A purpose-designed, Link 51 pallet racking installation is now at the heart of a recently opened warehouse facility at the busiest port in Scotland. The installation, operated by Forth Ports Scotland at Grangemouth, now provides a key distribution hub for both incoming and outgoing products and has seen Link 51's design team at its Telford head office meet specific operational requirements.
The 95,000 sq. ft. floor area of the warehouse features some 4,000 pallet positions accessed by wire-guided, man-up forklift trucks. The very narrow aisle design features a series of back-to-back aisles to five levels which, importantly, are fitted with timber slats at the higher locations to provide accommodation for both odd sized pallets and boxes broken down from larger loads.
Duncan Gray is Logistics Project Manager for Forth Ports Scotland and draws attention to the operational considerations that were incorporated into the Link 51 design –
"It was important that the racking configuration not only allowed us to maximise capacity within the available floor area and building height but which also provided a facility to accommodate significant variations in pallet sizes. Apart from the conventional 1.6 metre pallets," he continues, "we can receive a variety of pallet dimensions up to 2.1 metres in height. To meet this need, Link 51's designers have developed a facility with a number of locations able to house these larger dimensions – an important consideration for the contract operators who use the facility."
The newest warehouse at the site it receives both incoming products ahead of loading on to ships and also off-loaded material for storage ahead of distribution. Duncan Gray points out that typically stock turn round can be approximately every month although there are occasions where considerably longer periods apply so accurate and effective product location and retrieval is vital.
"This is a highly active installation and one which is central to the efficient operation of the port facility," comments Link 51's Territory Sales Manager for Scotland, Robert Scott. "We believe it reflects not just on the construction of our pallet racking products but also on our ability to formulate a design and a layout configuration that meets precise operational needs. We are delighted to have been involved in what is clearly proven to be a highly successful project."