- 9,000 pallet equivalent spaces
- 10,000sqm storage facility
- Australian-made Silverline Racking
- 10-week lead time
- Environmental considerations
Beginning with just one store in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield, Reece has provided products and a dedicated service to plumbers for over 95 years. Now with over 450 outlets and 300 showrooms nationally, the organisation continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the Australian market.
For the newly acquired 10,000sqm storage facility in Tullamarine, Reece would require the capacity to store standard, as well as a range of non-standard pallet sizes of different heights, widths and depths.
Safer Storage Systems developed a fully optimised layout for the new facility that would ensure the greatest efficiency and flexibility for Reece, while also complying with strict safety regulations. The final design made allowance for 9,000 pallet equivalents – with plenty of room to grow. Materials were on site within 10 weeks from the initial order placed and practical completion finalised within 7 weeks.
Trusted Supplier
Safer Storage Systems (SSS) has a longstanding and trusted partnership with Reece. Not only are the SSS team able to develop and deliver a comprehensive storage solution, our Silverline P90+ Pallet Racking offers significant advantages:
– Australian-made + Shorter Lead Times
Our Silverline P90+ Racking is manufactured in Australia using locally sourced premium steel. Local manufacturing allows SSS to maintain the highest level of quality control and reduces the reliance on international supply chains, resulting in shorter lead times all-year-round.
– Stronger & More Durable
Our Silverline P90+ Racking is made of high grade and high tensile steel (minimum 350MPa for beams and 450MPa for uprights), which is galvanised rather than powder coated. This ensures a final product that is stronger and more durable; it doesn’t corrode and looks better longer.
The engineering that has gone into our P90+ is second to none. It features uprights with a return flange, which not only incorporates more steel but is stronger by design, as well as beams which are made of two c-shaped sections to provide a double layer of steel on the top and base of the beam.
– Brighter Finish
Galvanised beams reflect the light and allow light to better penetrate throughout the racking system. This provides enhanced visibility in the warehouse for increased safety and peace of mind.
– Better for the Environment
Our locally made, galvanised beams are better for the environment. The process for manufacturing galvanised beams produces less emissions than powder coated beams; and, as our pallet racking is manufactured in Australia, there is no associated overseas freight impact.
This project saved more than 34 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.
The Storage Solution
With warehouse smarts and safety features engineered into every bay, this is a complete turnkey solution that adheres to Reece’s exceptionally high safety standards. The project also features customised upright protection, offset safety beams, labels and line markings.
Our Australian-made Silverline P90+ Pallet Racking is utilised throughout to create selective racking, double deep racking and a number of completely customised bays.
Selective Racking
The solution included bays of selective racking, which are designed to cater for standard Australian pallets, Euro pallets and oversized pallets. This was achieved by utilising varied bay widths and frame depths – as well as some key safety features.
Key Safety Features
To enhance the safety of the warehouse and protect the pallet racking from impact which could affect the structural integrity of the system, Safer Storage Systems built in the following features:
– Full Depth Mesh Decks
In the lower levels of the selective racking, pick shelves were installed with full depth mesh decks to prevent products falling down the back of the racking. The mesh decks are configured for both hand picking and non-standard pallet storage.
Installing full depth mesh decks approximately two metres high are a WorkSafe approved practice to prevent stock from falling and hitting the picker when picking from the ground location. This practice is also a national standard across all Reece Distribution Centres.
– Heavy Duty Bracing
A key feature of SSS Silverline P90+ Racking System is the square, hollow bracing used to reinforce the structure. Unlike bracing that is a c-shape and open, this unique, square bracing profile does not allow dust to settle within the bracing while also being stronger and less prone to minor damage.
– Rack Protection
SSS have developed a range of rack protection in safety yellow. In addition to the heavy-duty engineering of the rack protection range, the colour is a significant feature. The vibrant yellow tone provides a clear contrast to the galvanised frames and beams, meaning it stands out considerable throughout the warehouse for easy visibility. Painted beam safety pins stand out against the galvanised racking making safety inspections more efficient.
Upright protectors and front and rear guards are installed with an additional, heavy-duty anchor in the front upright – the front anchor is then able to absorb most of the force during any collision, preventing the rear anchors from sheering.
– Offset Safety Beams
Given Euro Pallets don’t lock onto the beams as Standard Australian pallets do, Safer Storage Systems also incorporated offset safety beams into the design, which are a WorkSafe approved method to prevent Euro pallets from being pushed through the rack.
– Heavy Duty Screw Bolts
Heavy-duty screw bolts anchors were used throughout – these can be removed easily, without having to cut the concrete floor. If a make good is required in the future the holes are simple to fill.
Additionally, all ground level beam locations (up to two metres high) are also fixed with lock screws to ensure they can’t be relocated (with our tools), which could impact the structural integrity of the racking.
– Double Deep Racking
Double deep racking around the warehouse perimeter was also included in the design. This created high density storage solution with no wasted space.
The double deep system was fitted with heavy-duty double deep rails in safety yellow, as well as welded backstops to prevent pallet push through. Counter sunk fixings prevent pallets catching on the rails when being placed in the rack by the operator.
– Heavy Duty Cantilever for Pallets
Reece have requirements for a range of non-standard pallets, varying in width and depth. To offer a greater level of flexibility for storage, heavy duty cantilever was installed along one section of the warehouse.
Additional features were built into the system to cater for the storage of non-standard pallets, and the frequent use of forklifts:
- Mechanically fixed heavy-duty beams support the mesh decks and help prevent damage to the racking.
- The mesh decks were fixed to the cantilever arms to prevent them from being dislodged/falling warehouse staff operating in the area.
- Upright deflectors were attached to the front of the columns (used to deflect pallets or fork tynes away from the column to help reduce any impact)
- A heavy-duty steel sheet was installed at ground level to take heavy loads while providing a neat finish (typically ground level locations get damaged as operators slide pallets)
- Heavy-duty ground level aisle facing protector adds extra reinforcement and provides a neat finish, stopping rubbish building up under the base level.
– Line Markings, Handrails and Gates
The safety features also extended beyond the storage system itself. Safer Storage Systems completed line marking, handrail and gates throughout the warehouse – all in safety yellow. This ensures the ideal traffic flow for safety and efficiency. Epoxy resin paint was used for a long-lasting industry leading finish.
Results
The execution of 9,000 pallet location equivalents in this 10,000 sqm storage facility ran smoothly from start to finish. Reece was able to move into a completely operational and WorkSafe compliant warehouse 17 weeks from the initial project order.
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