Racking optimises warehouse flow

The new storage facility, which represents an extension to the existing site, comprises a 15 m high building with a 13,400 m² footprint creating storage for more than 26,700 pallet positions. It has been designed to accommodate a national foodservice supplier’s ambient distribution operation. 

The actual build is larger than current requirements and has options to extend – this presents the group with additional sales potential in a whole new business arena. 

The operation currently handles 1,200 pallets per day intake and picks 365,000 units per week across a total of 5500 SKU lines.

Two storage systems will operate, the largest of which consists of approximately 15,000 wide aisle pallet locations in an 8,100 m² footprint, offering both full pallet and full case picking options, serviced with reach trucks and low level order pickers. The heavy duty racking manufactured by SSI Schaefer can carry 3 x 1,100 kg pallets per beam level, while galvanised finished frames and painted wire decking panels are ideal for this food environment application. The system achieves a storage density of approximately 0.54 m² per pallet stored.

Complementing the wide aisle racking, the second system comprises 11,700 locations in powered mobile racking on a 3000 m² footprint, occupying only 0.25 m² per pallet stored, including one aisle in each of 4 blocks.