A food plant’s finished goods store differs from an ordinary warehouse in one key way: goods have a shelf life. Each production batch must leave in the right order, and the store usually holds many SKUs by flavour and pack size. A reach truck for a food warehouse places pallets in high racking within narrow aisles, so each batch has its own location that can be retrieved at any time.
Why food warehouses need selective racking and reach trucks
Block stacking pallets on the floor is cheap, but the lower batch is trapped until the one above is shipped. For goods with a best-before date, that means a risk of expired stock. Selective pallet racking gives access to every pallet; a reach truck’s mast moves forward, so aisles between racks can be narrower than with a counterbalance truck. The result is more pallet positions on the same floor area, which matters most in chillers and cold stores where every cooled square metre costs money.
How reach trucks work and how to choose aisle width is explained in what is a reach truck.
Tasks reach trucks handle in this industry
- Put-away from the end of the line: collecting finished pallets at the buffer zone and placing them in the rack location assigned by the warehouse system.
- Retrieval by batch and expiry date: lowering the pallet that must ship first and taking it to picking or dispatch staging.
- Replenishing pick faces: bringing pallets down from upper levels so staff can pick cases.
- Chillers and cold stores: dairy, processed meat, ice cream and frozen seafood, where drivers work long hours at low temperatures.
STILL models for each type of store
STILL FM-X: high-bay and cold stores
The STILL FM-X stacks up to 14 metres, with residual capacity of 1,000 kg at 13 metres and 850 kg at 14 metres according to STILL. Active load stabilisation uses an automatic counter-pulse to damp mast oscillation, cutting waiting time at the rack by up to 80 percent. Most relevant for food is the cabin choice: fully enclosed, weather protection or cold store cabin, where the cold store cabin keeps the driver warm even when ambient temperature falls to -30 °C, with heated glass as an option. The lithium-ion battery allows intermediate charging between shifts.
STILL FM-X SE: combined indoor and outdoor storage
Some beverage plants have outdoor racking under a roof for crates or pallets of empties. The STILL FM-X SE uses super-elastic tyres and high ground clearance to work both in the warehouse and outdoors, carrying up to two tonnes at up to 14 km/h and lifting to eight metres. Li-Ion technology charges 50 % of battery capacity in 30 minutes.
STILL FXR 14C-18C: small stores, one or two shifts
For small and medium producers or distributor depots, the STILL FXR 14C-18C is a compact reach truck for dense storage up to around eleven metres in one- or two-shift operation. Curve Speed Control comes as standard, useful in small stores with less experienced drivers.
Other models such as the FM-4W (four-way, for long goods) are in the reach trucks category.
Reach truck selection table
| Stage | Type/model | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| High-bay finished goods, many SKUs | STILL FM-X | Stacking up to 14 m, active load stabilisation |
| Cold stores for dairy, ice cream, seafood | STILL FM-X with cold store cabin | Keeps the driver warm down to -30 °C |
| Covered outdoor racking | STILL FM-X SE | Super-elastic tyres, high ground clearance |
| Distributor depots, small stores | STILL FXR 14C-18C | Compact, suited to one or two shifts |
Points to watch in food warehouses
- Link to the warehouse system: rack locations and expiry dates are best managed in software, with drivers simply executing put-away and retrieval tasks.
- Racking and trucks go together: beam heights, aisle width and lift height must be planned at the same time. See racking systems.
- Cold store traffic: time spent inside, door passes and charging method should be planned in advance. Read cold storage forklifts for more points.
Other stages of the plant are covered on the food & beverage forklift solutions page.
Frequently asked questions
Can a reach truck work in the yard?
Standard reach trucks are built for flat warehouse floors. The FM-X SE is the exception, designed by STILL with super-elastic tyres for indoor and outdoor use.
Does a deep-freeze store need a dedicated cabin?
For long shifts in sub-zero stores, a cold store cabin protects the driver’s health. The FM-X offers one that keeps the driver warm down to -30 °C.
Is a reach truck worth it for a small food warehouse?
If the store has racking of three levels or more and must retrieve single pallets by batch, a compact reach truck such as the FXR 14C-18C usually uses space better than a counterbalance truck.
Need to size rack height, aisles and the number of reach trucks for your finished goods store? Send your layout via the quote page or call 0902 63 79 70.