WAREHOUSING HANDLING & STORAGE
WAREHOUSING, HANDLING & STORAGE
RISING COSTS AND A LACK OF WAREHOUSE SPACE? MAKE YOUR RACKING WORK HARDER!
There are a lot of racking suppliers on the market and it can be hard to distinguish which is the best system for your warehouse.
One advantage of buying products from a SEMA Full or Associate Members is that their products are subjected to rigorous and independent assessments. This guarantees that the product has been designed by a structural engineer to SEMA Codes. Its structural rigidity is calculated to meet precise criteria under specified conditions, to bear heavy loads and, once loaded, the rack or its components should not distort.
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nyone working in the warehousing and logistics industry at the moment is all too aware of the challenges being faced. Growth in online shopping has remained high leading to increased stock requirements. This has driven a need for more storage space but with a noticeable lack of suitable warehousing, moving premises is not always an option. On top of this rising inflation is hitting hard and businesses are having to review costs and ensure any decisions deliver maximum Return on Investment. After all your warehouse space is a valuable commodity.
As a leading voice within the storage industry, SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturer’s Association) believes it is possible to maximise your current space through the backbone of your warehouse – your storage equipment. However, to ensure your assets are working harder and, perhaps more importantly, creating a safe environment does mean investing wisely.
INVEST WISELY
When it comes to the racking market there are a whole host of options available. Taking the simplistic view of filling your warehouse with as much storage equipment and buying the cheapest available is not the best approach!
You should view your racking as an investment. After all, it is a heavily loaded engineered product that must be carefully designed for its intended purpose so that it can deliver on the longevity of the structure and safety of your warehouse. For this you need to work with experienced suppliers, such as our SEMA members, who have the experience and interrelated structure that will support you through the full life cycle of your equipment.
QUALITY IN RACKING When choosing your new equipment you need assurances that it will add value and deliver on safety.
MAXIMISE YOUR SPACE If you’re struggling for storage space and are unable to find suitable warehousing or want to avoid additional costs, then redesigning racking might provide a solution. Efficiencies and extra storage can be easily achieved by reducing aisle widths, doubling the racking depth, increasing the height of your storage or even adding additional space with mezzanine flooring. However, creating a design that will seamlessly blend new equipment into your existing racking requires a significant level of technical knowledge and expertise. Will it improve efficiencies within the warehouse and stretch your storage capacity to the max? Will the design futureproof your storage requirements? Have loading areas and the safety of your employees been considered?
Work with experienced designers, such as our SEMA Distributor Companies (SDC), who have the technical knowledge and expertise to design a solution that addresses every space saving step. SDCs work closely with our manufacturing members and this relationship allows them privileged access to their technical departments. When they create a new design you can be assured it will be compatible with existing equipment and designed to meet new weight requirements and clearance.
One last thing to remember is that the market is uncertain at the moment and material and labour costs are expected to rise. If you’re thinking of implementing some racking in the next year, our suppliers recommend speaking to them as early as possible to secure the best prices.
RACKING INSTALLATION – DON’T INVALIDATE YOUR WARRANTY! The installation stage is just as critical as the design and quality of your equipment. Do you know if the installer has used the correct number and type of floor fixings, that the racking is sufficiently shimmed and that all
20 OCTOBER 2022 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
fixings are positioned and tightened to manufacturers’ tolerances? Getting this wrong will greatly impact on not only the safety of the equipment but also its longevity. It is also a legal requirement for you to ensure the installer is ‘competent’.
Maintaining high installation standards is especially important when dovetailing equipment into your existing system. SEMA Approved Installation Companies (SAIC) are committed to proactively raising safety and quality within the industry. They work towards the installation standards set by SEMA and are independently audited to clearly demonstrate the quality of their work.
SDCs and SAICs are committed to using SEIRS trained installers which is a unique initiative from SEMA that aims to raises standards at the point of installation. SEIRS instructs installers on the safe and correct methods of installation to meet SEMA defined standards and manufacturer specifications. One last consideration is whether the work will impact on the warranty for your current racking. Through the supportive structure of SEMA, Distributor and Installation companies are qualified to conduct work on behalf of SEMA manufacturers. That means any remedial or alteration work undertaken by these companies will not invalidate your warranty.
ONGOING COSTS
Investing wisely in your storage equipment doesn’t stop once it has been installed. To deliver on longevity of your equipment and, perhaps more importantly, the safety of your workforce you need to make sure your racking is properly maintained. This means implementing a continuous routine of maintenance that includes regular inspections by employees who have received Rack Safety Awareness training on how to correctly use the equipment.
The HSE also recommends an annual expert inspection undertaken by a technically competent person who has sufficient training and knowledge. To support this, we operate our SEMA Approved Rack Inspector (SARI) initiative. These highly qualified professionals must successfully pass our intensive three-day training course, written examination and practical assessment to achieve their qualification. A report from a SARI provides you with clear guidance on the condition of your equipment and uses a traffic light system to indicate actions required and over what timescale.
SEMA
sema.org.uk
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