Feature Warehousing & storage Cost-effective cold storage


With the cost of energy, property and labour constantly increasing, freezer warehouse owners may want to look at new technologies such as high-rise automated storage and retrieval systems, or mobile pallet racking, says Bob Jane, sales manager dynamics systems, SSI Schaefer


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n freezer warehousing, the primary cause of lift truck equipment failure is condensation caused by the constant in-and-out movement


of product by lift trucks operating between -28˚C and ambient air temperature within loading docks. Extreme temperature swings cause moisture to form, resulting in the failure of electronics, electro-mechani- cal components and wiring. The only solution preventing con- densation in freezer warehousing is by keeping lift trucks inside the freezer which has seen the result in the design and use of forklift trucks with heated cabs. These lift trucks never leave the freezer warehouse, allowing operators to be both warm and productive during an entire shift. So, if fork lift trucks never leave the


cold store, how are pallets stored, picked and shipped? The answer is pallet conveyor technology with in- bound and out-bound spurs. Whether unloading a trailer or moving pallets from a production area into a freezer warehouse, pallets can be placed onto a conveyor outside the freezer entering via high-speed compartment doors – the doors are then be sealed quickly to minimise warmer exterior air entering the cold store. Today’s freezer warehouses typi-


cally use large ‘barn-size’ doors equipped with plastic strip curtains to reduce cross-contamination of warm air entering the freezer. However, the


constant movement of lift trucks actually creates the opposite result – heat and temperature variation – it is much more expensive to cool air than it is to heat air. Two choices – automat- ing freezer warehouses and keeping lift trucks inside the freezer can reduce energy consumption by as much as 80 per cent, and reduce labour costs by as much as 70 per cent. Once the pallets enter the freezer warehouse they travel on conveyor to the pick-up point. The lift truck then picks the pallet at the end of the con- veyor line for put-away, resulting in reduced travel time due to much


A high-rise automated storage retrieval system can save on costs for manufacturers


shorter distances between pick-up and storage locations. Using conveyor technology also


results in considerably lower labour costs because the same throughput can be accomplished with fewer operators. And, lift truck wear-and-tear is signifi- cantly reduced by shorter travel dis- tances. Outbound picking – in which pallets are placed on an outbound con- veyor – also results in much shorter travel distances, less lift truck use, less wasted time which means lower costs. The other component of a better


cold store design is better storage tech- nology, more specifically a high-den- sity storage system. A typical cold store utilises selective pallet racking technology with aisles widths of up to four metres. With any freezer ware- house storage system having aisles for lift-trucks to manoeuvre and turn- around, a very important question should be asked: “What are we really freezing?” The answer is air and aisles. With the cost of energy, property


and labour constantly increasing, freezer warehouse owners should look at new technologies such as high-rise automated storage and retrieval systems, or better yet, mobile pallet racking, which uniquely addresses building and warehouse heights under 15 metres. Mobile racking uses conventional


SSI Schaefer T: 01264 386600 www.ssi- schaefer.co.uk Enter 368


Upgraded storage for repairable parts D


B Schenker, the rail freight company, has upgraded storage of repairable engineering parts for locomotives at its parts distribution centre near


Nottingham with a mezzanine floor, associated storage and materials handling equipment from Pro-Dek Storage Systems. The Parts Centre acts as the main warehouse for the company’s traction


maintenance depots throughout the UK, including pre-used components and sub-assemblies that are repairable. Some 3,250 used parts are on site at any one


time awaiting repair, and these were previously stored outside the warehouse without weather protection. The Pro-Dek mez- zanine has created 133m² of additional storage space within the warehouse, allowing the used items to be stored securely and without reducing usable space on the ground floor. On the mezzanine floor Pro-Dek has installed an adjustable steel shelving system with dividers so that components can be managed efficiently before being sent for repair. A pallet gate at one end of the structure allows forklift trucks to move loads between the two levels safely. To assist with the handling of heavy items, the mezzanine was designed to accept a 250kg-capacity electric hoist with hand-held pendant control. Pro-Dek Storage Systems T: 0114 244 0100 www.pro-dek.co.uk


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selective pallet racks mounted on car- riages and moving on running rails and guide rails embedded directly into con- crete floors. Since energy expenses in a freezer warehouse are second only to labour costs, it makes sense to double the amount of pallet locations inside the building or reduce the initial build- ing size. This gets back to the question: does the warehouse owner want to freeze product or freeze aisles? Doubling the amount of pallet positions can reduce the total cost per pallet position by as much as 40 per cent in new construction projects, and reduce utility bills by as much as 50 per cent. What if you don’t need more pallet


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storage locations? High-density storage solutions such as mobile racking result in a much smaller building footprint by up to 45 per cent. A significant reduction in energy loss (and utility bills) also ensues, due to the corre- spondingly-smaller roof structure reducing air escape. The other cost savings of a smaller, more efficient mobile racking warehouse include a 35 per cent lower overall investment in construction costs and a reduction of up to 49 per cent in utility costs.


SEPTEMBER 2013 Materials Handling & Logistics


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