SEMA Insights
The newsletter for SEMA Members
Issue 5 | August 2024
President's Welcome
Welcome to our midyear Newsletter!
It has already been a busy year so far which has seen lots of new changes and updates within SEMA. Firstly, I want to say a big thank you to all the team and Members who have worked incredibly hard to bring this all together. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it to improve our association and our presence in the industry.
Throughout this newsletter, you’ll find the different updates we have made across the year. Whether you want to learn about our new website, membership categories, or how to follow our new logo guidelines, we have it all covered right here. We’ve also included a round-up of our latest Council Meeting to give you a quick overview of what was discussed.
I hope to see great progress over the rest of the year, and I look forward to hearing your feedback.
New SEMA Website
After months of work from everyone on the team, on July 15th, we rolled out the new SEMA website!
The previous site provided all the information, but we realised it was proving difficult for our customers to navigate and did not effectively communicate the essentials they needed to improve the safety of their warehouses.
The new site focuses on making the navigation smoother, enhancing the user experience and fine-tuning how we get the message of racking safety across to our customers. We also took this opportunity to introduce SEMA’s new branding, giving the site a fresh, modern look.
A great example of a significant change is the SEMA Services section, designed to guide customers through the various safety approaches, starting from ‘how to set up a warehouse’. Additionally, under Storage Equipment Installation and Storage Equipment Inspection, we’ve broken down the content to make it easier for customers to find the information they need.
We’ve also revamped SEMA Training, rewriting all the copy to give a detailed explanation of each course and tailoring the copy so that we speak directly to installers and inspectors.
New Membership Categories
SEMA has been at the heart of warehouse safety for over 50 years, and we never stop trying to find ways to improve our services. One new step we have made is through the introduction of new membership categories.
After discussions with customers and those within our industry, we realised that the old membership categories were confusing everyone. So, we have now got rid of the SEMA Distributor Group and SEMA Approved Installation Companies, and any members who previously fell into these groups now fall into the SEMA Approved Company category.
Here is a full explanation of all the changes:
SEMA Approved Manufacturer - Full Members
This group were previously called SEMA Full Members but the name didn’t clearly explain their role within SEMA. As leading companies within the industry with their own manufacturing facilities, we decided to make the membership category very clear and renamed the group SEMA Approved Manufacturer – Full Member.
A SEMA Approved Manufacturer – Full Member can manufacture, design, supply, install and inspect your storage equipment system. These members all play an active role in shaping SEMA and industry guidance and between them, they offer many decades of experience. To earn their Approved status each member must undertake an independent product design assessment. This process validates that design calculations and product testing meet SEMA’s published codes of practice, providing peace of mind that the equipment is safe and reliable.
SEMA Associate Member
This category name hasn’t changed. These members support the work of our SEMA Approved Manufacturer – Full Members to provide supporting safety measures, systems and services in warehouses.
Whether you need systems or services to enhance your racking or customer solutions, SEMA Associate Members have the expertise and dedication to meet your requirements.
SEMA Approved Member
This membership group is made up of SEMA Distributor Companies and SEMA Approved Installation Companies. They are all committed to driving forward high-quality standards and best practice in their work. They are product-agnostic and collaborate with different manufacturers to supply optimal solutions tailored to your specific needs.
SEMA Approved Members can design, supply, install and inspect your storage solution. They also receive full support from SEMA Approved Manufacturer - Full Members and SEMA Associate Members, including privileged access to technical departments for any necessary racking system repairs. To become a SEMA Approved Member, they must prove, through an independent audit, that they meet the highest industry standards. The company must also commit to using SEIRS installers on their projects as well as SEMA Approved Rack Inspector (SARI) for racking inspections.
SEMA Approved Member - Advanced
The SEMA Approved Member – Advanced category is made up of SEMA Distributor Companies and SEMA Approved Installation Companies. They are product agnostic and collaborate with different manufacturers to supply optimal solutions tailored to your specific needs.
A SEMA Approved Member – Advanced can design, supply, install and inspect your storage solution. They also receive full support from SEMA Approved Manufacturer - Full Members and SEMA Associate Members, including privileged access to technical departments for any necessary racking system repairs.
To become an Approved Member- Advanced, a company must commit to demonstrating they meet the same requirements as a SEMA Approved Company by submitting their company to an independent audit. A SEMA Approved Company with the Advanced status can demonstrate they have met a higher SEMA criteria level.
Technical Committee
Our Technical Committee constantly work hard to improve safety levels without our industry.
Here’s our roundup of some of the latest technical updates.
SEMA Codes
A draft document for the Mesh Deck Code is currently being worked on and will be ready at the next council meeting. Additionally, the Technical Committee has approved a revised SEMA Low-Rise Shelving Code. This updated code will be issued for formal Council approval at the next Council meeting.
FEM Codes
FEM10.2.16 is being transferred to a CEN Code and a 1st draft is due later in the year. A second full working group meeting took place earlier in the year to discuss FEM10.2.21 – Industrial Platform Floor Design (WG14) and is awaiting comment. Work is likely to happen later in the year on FEM10.2.06-2 – Shelving.
TC Planned Future Activites
- SARI (APR) Refresher course (target completion: End 2024).
- Cantilever Users code (target completion: End 2024)
- Duty holders RSA course (2025)
- RSA (APR) re-write module (section 5) (2025)
- RSA Cantilever course re-write module (2025)
- SARI Cantilever course re-write
SARI Update - Alan Worrell
- SARI Adjustable Pallet Racking courses are fully booked for 2024.
- An online initial assessment tool was launched at the beginning of May which gave a good indication of the calibre of candidates applying for the course.
- SARI APR course would be re written, providing more practical training.
FEM
- The Users, Specifiers, and Definitions Codes are all due for their 5-year strategic review in 2024/25.
- EN15512 Strategic review starting in November 2025.
Updates to Logo Guidelines
Have you seen our new logos? We have created new logos for each new membership category! If you need a reminder, here are our guidelines for using the SEMA logos. By following these guidelines, you'll ensure our brand is represented consistently—just like how we represent you. Click here to download a pdf version of the SEMA logo guidelines.
SEMA
- Can be used by SEMA
- Cannot be used on Load Notices and SEMA Members
SEMA Associate Member
- Only to be used by a SEMA Associate Member on their marketing material and by SEMA.
- Cannot be used on Load Notices, ANY training materials and SARI reports.
SEMA Approved Manufacturer - Full Member
- Only to be used by a SEMA Approved Manufacturer – Full Member on their marketing material and by SEMA.
- Can be used on Load Notices of racking manufactured and installed by a SEMA Approved Manufacturer – Full Member.
- Cannot be used on Load Notices manufactured by a SEMA Full Member but supplied and installed by a third party.
- Cannot be used on ANY training materials and SARI reports.
SEIRS
- Can be used on marketing material if a SEIRS installer is employed by a SEMA Member or they are a sole trader or Limited company only employing SEIRS qualified installers.
- Can be used by SEMA.
- Cannot be used by an individual even though an individual is SEIRS qualified, except on a business card or ID card.
- Cannot be used on ANY training materials, Load Notices and SARI reports.
SARI
- Can be used on marketing material if a SARI is employed by a SEMA Member or they are a sole trader or Limited company only employing SEIRS qualified installers.
- Can be used by SEMA
- Can be used on SARI Reports
SEMA Approved Member / SEMA Approved Member – Advanced / SEMA Distributor Company
- Only to be used by a SEMA Approved Member / SEMA Approved Member – Advanced / SEMA Distributor Company on their marketing material and by SEMA.
- Cannot be used on Load Notices manufactured by non-SEMA Full Members.
- Cannot be used on ANY training materials and SARI reports.
SEIRS Update
Since the launch of the new SEIRS programme over 2 ½ years ago, we have had 1200 delegates attend our courses, including Foundation, Diploma, and the higher level courses Supervisors and Managers.
We have now reached a significant number of trained installers with over 467 now qualified to Diploma level. There has also been a notable increase in course demand this year, with 9 additional Diploma courses having been added to the training schedule.
Additionally, we have created a new animation titled "SEIRS Training - Our Course Programme Explained." This video details the two parts of the training process and emphasises the primary reasons for completing the course.
Please see the video below:
RSA Animation
Have you checked out our new RSA Animation video? It's a must-see for all warehouse owners and managers, providing a comprehensive overview of the course. It covers everything—from the course objectives and topics to how it's delivered. Plus, it dives into all the reasons why warehouses should always nominate a PRRS.
Please see the video below:
Do you use LinkedIn? Do you ever talk about the work of SEMA? Why not tag us in and we’ll repost your message! Just remember, to make sure you get your content reposted, follow our simple rules:
- Tag us in by using the handle @SEMAUK
- Make sure the photos are of your own work and are not stock photos.
- Do the photographs meet HSE standards and SEMA recommendations? For example, is PPE being worn where required, do drive-through bays have fall protection measures in place etc.
- We won’t share posts which use products manufactured by a non-SEMA member.
- Do the products relate to the content in the post e.g. if you’re talking about VNA racking, make sure the photo doesn’t show wide-aisle racking!
- Use the logo correctly - you can find guidance on how and when to use the SEMA logos here.
- Use the correct SEMA terminology e.g. it is never a SARI inspection, it is always an inspection by a SARI.
