The combination of Hi-Lo's quality products together with Designed Storage technical expertise and project management skills has provided leading UK rigid packaging manufacturer, Sharp Interpack, with an impressive new warehouse complex for its site in Aylesham, Kent. Two linked warehouses, storing raw and finished goods, have been fitted-out by Designed Storage with Hi-Lo's Premierack storage to provide Sharp Interpack with a versatile racking system to meet its growing market needs.
Part of a restructure of its Aylesham site, the fitting-out of the newly built 4,000 square metre warehouse complex follows Sharp Interpack's decision to reduce its dependency on third party storage. The new facility has also enabled the company to provide a faster response time to customers requiring its wide range of pressure and vacuum formed plastic trays for food and non-food applications.
The smaller of the warehouses, measuring 1,260 square metres, has been designed to accommodate raw materials and tools. Fitted with 176 x 2.7 metre bays and 5 metres high double deep Premierack storage, it provides 1,400 pallet locations. Finished goods will be stored in a second 2,700 square metre warehouse, which is fitted with 267 x 3.9 metre bays and 11-metre high double deep racking to provide 4,000 pallet locations. The front upright frame legs have been reinforced to add strength in case of truck damage and the warehouses have each been finished with an in-rack sprinkler system.
Hi-Lo's double deep racking was chosen to make maximum use of floor space and to increase storage capacity by allowing pallets to be stored two deep. Ideally suited for operations that maintain a large quantity of multiple SKUs (stock keeping units), the Premierack has provided maximise storage density and efficiency. Three Hyster reach trucks, each equipped with Kooi telescopic forks, will access the double deep configuration in both warehouses. The beams of the Premierack have been covered with timber-slatted decks so that a range of pallet sizes can be stored.
"To enable the warehouse complex to be up and running as quickly as possible, we undertook the fitting out in two phases", says Chris Young, Managing Director of Design Storage. "It was therefore necessary for Hi-Lo to work closely with us so that the correctly sized uprights and beams were delivered in the right order. As usual, Hi-Lo provided us with a first rate service which enabled us to meet our schedule exactly on time".
The FEM compliant Premierack system combines several key features including uprights that can be reversed in the event of damage, thus reducing waste. The uprights, which are available in a variety of gauges, have 50mm slots, thereby increasing the racking system's flexibility and maximising space utilisation. The beams are available in open, box or stepped form, allowing greater adjustability, and the stiffening ribs and rolled edges of the five-hook connector offer increased stability and safety.
"We are absolutely delighted with the excellent warehouse design provided by Designed Storage which has been augmented by Hi-Lo Storage Systems quality products", said Graham Tonks, Logistics Manager at Sharp Interpack. "We are very impressed with the product specification and can honestly say it was a job well done".