Forklifts for Furniture Village DC

THE FACILITY has doubled in size to 164,000 square feet, featuring 25 dock doors and 10,500 pallet locations, all to serve 58 stores nationwide.

A decade-long partnership with Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has been instrumental in supporting Furniture Village’s growth. Faced with rapid business growth and space constraints, Furniture Village sought a solution to increase throughput, enhance warehouse efficiency, and equip their operations with the right tools for the job.

Throughout the transition, Furniture Village relied on Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks for problem-solving and operational support. The flexibility of the team was apparent in their ability to provide short-term hire solutions and ensure the timely delivery of essential materials handling equipment, including reach trucks, counterbalance forklifts, order pickers, and powered pallet trucks, often at short notice.

Furniture Village operations support manager Luke Dunworth, explains: “The support and flexibility from Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has been invaluable throughout this transition, helping us equip our operation and operators with the right trucks at the right time.”

Josh Baxter, territory manager at Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks distributor, adds: “Flexibility and fast response are central to our partnership. When Furniture Village required additional trucks at short notice, our team was able to react quickly, providing short term solutions that kept their warehouse running smoothly.”

Enhancing operations

The expanded NDC has enabled greater stockholding, improved logistics, and significantly increased throughput. The warehouse team has welcomed the new fleet of Mitsubishi trucks introduced earlier in the year, noting their smoother operation and the distinctive blue Furniture Village branding. 

Key equipment includes SENSiA EM reach trucks, capable of operating at heights of over 11 metres for high-bay racking operations; EDiA EM electric counterbalance trucks for yard work and recycling; PREMiA EM Powered Pallet Trucks; and VELiA EM Order Pickers for efficient picking and marshalling of goods. The recent addition of Scissor Lifts supports stock checking and building maintenance, reflecting Furniture Village’s ambition to continue expanding.

Battery changeover operations have also been relocated to the new Milton Keynes NDC, providing a safer and more efficient process that minimises disruption to their daily operations. The NDC site is supported by a full maintenance service contract, ensuring reliability and operational excellence. In addition to the new NDC, Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks provides materials handling equipment to support operations at every Furniture Village location nationwide, ensuring consistent collaboration, efficiency, and reliability across the entire network. “Our partnership with Furniture Village is built on flexibility and collaboration”, Josh reflected.  “We’re committed to responding quickly, with larger retailers its an especially fast paced environment so we need to be on our toes to supply them what they need, when they need it. We always put our customers first, delivering reliable solutions, wherever they’re needed.”

“In a competitive market our new National Distribution Centre has made a real difference, helping us hold more stock, streamline logistics, and deliver to our customers faster than ever. These improvements have not only boosted customer satisfaction but have also strengthened our business for the future,” Luke reflected.  “The support and expertise of Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks have been key in helping us achieve these improvements, boosting customer satisfaction and strengthening our business for the future.”