Invest in Your Racking
Your warehouse space is an expensive commodity. To deliver a maximum Return On Investment you need to evaluate how to invest in your racking.
This year the logistics industry has continued to face a perfect storm. Demand for online shopping has remained high driving requirements for additional storage. At the same time a lack of suitable warehousing space means moving wasn’t always possible. On top of this rising costs have hit businesses hard. As the backbone of your warehouse, your storage equipment should work across an interrelated matrix of different requirements. The criteria include a safe working environment, maximising storage capacity, improving efficiencies, reducing damage to stock and delivering on the equipment's longevity.
Invest in Your Racking
SEMA Approved Manufacturer - Full Members, SEMA Approved Members and SEMA Approved Members - Advanced understand the complexities of the warehouse. They can offer unparalleled knowledge to supply a solution that meets your requirements. SDCs can also ensure you meet all the essential legal and health and safety responsibilities associated with racking.
Every warehouse is unique and experienced designers like our SEMA Approved Members and SEMA Approved Members - Advanced use their technical knowledge to create a solution. Their bespoke racking design will considers all the variables and use various types of racking or shelving to maximise your cube.
Getting the balance right between storage and frequent order accessibility is key to the solution. This means analysing the number of product lines, how you store the products and the rates at which they move through the warehouse. It should also identify how you pick your stock, whether manually, automatically or a mixture of both. Can you increase your storage capacity by reducing aisle widths, doubling racking depth, increasing storage height or even adding additional space with mezzanine flooring? Finally, consider the future. How will your needs will change, and is your racking flexible enough to adapt?
Quality in Racking
When setting up a warehouse you need to invest in your racking. Yes, the optimum design will enhance operations and maximise your space, but it should also encompass the lifetime of your racking. How is it used and is it the right product for the job.
Get assurances by asking for proof of your supplier’s credentials. One advantage of buying from SEMA Approved Manufacturer - Full Members or SEMA Associate Members is that they subject their products to meticulous and independent assessments. This provides you with guarantees that a structural engineer has designed the storage equipment to SEMA Codes. They have calculated the structural integrity and rigidity of the system to meet precise criteria under specified conditions to accommodate heavy loads.
Maximise Your Racking
As you maximise the cube and fit in more storage capacity, you need to be aware of the challenges of installing new or dovetailing equipment to your existing structure. The approach requires a significant level of technical knowledge to uphold the integrity and safety of your storage system.
Do you know if your installer has used the correct number and type of floor fixings? Have they correctly lined and levelled the racking, positioned the fixings and tightened them to manufacturers’ tolerances? Getting anything wrong at this stage could greatly impact not only the system's safety but also the equipment's longevity.
Get the work undertaken by SEMA Approved Members and SEMA Approved Members - Advanced. They can clearly demonstrate, through an independent audit process, that the quality of their work meets SEMA’s high standards.
Don't Invalidate Your Warranty
Maintaining high installation standards is especially important when adding equipment into your existing system. Any alteration work by an unverified company could dramatically impact on the manufacturer’s warranty.
Our SEMA Approved Members and SEMA Approved Members - Advanced are qualified to conduct work and repairs on equipment from our manufacturing members. They are also committed to using SEIRS trained installers, a unique initiative from SEMA that trains on the safe and correct installation methods according to our defined standards and manufacturer specifications.
Ongoing Investment
Completing the circle to invest in your racking is through continued maintenance. Employees should receive Rack Safety Awareness training on correctly using and maintaining the racking within their environments. Through this education they can perform checks and understand how to report issues that need attention to maintain safety.
The HSE also recommends an annual expert inspection undertaken by a technically competent person with sufficient training and knowledge. To support this, we operate our SEMA Approved Rack Inspector (SARI) initiative. This scheme consists of highly qualified professionals who must successfully pass an intensive three-day training course, written exam, and practical assessment to achieve their qualification.
A report from a SARI provides you with clear guidance on the condition of your equipment. It uses a traffic light system to indicate actions required and recommended timescales for corrective action.
Safety Pays
As a leading voice on safety within the warehouse industry we understand the cost of safety. Did you know under the HSE’s Construction Design & Management Regulations 2015 it is a legal obligation for you to check your racking supplier’s quality credentials, ensure they meet health and safety requirements and use trained labour. Failing to do so can result in hefty fines from the HSE, damage to your reputation and the cost of lives affected by an accident.
A safe working environment comes as standard when working with SEMA. Each member is committed to demonstrating their expertise and raising quality within the industry. They can assure that the storage solution has been correctly designed, manufactured, installed and maintained to meet SEMA Standards.
What's New for 2023
Safety in the workplace is increasingly important and it is something that SEMA has worked hard to promote over the last 50 years. It is the driving force behind every decision, guidance, publication, and initiative we develop. As the industry changes and new technologies are introduced, our technical committee continues to review and develop its guidance to meet the changing needs of logistics and warehouse companies.
Next year will be about raising quality and reminding everyone of the importance of using trained labour, for example you wouldn’t buy an expensive car and then risk getting the brakes fitted by a novice using a handbook. We feel the same when it comes to areas like your racking installation. After all, it is performing a critical job holding tonnes of products above employees’ heads and keeping everyone safe. Getting it right at the installation stage is essential, every time!
