UniCarriers, we examined, among other things, how we can make our employees' workstations as ergonomic as possible. It's not just about control systems, but also about having enough storage space, for example." Sufficient space in the vehicle - for a wide variety of tools, but also for empty packaging - is very important for Helly Hansen. This is because a lot of packaging from incoming goods is reused. "The particularly large storage compartments and the flat body parts of the vehicles are very convenient for us," says Rutten.

Smooth fleet operation
The new vehicles are quieter and more comfortable. They are equipped with all the necessary scanners as well as the Blue Light visual warning system, which ensures maximum safety in the warehouse: LED light points are projected onto the warehouse floor to warn of approaching vehicles. In addition, color cameras are installed on the reach trucks to ensure optimum visibility when storing at great heights.

"Logistically, we are optimally positioned and plan to remain at this location for at least another six years. The company is on course for growth - and we will continue to rely on the support of UniCarriers," confirms Heijdeman.

About UniCarriers
UniCarriers is an internationally active developer and manufacturer of industrial trucks. The vehicles are manufactured at production sites in Sweden, Spain, Japan, China and the USA. They are sold both via specialist dealers and directly to end customers. Customers come from the automotive, construction, electronics, food, logistics, pharmaceutical, heavy industry and manufacturing sectors. UniCarriers was formed in 2011 from the merger of Nissan Forklift, TCM and Atlet. Since 2017, the brand has been part of Mitsubishi Logisnext, based in Kyoto, Japan. UniCarriers Europe AB, based in Mölnlycke (Sweden) near Gothenburg, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese group. With a portfolio of six brands, 11,000 employees and a total turnover of around 3.3 billion euros in the 2017 financial year, Mitsubishi Logisnext is the world's third-largest manufacturer of forklift trucks.