Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question? Get in touch, call us on +44 (0) 121 557 6242.

My ideal working aisleway is 2M. Which Flexi can I use?
The Flexi AC Range of Articulated reach trucks consists of six model types, developed with customers for their varied warehouse operations. The Flexi 1200 works in a 2-metre aisle with a EURO pallet and can conform to the DIN 15185 Part 2 standard to operate at full travel speed without the need for personnel detection systems.

What aisle can a Flexi articulated warehouse truck work in?
The Flexi AC VNA Articulated Truck can work in an aisle as narrow as 1.6 metres. Contact our team on 0121 557 6242 for more information or via email info@flexi.co.uk

Does the Flexi Warehouse Truck work outside?
The Flexi Narrow Aisle range is equally at home working outside the warehouse in loading areas. It is able to operate a complete ‘road to rack’ function, eliminating time-consuming double pallet handling, plus the need, and cost of a separate counterbalance truck outside, enabling Flexi to cut handling costs by up to 50%.

What heights can a Flexi FLT lift to?
The Flexi range has been developed and can be supplied with lifts from up to 4 metres to 14 metres, they can operate in very narrow aisles, without the need for costly and damage-prone wire or rail guidance systems. Operator vision systems based on High Definition CCTV/LCD are fitted as standard over 10 metres lift. To increase productivity a robust programmable Height Selector System can be added, we believe in appropriate cost-effective use of technology.

What is the width of a Flexi Truck?
The Flexi range of articulated forklift trucks has been developed specifically to improve storage, handling and customer order assembly efficiency in manufacturing and logistics; there are now six models in the range covering a wide range of logistics and warehouse operations; Flexi VNA, Flexi 1000/1100, Flexi 1200/1250, Flexi HiLOAD, Flexi HiMAX, and Flexi StorMAX. Truck widths vary from 1000mm to 1500mm, contact us to discuss the correct model for your operation.

Can a Flexi forklift truck work in a VNA 1600mm aisle?
Flexi AC VNA works in just 1600mm (ISO pallet) or 1800mm (EURO pallet) aisles to BITA GN9 (FEM) aisle clearance standard. This true four-wheel articulated warehouse truck has treaded elastic rubber tyres and can be operated in former rail guided lateral stacker installations with the need to strip out the rails.

Does the Flexi truck require guidance?
The Flexi VNA is only 1 metre wide, in a 2-metre aisle with our 50cms of clearance per side it will allow it to operate at 12kmph without the need for either steel rail or inductive wire guidance. A typical Man Down lateral or Man Up stacker aisle only is 1700mm wide with15cms clearance per side, therefore guidance is essential for safe operation.

I am not sure if a Flexi forklift is suitable for my warehouse. How can I check?
Flexi Warehouse Systems offer impartial advice on a broad spectrum of warehouse-based intralogistics solutions. Using warehouse planning and throughput simulation software and drawing on the many years’ experience of the Flexi Warehouse Systems development team. To arrange a no-obligation discussion please call Flexi Warehouse Systems on +0121 557 6242.

Where is the Flexi truck made?
All Flexi range trucks are built with high-quality Tier-1 components sourced in Europe.

  • Special Cold Rolled Steel I Beam Mast Sections / – Hoest Steel – Germany
  • Hydraulic Orbital Pump Motors – Danfoss Hydraulics – Denmark
  • Integrated Sideshifting Fork Carriage – Kaup – Germany
  • 1.8 kW Independent Power Steering Motor – Schabmueller, Germany
  • 11 kW Digital AC Hydraulic Motor – Schabmueller, Germany
  • 19.6 kW Powerful technology drive motor – Schabmueller, Germany
  • Smooth efficient Re-Gen Braking, AC technology drive controller – Zapi Control -UK / Italy
  • Low Vibration Fully Adjustable Operators Seat- Grammer -Germany
  • High-Quality Battery – Tubular traction lead acid super type DIN Standard – Hoppecke – Germany
  • High-Quality HF Charger perfectly Matched To Battery – Hoppecke -Germany
  • Integrated Tilting/Sideshifting Fork Carriage (HiMax Only) – Kaup – Germany
  • Integrated Sideshifting and Carriage and Telescopic hydraulic forks (StorMAX Only) – Kaup – Germany


When was Flexi Narrow Aisle established?

Narrow Aisle Limited was formed in 1976 and commenced production of the Rotareach VNA Turret Truck Range. The range of VNA products was developed to include Man Up Turret Trucks and High-Level Order Pickers and Reach Trucks, over the following 20 years becoming a market leader in the VNA warehousing field.
The company designed, developed and introduced the Flexi articulated truck concept in the early 1990s since that point over 1000 Flexi trucks have been manufactured and supplied to customers in the UK, Europe, Americas and now throughout the world.

Can I rent a Flexi truck for my short-term peak periods?
If your need is occasional or for a defined period to meet seasonal demand, Flexi Short Term Rentals have a short-term rental fleet of over 300 units. Supported by 20 dedicated service engineers all with vans stocked exclusively with Flexi spares.

Can the Flexi AC truck be offered on a lease or contract hire basis?
No matter how long you require the Flexi forklift truck for, we can tailor our rental packages to suit your individual requirements and utilisation levels at the lowest possible operating cost. As part of our long-termcontract hire options, we also offer our customers with comprehensive 24/7 breakdown and servicing cover.

What does a Flexi VNA articulated truck cost?
Our team of Business Development Managers will be happy to discuss your operational requirements and warehouse layout then advise on the most suitable Flexi Narrow Aisle truck for your warehouse. Please contact Flexi on : +( 44) 121 557 6242.

What is the delivery time for a Flexi Warehouse truck?
It does depend on the specification of the truck, more specialised models do take longer to build. Average Lead times are currently 8 – 12 weeks. However, due to our investment in short-term rental trucks, we can offer very rapid implementation of your new warehouse installation.

What do you mean by True Radius?
The unique ‘True Radius’ design of the Flexi chassis means there is no outer radius when turning, this eliminates in-aisle product or pallet rack damage, a Flexi Narrow Aisle registered design. This feature combined with the absence of wheel arches on all Flexi models means that your operators will be driving the safest product on the market.

What is 220-degree rotation?
Flexi were the first to develop the ‘Over’ Rotation feature, with up to 230 degrees of articulation this means the Flexi driver is always able to turn and enter the pallet safely and more quickly on the ‘First Turn’ than competing models.

We operate a cold store warehouse. Can the Flexi work here?
The Flexi Cold Store was developed to allow continuous use down to -30ºc, with the truck only needing to be taken out of the store for charging or battery change. In fact, the specially designed robust electrical and hydraulic systems on the Flexi will also allow intermittent use between cold and ambient. Cold Store specified heated full operator cab is available on all Flexi CS models. This high-quality cabin will allow continuous operation of your cold store truck fleet for maximum efficiency in a blast freezer and other high throughput operations.

What is the difference between and Flexi ECO and a new Flexi truck?
Flexi ECO is a re-manufactured product that reuses the steel and iron components at the end of a truck’s economic life, then all new component parts are installed to produce an ‘as new’ truck, providing significant cost savings compared to an equivalent all-new truck.
The integrity and high quality of the original chassis design enables Flexi to be re-manufactured under the ‘ECO’ programme and offer cost savings of up to 30% compared to a new truck, whilst saving over 60% of the carbon required to make the valuable structural components and castings.

Where can I get spare parts for my Flexi Truck?
The Flexi Narrow Aisle parts central operation located at our Great Bridge, West Midlands, UK Headquarters has been developed to provide a guaranteed ex-stock service for at least 96% of all Flexi parts ordered. Any spare part ordered before 4.00pm each day can be dispatched to anywhere in the UK Mainland for delivery the following morning or dispatched to overseas.

Do Flexi Narrow Aisle offer service/maintenance contracts for the Flexi trucks?
All Flexi models have a recommended service interval of 500 hours, this ensures the lowest cost of ownership in its class.
Contact Flexi for a service support package to suit all your particular needs: +44(0) 121 557 6242

I am not UK based, who are your dealers in my area?
Our international customer support team, who are multi-lingual, are based at Great Bridge, Tipton, UK. They are available to help advise on the spare parts and technical service support we provide in over 60 countries around the world where we currently operate and have customers.

How can I book Flexi driver training?
Flexi Training Ltd can provide you with on the job and off-site training for your Flexi hire trucks to ensure safety and productivity. Our Instructors are all experienced and factory trained in Flexi operation. Our driver trainers can offer you Flexi conversion training to coincide with your Flexi hire truck delivery.
You can also take advantage of our off-site Training School facility where we provide you with a Flexi forklift and rack installation for operator training to minimise the disruption to your own operation. Overseas customers are provided with comprehensive training material and visual aids to provide conversion training for any experienced forklift driver.
Please call our training team on +44 0121 557 3674 email: enquiries@flexi-training.co.uk

I have a counterbalance forklift license, is this suitable for a Flexi Articulated Truck?
The experience your team have on counterbalance fork trucks is very relevant to our Flexi product, however, we do recommend that they need the Flexi Articulated Truck Conversion material. A formal UK course can be arranged through our UK Flexi Training company, in addition, there are a number of options to suit your operator’s current skill levels.

The guidelines in the UK (HSE) are as follows:

  • One day conversion course for a single experienced operator, already holding a valid licence for any other type of forklift or reach truck
  • Two-day conversion course HSE type (UK only) for three experienced operators, already holding a valid licence for any other type of forklift or reach truck
  • Three-day basic training course for a single novice driver, with little or no warehouse experience or forklift truck driving ability
  • Five-day basic training course for three novice drivers, with little or no warehouse or d forklift truck driving experience


I need Flexi driver training before my truck delivery. Is this possible?

Visit our Flexi-Training.com website for more details or contact us on +(44) 121 557 3674 to discuss your training requirements, or for international markets, we can provide a comprehensive pack of training materials and video aids to convert existing forklift experienced operators.