Stakapal helps grow timber capacity

When a Southern based Builders Merchant made the decision to focus hard investment into their timber yard, one of their main priorities and considerations was to maximise their storage facility. The company had aquired a three acre site, seven years previously and had successfully retained their customer base and also achieved steady growth by offering a wide range of specialist timber products.

With a diverse stock-offering, ranging from quality European, American and Tropical hardwoods to solid and engineered flooring, the company is an ideal outlet for a multitude of trades. Ensuring the optimisation of space and flexibility within the company timber shed was therefore a key element within the site investment plans.

For a number of years the company have called on the expertise of Stakapal as 'their knowledge of our industry sector is second to none.' Stakapal not only design and manufacture their Cantilever Racking system but also provide an installation service using their own qualified SEIRS registered installers. This is unique in the market place and 'provides the company with peace of mind that Stakapal can manage any size of project from start to finish.' 

In this particular case the company's timber shed had many historical inefficiencies in terms of stock selectivity and presentation which, in turn had  a 'knock-on' effect for customers in relation to speed of service and accessibility. Health and Safety issues, as always, were a top priority and the Stakapal team worked very closely with the companies Branch Manager to finalise an ideal storage solution that not only allowed 100% stock selectivity but also adressed any previous day to day operational issues.

It took Stakapal's qualified fitters three days to complete the installation of Cantilever Racking with double sided column heights of 4.5 constructed of base plus 3 arm levels per column side.

Prior to the installation of the racking Stakapal also advised the company on the construction and dimensional details of the concrete bases that had to be layed prior to fitment of the Cantilever Racking System.

Stakapal provides leading builders merchant with bespoke storage solution for their latest site.

With a customer base ranging from small builders to large developers as well as housing associations, schools and hotels, the merchants new site called for a storage solution that would not only fully maximise the area available but deliver 100% accessibility, selectivity and stock rotation ensuring an extremely cost effective operation all round.


Stakapal’s knowledge and expertise of the builders merchants industry means that as a business we are fully conversant in supplying systems that deliver products with the durability and flexibility that a builders merchant environment dictates. For this particular location Stakapal were asked to supply conventional Pallet Racking to store standard UK 1 tonne pallets as well as plaster board storage integrated to accommodate the customers bespoke mezzanine floor.
The Benefits of using Pallet Racking include:

• 3 post types give an extensive range of racking frame load capabilities.
• Pallet Rack frames up to 8.3m high are manufactured with single continuous uprights for maximum rigidity.
• Reversible uprights enable damaged rack uprights to be reused
• Unrivalled choice of beams connected via 3 different types of connector, ensuring a solution whatever the requirement.
• Wrap around connectors provide additional lateral restraint from the connector improving lateral stability.
• Closed box beam construction minimised torsion & damage.
• All Pallet Racking beam locking pins are tamper proof and prevent accidental dislodgement.
• A double fixing footplate is standard to allow floor fixing both sides of the upright minimising rack post damage from twisting.

The above factors helped to ensure maximum utilisation of the height of the building and also provided additional storage and merchandising space. 


With the company renowned for their expansive range of timber and joinery products, Stakapal installed two double sided runs of integrated vertical storage 4.3 metres high with bay spans of 2700mm clear entry with each bay sub divided by 6 bow dividers to allow for dedicated presentation of stock.

The Case For Guided Aisle Cantilever Racking : For storage of long lengths of stainless steel

Guided Aisle Cantilever Racking consists of the same basic components as Conventional and Free-Path systems, but with runs positioned closer together to eliminate the waste of space of a wide aisle. Long load products can be stored to a far greater height to ensure cubic space is utilised to the full.

Long load products are accessed using specialist trucks which are guided by guide-rail systems to avoid damage to the rack structure. The benefits of Guided Aisle Cantilever Racking include:

• 100% accessibility to individual packs.
• Configuration provides higher density than that of conventional Free-Path systems.
• Specialist side loading trucks or multi-directional reach trucks are required to operate within reduced aisle widths.
• Better space utilisation.
• Increased cost of specialist trucks can often be offset by the added value or better space utilisation.    

One market leading company with such requirements approached Stakapal to provide their services for the company's expansion of it's West Midlands site. The project consisted of the supply and installation of the new Cantilever Racking as well as the utilisation of existing Stakapal Cantilever Racks that were already in place. The assembly programme of 3 weeks commenced with the installation of new single sided and double sided constructed racks. Column heights of 6 metres and 12 arm levels and load carrying capacities of 14,300 kgs per column side, meant that a bespoke design specific to meet the clients needs was required.


Floor mounted guide rail was provided to assist guidance of the multi-directional trucks down operating aisle widths of 2.4 metres, Lead-in sections positioned at the end of aisles and transfer locations aid easy access from one aisle to another. 

Whether you require racking for long and heavy lengths of Stainless, Aluminium and Stainless Tube, Bar, Sheet, Coil, or Profiles our extensive knowledge of the industry assures you that no matter how challenging the problem - Stakapal will provide a solution.

The case for Drive -In Pallet Racking : How Cheese companies store their Cheese

Predominantly utilised for cold, chill and bulk storage, Drive-In Racking provides very high storage density whilst separating pallets prone to damage from crushing.

Drive- In Racking is frequently used in facilities with a low number of product lines. Pallets are stored in a block configuration with two blocks generally served by one operating aisle. The trucks drive into the racking to load or retrieve pallets which are stored on pallet rails running front to depth within the system. The first pallet in, is the last pallet out - unless a Drive through system is deployed whereby pallets can be loaded or retrieved from either side.

A perfect example of a Stakapal Drive-In Racking installation is at British Cheese Champions Joseph Heler, who have manufactured Cheese for over 50 years. In turn, Stakapal have over the last 15 years designed specified, manufactured and installed bespoke storage solutions for all of Heler's cheese maturing cold stores.

The implementation of Drive-In Racking proves extremely beneficial to companies such as Joseph Heler as :

• High Density Storage maximises cubic space with a greater number of pallets stored per cubic metre than any other storage system.
• Low stock rotation is ideal for seasonal goods and fluctuating stock demand.
• It is ideal for cold, chill storage and bulk storage applications.
• It is suitable for easily damaged or fragile goods which cannot be bulk stacked.

Having developed a unique understanding of the highly logistical demands of the food production sector, Stakapal were pleased to be awarded the contract for Heler's 4th Cheese manufacturing cold store at their Nantwich site. This project required Drive-In Pallet Racking with frame heights in excess of 6m and depths of over 8m. Each lane was designed to carry 8,000 kgs per level giving them the capacity for the storage of over 600 pallets. A further 20 bays with frame heights again in excess of 6m and with depths of 3m carrying 3000kgs per level provided the capacity to store a further 200 pallets. Stakapal's SR 2000 series Drive-In Racking is ideally suited for cheese storage where batches of product are required to be stored for similar periods of times.

Pallet Racking Inspections : Why are they necessary?

It is usually an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) from the local council or a Health and Safety Executive Inspector that demands that a company obtains an inspection of its Pallet Racking by a 'technically competent person'.
 
Pallet Racking is a storage system utilising a series of frames consisting of two upright posts joined together by bolted or occasionally welded bracing members. The frames are connected by longitudinal members (beams) upon which regular shaped pallet loads are placed. Where loads are irregular by virtue of their length, depth or general variability then Cantilever Racking is often used. This benefits from having no regularly spaced frames obstructing long products being placed into the rack. 


Often the inspection of Pallet Racks reveals 'Red Risks' which require immediate offloading of those racks or locations. Typically the response of the client when asked to carry this out is that the situation has been "like that for years" and that "nothing has happened yet".

Often this is true and therefore it is important to understand why racks and components that have been overloaded or damaged have not failed and resulted in a collapse. There is usually more than one reason for this and a combination of factors are in play preventing a dangerous occurence:

1) Often the rack is only partly loaded. The nature of stock levels rising and falling depending on trading conditions, seasonal conditions, availability etc, typically results in utilisation levels rarely rising above 80%. This often provides an increase in the factors of safety present on a rack or system basis. 

2) The stock densities or weights are often lower than allowed for. This can be due to customers overstating the actual figures either mistakenly or deliberately, or the supplier overestimating the figures for the same reasons. 

3) Stresses redistribute through the structure creating a stable system, albeit one in danger of collapse if other factors change. 

4) Materials used in the production of the racking happen to all be on the high end of their thickness tolerances. All commercially produced steels have a thickness tolerance which is plus or minus an amount depending on the type and specification of the raw material. Many racks are designed on a statistical average figure based on statistical probability. It should however, be borne in mind that there is then an equal chance that instead of the materials being at the high end of their tolerances they are instead all at the low end.

If, however, the combinations of factors that have prevented the rack or component from failing change and create an adverse overall effect, then the conditions for collapse to occur may all be in place and sudden failure can result.

The Rack Inspector in reality is not being 'too fussy' when issuing Red Risks, they are simply highlighting that the luck that has been enjoyed preventing failure of those components or racks may at sometime run out and then... Watch out! It may be too late!

Cantilever Racking Storage of Timber : Picking your route to success.

Cantilever Racking is the most common method of racked storage for both Hardwood and Softwood Timber products. The system of legs - or columns to give them their correct term, have a number of arms attached to them by a variety of means (by pins, bolts or rarely by welding) that protrude clear of the columns. 

The columns are connected together for lateral stability by a series of cross braces and tie beams. This gives an uninterrupted run of storage - ideal for accomodating the long product lengths that Timber is stocked in. 

Other methods include Vertical Storage (often called A-Frames) - where Timber is stored by being leant upright against a series of beams, or Pidgeon Hole Storage - where timber is stored horizontally in small compartments. The downside with both of these systems is the necessity to put stock away manually which is time consuming. In the case of Vertical Storage there is then the added drawback of the Timber being prone to warp through differential drying, due to the heat gradient found in most buildings particularily in the summer months. 

The rise in the use of Cantilever Racking in the Timber industry can be correlated directly to the trend for end users to purchase only the amount of timber for which they have an immediate use. The tightening of credit facilities and the requirement for companies to tightly control their cash flow and stock levels, means that they no longer take full packs of material that may take several weeks or even months to consume. 

This trend has subsequently resulted in an increase in multi drop deliveries being necessary with a much greater number of smaller orders being processed. This in turn puts pressure on the order picking systems with lower cycle times necessary. The pressure on margins brought about from increasing levels of competition in a demanding market operating with the background of a major recession, doesn't allow for the convenient option of hiring more staff and buying or leasing more mechanical handling equipment. 

Using Cantilever Racks to store Timber not only ensures that it is more safely stored than simple block stacking, but also has the major benefit of allowing selections of individual lengths to meet those increasing numbers of smaller and more varied orders. This is either directly from the rack or by bringing a pack stored at high level down to the ground with the pack then returning it to its original location after selection has taken place.

This is a much more efficient process than moving several packs of bulk stacked Timber (inevitably it is 3 lengths of Timber from the pack at the bottom of a three deep and 4 high bulk pile that is required) and offers the added benefit of lower levels of stock damage as packs are handled less frequently before being exhausted. 

Use of modern multi-directional rough terrain side-loading reach trucks with their relatively low bed heights had enabled hand selection of the bottom two or three levels in the racks. This allows peak demand cycles to be accomodated by temporarily increasing manpower without the need for additional mechanical handling equipment. 

To summarise, Cantilever Racks allow reduced cycle times for order selection, allowing optimal use of vehicle space whilst also reducing levels of stock damage. All of these benefits along with high levels of customer satisfaction and the resulting repeat business, make investment in Cantilever Racking a compelling argument for all Timber Merchants.