The Challenge
After a fantastic nine month period in 2013 which saw a double digit increase in sales and turnover, this lead to a requirement for greater storage capacity. Farécla needed a warehouse which could manage the new levels of turnover and also allow room for expansion – whilst staying within the existing premises. In April 2013 STS Storage Systems were called in along with two other companies from within the industry to offer their expertise and design a solution.
STS Storage Systems arranged for a site survey and meeting to understand the exact needs of the client as soon as the enquiry became live. By June 2013 STS Storage Systems had been awarded the contract to carry out the warehouse works and with this a dedicated project manager was allocated
The Solution
STS Storage Systems designed a complete overhaul of the existing premises, this included dismantling two existing mezzanine floors totalling 257m2, dismantling the existing pallet racking and completing the new mezzanine floor installation. From the start it was made clear that disruption to Farécla’s operation needed to be kept to an absolute minimum.
To begin we dismantled the two existing mezzanine floors – this included a visit to remove the lighting and wiring that was already connected to the underside of the mezzanine floors.
The pallet racking which was currently housed in an existing unit was dismantled and some existing materials in storage were brought to site. This allowed the team at STS Storage to reconfigure the pallet racking into a double deep format which increased the pallet count for the customer.
The most challenging part of the project was the new mezzanine floor, which was 375m2. We designed the structure to take a load of 4.8kn (480kgs per m2) to achieve bulk storage of pallets on the mezzanine. Underneath the floor was key to the success, we needed to design the mezzanine columns around the machinery that was already in situ and was not going to be moved for the installation. To access the storage tanks we installed a transfer staircase which was 1200mm clear for ease of access.
Once the mezzanine was installed we fire rated the structure and installed new lighting and emergency lighting underneath the mezzanine.
HOW WE ACHIEVED IT!
Mezzanine Floor
- Designed & Installed a 375m2
- Mezzanine Floor to BRE 437 with a 4.8kn loading
- Column grid to suit machines on ground floor
- Fire rated ceiling grid to achieve one hour fire rating
- Emergency lighting installed
Pallet Racking
- Dismantle existing racks
- Installed existing racking in a double deep format to achieve greater storage capacity
Feedback
“STS Storage Systems provided a first class solution from design stage to completion, working closely with the Farecla Engineering/Production team all the way through the project.
STS kept us well informed and involved with every aspect of the concept, design, installation and helped us maintain a working production area during the project, by working around live production equipment and an operational warehouse.
I would recommend STS without hesitation.