The investment is aimed at improving safety, efficiency and battery management across Life Health Foods’ operations
Life Health Foods has upgraded its material handling fleet as part of a renewed push to improve safety, efficiency and waste reduction across its operations.
The cereal and healthy snacks manufacturer has introduced a new fleet supplied by Toyota Material Handling UK, including lithium-ion pallet trucks, counterbalance trucks, Aisle Masters and Toyota’s I_Site fleet management system.
Life Health Foods is the UK’s leading cereal manufacturer and produces brands including Lizi’s Granola, Nutri-Brex and Up&Go.
The business, which was acquired by parent company Sanitarium in 2023, operates from sites in Peterborough and Wellingborough.
It produces, packs and exports cereals and healthy snacks for customers in the UK and overseas.
Following continued growth and significant investment in production, the company turned its attention to the material handling equipment supporting its Peterborough site in 2024.
Bryan Portway, head of supply chain and logistics at Life Health Foods, said the existing equipment had become outdated.
He said: “Our existing fleet of equipment had become outdated and inefficient.”
Mr Portway said the business had become concerned that older equipment could encourage poor operator habits, particularly around safety and battery management.
He added: “We really wanted to reinvigorate our approach to health and safety in the production and warehouse facilities, while also investing in equipment the team could trust to be reliable, use confidently and ultimately take pride in.”
Life Health Foods began looking for a long-term material handling partner after deciding that its previous ad-hoc approach to equipment procurement no longer matched the scale of its operation.
Toyota Material Handling was invited to review the company’s set-up and propose a more joined-up solution.
Warehouse manager Gytis Barzdelis said the company was impressed by Toyota Material Handling’s approach.
He said: “We were immediately impressed by Toyota Material Handling’s consultative, solutions-led approach. They really took the time to understand our operation and propose innovative solutions that met our needs.”
Mr Barzdelis said the two companies shared similar values, including respect, teamwork and continuous improvement.
He added: “It quickly became clear that Toyota’s values - respect, teamwork and continuous improvement- aligned closely with those of Sanitarium, and our businesses felt like a natural fit to work together.”
Toyota Material Handling worked with Life Health Foods through several versions of possible fleet configurations before the final mix of equipment and technology was agreed.
The new fleet includes 17 LWI160 lithium-ion powered pallet trucks, two LPE200 ride-on powered pallet trucks, two 9FBM30 lithium-ion counterbalance trucks and one 02-8FGF20 gas-powered counterbalance truck.
It also includes seven Aisle Masters and Toyota’s I_Site fleet management system.
The I_Site system was a key part of the decision to work with Toyota Material Handling.
For operators, the system is designed to streamline daily pre-operational checks and remove paper-based processes.
For managers, it provides real-time information on truck use, impacts and battery status, helping the business monitor operator behaviour and identify opportunities to improve performance.
Toyota Material Handling has also designed and installed a stand-alone battery bay to support safer and more efficient battery handling.
The system allows operators to identify which battery should be used next based on charge status and usage history.
The company said this should improve retrieval, reduce downtime and help maximise battery life.
Life Health Foods has also moved from lead-acid to lithium-ion batteries across its indoor equipment.
The switch is expected to reduce charging times, improve energy efficiency and cut maintenance demands linked to lead-acid technology.
Toyota Material Handling said the partnership has helped deliver a safer, more efficient and more future-ready operation for Life Health Foods.
The company said the combination of modern equipment, fleet management technology and a collaborative support model would help teams maintain high standards of safety and performance.