How Toyota’s Narrow Aisle and Automation Solutions Can Help Increase Your Productivity

Tara Holland | 7 September 2022

No matter the industry, demand for products and services is at an all-time high. This increase in demand may leave you wondering how to best maneuver and store materials in your warehouse while remaining productive. More and more operations are configuring their warehouse space to accommodate narrow aisles. Warehouse operations are also choosing to automate systems to allow for more storage space and increased productivity when performing highly standardized, repetitive tasks. Narrow aisle forklifts such as Toyota’s Core Electric Turret Forklift, Order Picker, Stand Up Rider, along with automated solutions such as the Core Tow Tractor and Center-Controlled Rider, may be a great solution for your operation.

Discover how automated systems and narrow aisle solutions can help you navigate your warehouse confidently and take your operation to the next level.

Why Would You Choose to Narrow Your Aisles?

It’s no secret that the price tag for additional warehouse space is expensive and can result in other inefficiencies down the road due to increased travel time between picks. So, how do you solve this problem? Businesses are finding that positioning their racking and shelving closer together allows them to add more storage space to their warehouse. While a typical aisle measures 10.5 ft. or more, narrow aisles measure anywhere from 8.5 to 10.5 ft., which allows you to maximize your storage capacity by utilizing the existing floor area and roof height.

How Can Toyota and Bastian Solutions Help If You Choose to Narrow Your Aisles?

You may be asking yourself, “So, what products are ideal for narrow aisles?” Toyota Material Handling offers a wide range of superior quality narrow-aisle solutions to meet a variety of load capacities in warehousing and manufacturing. While choosing the best narrow-aisle solution is imperative to the success of your operation, you may find that including automated solutions in your warehouse will not only optimize process flows but move more products quickly and efficiently.

Let’s dive into the types of automation products available. These products can be used in a wide variety of environments, and there are many options to choose from:

• Natural Features Navigation - Pallet Truck and Tugger vehicles that use natural features navigation integrate seamlessly into your existing infrastructure by utilizing technology to build a map of your facility without the need for wire guidance.
• Wire, RFID, Tape AGVs - These systems are wire-guided, meaning that they follow a specified path that is generally built into or taped to the facility’s floor.
• Laser AGVs - This technology responds to multiple fixed points identified by laser technology, allowing for more flexible integration.

Effectively Move and Store Your Products

While it’s important to find the best material handling equipment and automation services to get the job done, every good operations manager knows that your equipment is only one piece of the puzzle. Now you know how to effectively move your product, but what’s the best way to store it? Authorized Toyota Forklift Dealers and Bastian Solutions consultants can get you the right racking systems you need to not only increase your capacity but boost your operation’s productivity.

Implementing each of these Toyota solutions while meeting current market demands can feel like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Reach out to your local Toyota Dealer for more information on how you can take your fleet to the next level.

Through the relationship with Toyota Advanced Logistics, Bastian Solutions partners with Toyota Material Handling to bring customers automated solutions to meet any market challenge. By combining data-driven designs, scalable material handling systems, and innovative software, Bastian Solutions and TMH work together to help clients across a broad spectrum of markets become leaders in their industries.

Author: Tara Holland