“It’s just a rack” is a common phrase we hear. Although it isn’t rocket science, there is a lot more to industrial storage pallet racking systems that meets the eye!

It all comes down to upright height and beam length, right? “It just needs to fit in the space we have allotted.” If you said yes, than you should stop reading and immediately contact your insurance company as an accident could be right around the corner. Size is important, but what matters is capacity! Unfortunately it’s not as easy as opening up a magic book and flipping to the capacity chart. A lot of other factors need to be considered. Below is a list of just a few:

– What is being stored? Will it be an evenly distributed load or a point load?

– What is the unsupported length off the ground of the first beam level?

– Will you be installing a standalone bay, row or a back-to-back row?

– Is your facility located in a seismic zone?

– What is the composition and thickness of your facilities floor?

– How do you plan to load and unload the storage system?

– Will the equipment be installed inside or exposed to the elements?

Further complicating the process is the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands of different types of pallet racking and shelving, many of which are manufactured by companies that are no longer in business. This is one of the many reasons that we offer second hand pallet racking. We can identify and match to your existing system – even if it is no longer manufactured!

Pallet rack accidents are becoming more and more common. It’s amazing to me that companies will spend hundreds of thousands of pounds ensuring that all of their employees are safety trained and that their equipment is ergonomically engineered. However, they’ll not spend anything ensuring that their storage systems are rated and installed properly. Even if storage systems are specified and installed correctly, simple changes, after the fact, such as adjusting the beam spacing can completely change the overall capacity of the system. It is always best to run any changes past an expert.

In summary, the design and installation of industrial storage systems are much more complicated than most believe. We have a fantastic team of educated and experienced staff who are well versed in a wide variety of storage system designs. We also have the ability to assess your existing storage systems for damage and other potentially catastrophic issues.

Get in Touch with Advanced Handling & Storage

If you have any questions about storage systems or if you are looking to expand, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 0800 345 7088 or send an email to [email protected]

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