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LIBRA SYSTEMS WEIGHS UP THE BENEFITS OF SPECIALIST RACKING WITH WICKENS

At Libra Systems’ warehouse, cold rolled steel sections from its adjacent manufacturing plant were stored on the floor before being loaded on to transport for distribution throughout the UK.  Due to health and safety, as well as ease of access, products could only be stacked two to three packs high.  However, with a floor to ceiling height of seven metres, this meant considerable space was wasted.

Libra Systems identified the need to significantly improve storage facilities at its warehouse and invited racking specialist Wickens to the site to discuss potential options.  Libra Systems’ managing director, Simon Scowcroft, explains more:

 “Before our new racking was installed steel sections were being stored on the floor, with no real system in place.  This was inefficient and resulted in double or triple handling of the products as packs constantly needed to be shifted around the floor as we picked the next items for distribution.  As well as the risk of damage to the sections, this meant unnecessary time was spent looking for the lengths we needed. 

 “Time wasn’t the only thing wasted as, despite the fact our warehouse is around seven metres tall, we were only using a fraction of the available space by stacking packs on the floor.  I knew that as the business grew we would need to implement more robust storage and handling procedures so decided to look into various racking options.

 “Wickens were recommended to us by a local fork lift truck company who had worked with the company in the past, so we invited them to visit our site to discuss requirements with the warehouse team.  They recommended a cantilever racking system which made the best possible use of the available floor to ceiling height, while also taking into account fork lift truck capacity and access for fire doors and entrances. 

“We asked three racking companies to quote for the job and Wickens was the most competitive. The fact they also manufacture all the racking components meant I was confident they could provide a bespoke solution to meet our needs.”

The installation took just three days to complete, resulting in minimal downtime for Libra Systems.  Neil Bates, Sales Manager for Wickens, comments: “This was a fairly straightforward project but it required a high level of coordination between Wickens and the warehouse team.  We worked closely together throughout the installation, with the warehouse staff moving product out of the way so we could erect the system and filling the racking once it was in place.

Simon adds: “The difference the new racking has made to the warehouse is significant.  We are now making the most of the space available to us and can store products of different lengths more easily, meaning our business is operating more efficiently and safely.”

WICKENS PROVIDES BESPOKE SOLUTION FOR CARAVAN CHASSIS MANUFACTURER 

Al-Ko Kober, leading manufacturer of high quality components for the automotive, leisure and commercial industries, commissioned Wickens to design and manufacture a bespoke racking system for its caravan chassis components.  The company approached UK-based racking specialist Wickens, to provide a tailored solution to help maximise productivity, creating a safer and more efficient working environment. 

Standard cantilever racking was not an option as the differing lengths of the components could cause instability.  The number of products on site also varied depending on the production schedule, so the storage system needed to be versatile enough to accommodate this. 

As a result, Wickens recommended a turnkey solution which utilised the factory’s eight metre floor to ceiling height, maximising the capacity of this vertical space and enabling the previously cluttered floor area to be used to house more production equipment.  

The storage system also needed to safely span a pedestrian fire door situated in the middle of the rack run, so Wickens tailored its solution to ensure that this thoroughfare remained clear and easily accessible at all times. 

Al-Ko Kober’s manufacturing manager, Paddy Quinn, comments: “Due to the specialist nature of our operations, the size and quantity of components we have on site can vary greatly from one week to the next.  We needed a racking solution tailored to our needs and the team at Wickens was able to understand and meet our requirements.”

Interboat Holland BV, a renowned marina operator in the Netherlands, appointed UK-based racking specialist Wickens Engineering to design, build and install dry-stack boat storage racking at its marina Jachthaven Wetterwille in North Holland. 

Enabling the marina to provide dry-stack storage for the first time, the new racking holds 27 luxury boats. The specific difficulty of the project lay in creating the maximum in storage room while respecting the strict local building regulations. The final bespoke racking system is 5,5 metres in height and includes 8-metre span bays with a load capacity of 6000 kg per beam level.  The height of beams and steel supports are also adjustable to enable Interboat to store different sized boats, with a length of up to 9,5 metres. Wickens was appointed because of its in-house design capabilities, guarantee-backed build quality, fast delivery and ability to provide relevant certificates of conformity. 

Managing partner of Interboat Holland BV Mieke Vleugels comments: “Wickens Engineering has an excellent reputation for building high-quality specialist racking systems and providing unrivalled customer support. Although they are based in the UK, their contract manager personally conducted the initial site visit and related survey, managed the specification process and oversaw the whole installation. Wickens are also able to provide us with product guarantees, giving us peace of mind and demonstrating their confidence in the solution they are providing.” 

The new racking was designed and manufactured at Wickens’ Worcester head office and was installed at Jachthaven Wetterwille in November 2011. Jachthaven Wetterwille is one of the leading marinas in the well-known water sports area of the Loosdrecht Lakes and has more than 400 berths.

Wickens have recently been awarded an order from Wolseley PLC, for specialist steelwork to hold various building services, for St Barts Hospital in London. The project is expected to last for the next three months and is part of a £60 million refurbishment programme at one of Londons largest hospitals.

For more information about St Barts Hospital and all the great work that they do, then please click here.

If you'd like to find out more about Mezzanine Steelwork, or how Wickens can work with your company, then please find out contact details, at the top of the page.

WICKENS RECEIVE CHAS ACCREDITATION

Wickens has become a fully accredited company by Contractors Health & Safety Assessment Scheme (known as CHAS). This demonstrates to all customers, both existing and potential, how important we take health & safety whilst working on site installing our racks. It shows compliance with the important parts of health & safety law and also meets the core criteria of the even more stringent CDM regulations.

In order to obtain the accreditation, we passed a detailed audit of our procedures for handling installation work including the way we work on site.

The CHAS mark is widely recognised throughout the UK and shows that a culture of a high level of health & safety operates within the organisation.