Link 51, specialists in the design, manufacture, supply and installation of pallet racking, shelving, lockers and other storage systems for over half a century, will use IMHX 2007 to highlight the extensive range of value-added services that they offer.
"When you deal with Link 51 you get more than simply a storage system," explains Keith Evans, the company's sales director. "Yes, we're the UK's biggest manufacturer of storage equipment, but there's more to our company than just our products. We believe in providing a full service and are able to guide customers on a broad range of issues from on-site health and safety to the best type of mezzanine floor system to suit their business model."
With health and safety matters to the fore, Link 51 staff will be on hand throughout IMHX to answer visitors' concerns about the steps that can be taken to negate the risk of an accident on site during the rack installation processes. "Changes in the Corporate Manslaughter legislation are on the horizon, and so it is particularly important for management within a warehouse or distribution centre operation to ensure that their site is as safe as possible – not only for their staff but also for outside contractors," says Keith Evans. "By failing to 'control events' at your site, a manager at any warehouse where an accident takes place could be prosecuted – regardless of whether the person, or persons, injured are their employees, so it is absolutely essential that your racking contractors meet the highest possible industry standards."
The revised Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) – due to be published in April of this year – will also have an impact on the way racking is installed. "Although your warehouse may not feel like a building site, the HSE classifies the installation of racking as a construction project," explains Chris Paterson of Link 51's Contract Control Department.
He continues: "The CDM Regulations place duties on all those who can contribute to the health and safety of a construction scheme - including clients, designers, contractors and planning co-ordinators, and require the production of certain documents, such as the health and safety plan and a health and safety file. Failure to comply could have serious ramifications."
A free and comprehensive guide to the CDM regulations will be among the information packs available from the Link 51 stand at IMHX 2007. In addition, the company has produced a host of valuable booklets that provide essential information to anyone involved in the warehousing and storage sector and these will be distributed free of charge from the Link 51 stand.
Keith Evans concludes: "At Link 51 we consider ourselves to be a storage systems consultancy business that offer solutions – not just bits of metal. We have a long list of blue chip clients and these companies consider Link 51 to be their added insurance policy – particularly when it comes to larger schemes."
www.link51.co.uk