Fans can now follow Steel King on its Facebook page; http://facebook.com/SteelKingInd  .  Fans will find Steel King videos, pictures, discussion, etc.  Fans can also post questions or discuss application issues with Steel King or other fans.

Fans can now follow Steel King on its Facebook page; http://facebook.com/SteelKingInd  .  Fans will find Steel King videos, pictures, discussion, etc.  Fans can also post questions or discuss application issues with Steel King or other fans.

• Cardinal Materials Flow Inc., St. Paul, MN
• Cisco-Eagle Inc., Dallas, TX
• Lift Solutions Inc., Omaha NE
• Marketing Services Group, Bowling Green, KY
• Memphis Material Handling, Memphis, TN
• Riekes Material Handling Co., Waukee, IA
• Storage Equipment Inc., Plymouth, MN
• Twinlode Corp., South Bend IN
• Wynright Corp., Elk Grove Village, IL
• Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp., Brookfield, WI

Stevens Point, WI (April 2010) Steel King Industries, Inc., the leader in high quality material handling solutions, announces its Top Premier Distributor Awards for 2009.

• Cardinal Materials Flow Inc., St. Paul, MN
• Cisco-Eagle Inc., Dallas, TX
• Lift Solutions Inc., Omaha NE
• Marketing Services Group, Bowling Green, KY
• Memphis Material Handling, Memphis, TN
• Riekes Material Handling Co., Waukee, IA
• Storage Equipment Inc., Plymouth, MN
• Twinlode Corp., South Bend IN
• Wynright Corp., Elk Grove Village, IL
• Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp., Brookfield, WI

 News Release

Steel King Industries Selects 2009 Most Valuable Distributor

Stevens Point, WI (April 2010) Steel King Industries, Inc. the leader in high quality material handling solutions, announced Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp. of Brookfield, Wisconsin, as the winner of Steel King’s 2009 Most Valuable Distributor (MVD) Award. 

You will find the video on the Steel Guard main page on our website

http://www.steelking.com/steel-guard-industrial-safety-railing-p-2018-l-en.html

Or in our Product Video Libary under the Resources Tab

http://www.steelking.com/video-library.html

Or on our YouTube Video Page

http://www.youtube.com/steelkinginc

You can know search for a product code based on a word in the product description.

To access the product code search function:

• Click on the magnifying glass next to the product code field.
• Input your criteria into the various search field boxes, which now includes product description.
• Click the button labeled "Find My Parts".
• Click the product code that matches your needs to add to your quote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4pN50yYI5k

The rack used in this disaster was a common open-back variety pallet rack. If this warehouse had been using SK2000 pallet rack, the results may have been different. SK2000 pallet rack has:

• 250% more frontal impact resistance; and

• 68% more side impact resistance than open-back rack.

   

Still don’t believe there is a difference? Watch the video below, which shows a side-by-side comparison of what happens when 700 lbs is dropped on SK2000 rack and open-back rack.

http://www.steelking.com/documents/SK2000_vs_Open-Back-Rack.mpg

Want even more impressive results for your customers? Add Column Core to Steel King’s already superior SK2000 pallet rack and get a full 5 times more impact resistant at the front corners and sides where the uprights are most vulnerable.

Place an order for Steel King’s SK3000 Structural Pallet Rack for January 2010 delivery and Steel King will pick up the cost of the freight. See Terms and Conditions below.

Steel King will cover the cost of shipping to you or your customer, saving you money, time and the hassle of arranging freight for your order! Take advantage of this offer now to guarantee production time in our Rome, GA facility.

Free Freight offer also covers SK3000 pallet rack stocked in our 48 Hour Quick Ship Program!

Terms and Conditions:

1. Offer valid only on NEW orders placed with Steel King Industries, Inc.
2. Delivery based on Steel King Lead Times. Contact Inside Sales (800) 826-0203 for current lead times.
3. Based on orders using current discount schedule.
4. Freight will be Prepaid by Steel King.
5. Carrier selected will be Steel King’s choice - No substitutions allowed.
6. Offer valid only for shipments in Lower 48 continental United States.
7. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer currently in place.
8. Standard Terms and Conditions apply.

Steel King’s mission is to create long-term customer relationships by providing competitively superior material
handling solutions.
 

News Release

For Immediate Release

Steel King Industries, Inc. Welcomes Peter Rice

 as Northeast Manufacturer’s Representative

Stevens Point, WI (November 2009) Steel King Industries, Inc., is pleased to introduce Peter Rice of The BUFFER Sales Group as its new Northeast Manufacturer’s Representative.

Based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, Peter will manage Steel King’s distributor network and sales in the States of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Vermont.

Peter has extensive experience over the past 23 years in both the electrical and material handling industries. He has been fortunate enough to work for both manufacturers and distributors which gives Peter a unique perspective to help manage these relationships. Prior to starting his agency Peter was employed by Unex Manufacturing as the Vice President of Sales.
“Peter is an exciting addition to the Steel King team,” said Skip Eastman, Vice President of Sales. “His extensive knowledge of the racking and storage industry makes him a valuable asset to the team at Steel King.” Eastman added, “the addition of Peter to our team will allow us to grow our Northeast dealer and system business as well as increase our market share in an area of the Country with tremendous potential.”

Steel King Industries manufactures a full-line of material handling products, including selective pallet racks, dynamic flow storage systems, cantilever racks, portable racks, and custom shipping racks, along with industrial steel containers and guard railing. Innovation, customization and design strength has earned Steel King the reputation as a leader in the material handling marketplace. For more information, call Steel King at (800) 826-0203 or visit them on line at www.steelking.com.

 
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A total of sixty-two (62) sales persons from thirty (30) different Steel King Premier Dealers participated in this year’s contest.

The winners of this year’s Packer Game Sales Contest are:

John Westbrooks – Prestige Sales Co – Chattanooga, TN
Tim Proffitt – J & J Material Handling – Manheim, PA.

Congratulations to John & Tim!

Steel King has offered I-Beam Cantilever over the years, but we have now re-engineered the product, improved the design and installed new manufacturing processes to improve our efficiency in producing it.

With these changes, we are re-dedicating our efforts to promote this product line.

New Capacity Charts and Price Sheets are located under Pricing Info on the Premier Dealer Menu to the left.

If you need to have either of these forms resent, please contact Don Heemstra at (800) 826-0203 or dheemstra@steelking.com

Order SK2000 Pallet Rack for December 2009 delivery, and Steel King will pick up the cost of shipping.  See Flyer for details

SK2000 Free Freight Offer

News Release

For Immediate Release

Steel King Industries, Inc. Welcomes Raymond Weber

 as Southeast Regional Sales Manager

 Stevens Point, WI (September 2009) Steel King Industries, Inc., is pleased to introduce

Raymond Weber as its new Southeast Regional Sales Manager. Based in Marietta, Georgia, Weber will manage Steel King’s distributor network and sales in the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

To prevent such end row or intersection rack damage from fork trucks, Steel King announces Guard Dawg pallet rack protection, which can have a R.O.I. of 20:1 compared to the total cost of upright replacement.  Typical single upright replacement, in fact, can cost about $1,000 to $1,500 including part cost, freight, change out labor, downtime, and lost storage space.  Guard Dawg helps avoid these costs while preventing rack damage that could lead to possible failure, employee injury or collapse.

Constructed of high-strength 5" x 3" x 3/8" steel angle, Guard Dawg protects 3" or 4" wide upright columns, and comes in right, left or double ended guards so it works with virtually all end row racks.

Offered in two standard sizes, or customized to fit any span between back-to-back uprights, the Guard Dawg pallet rack protection is secured to the floor with 3/4" heavy-duty anchors and hardware, included with purchase.

"To protect capital investment while guarding against downtime, liability and rising material cost, preventive safety is more important than ever today," says John Ellis, a Steel King Sales Manager.  "Pro-active warehouse managers are finding Guard Dawg a cost effective way to achieve this.  Many are installing it upon new rack installation, rather than waiting until after rack damage, replacement and facility disruptions costs."

Guard Dawg is powder coated bright industrial yellow for greater operator visibility, which can improve material handling safety and efficiency.  Because it's powder coated rather than painted with enamel, it's 94% more resistant to chips and scratches.  Guard Dawg is available in Steel King's 48-Hour Quick Ship stocking program.

Since 1970, Steel King has earned a national reputation for manufacturing competitively superior non-powered material handling solutions, from high-density storage to 100% selective storage to custom racks and containers.  It offers a full line of warehouse safety products, including Guard Dawg, to protect personnel, equipment and pallet rack.

For more info, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.
###

To optimize storage density, efficiency and ROI  plan for material handling along with building design

When constructing a new warehouse or upgrading an existing one, too often material handling becomes an afterthought, which is a serious mistake. To optimize storage density, efficiency and ROI, distribution center managers must plan for material handling along with warehouse design.

"Expanding a warehouse or moving to a new one is an opportunity to improve your bottom line whether you're running out of storage or launching a new product line," says Kevin Curry, National Accounts Manager for Steel King, a major designer and manufacturer of warehouse material handling, storage and safety products. "Start at the dock doors where the finished goods are shipped and work backwards toward raw material storage. Everything in between needs to be considered to achieve the most efficient material handling, the lowest labor and capital costs, and the greatest ROI."

To get the most out of any warehouse expansion or move, warehouse managers should seek material handling expertise that will complement warehouse design from the start. The right vendor or integrator, for instance, will analyze a customer's unique product mix or inventory of SKUs, aiming to achieve optimal storage rack density and selectivity while eliminating unnecessary handling or movement.

This requires selecting the right storage rack system and material handling equipment to achieve optimal material handling flow.

"It's important to get the right rack manufacturer on board from the start of warehouse design," says Bob Ferrer, Sales Manager at Cardinal Materials Flow, a material handling and storage system integrator. "They should have the rack engineering capability of drawing up concepts to optimize any new building design or remodel. To ensure one source responsibility and synergy, it's best that they have the ability to manufacture every type of rack from single deep selective to 15-deep pallet flow and beyond under one roof."

To maximize rack longevity while minimizing maintenance and cost, Ferrer notes the importance of working with a rack vendor such as Steel King that's capable of manufacturing both structural steel rack that's hot rolled out of the mill and cold rolled steel rack that's roll formed from sheets of coil.

"The structural steel provides heavier capacity, a lower profile and more impact protection with smaller cross sections," says Ferrer. "The cold rolled steel is more rigid and economical. When you mix and match structural and cold rolled steel rack, you get the best storage at the best price.

"A clear eye for the right material handling equipment is critical as well to coordinate with warehouse design. The right equipment will reduce forklift traffic, wasted movement and handling, perhaps adding automation where appropriate.

"To get the greatest bang for your warehouse design buck, focus on the 20 percent of product that requires 80 percent of warehouse movement," says Ferrer. "Make sure these fast movers are efficiently picked and moved out the door. Grouping them in pick modules near shipping docks can help, as can automating with conveyors or AS/RS cranes.

"The right vendor should also notice details such as if existing racks appear damaged in front. This is common when aisles are too narrow, causing forklift operators to impact the rack uprights when turning. If so, it can indicate a need to widen the aisles or to reinforce the rack in front via enhancements such as Column Core by Steel King, which can extend rack life and prevent downtime. Ideally, the rack system should also be modular to allow easy repair or reconfiguration, should the need arise.

So whether warehouse managers are building a distribution center from scratch or expanding an existing one, they must remember that they can't let material handling be an afterthought. They must plan for it up front, right along with warehouse design, to get the most out of their capital investment for decades to come.

For more info, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

New warehouses and distribution centers demand higher, stronger, more sophisticated racks

Planning a new warehouse or even expanding an old one can present challenges to even veteran planners. Bringing in your storage rack supplier during the planning stage can allow you to maximize storage capacity while staying up with the latest code requirements.

“There are a lot of issues,” says Steel King engineer Arlin Keck, “the important thing is to look at them upfront so when you are ready to move in, the building is ready too."

For instance, planning for building columns means you won’t have to deal with wasted space when you actually have to use your facility. Proper design work by your vendor makes certain the columns are buried between racks and don’t end up in the service aisles. Also you need to keep the distances safe for truck operators without costing more space than needed. If drivers need a 12” aisle, ideally between double racks, you don’t want to accidentally end up with 14” and a single rack. That translates into wasted space and poor space utilization.

As warehouse design becomes higher and more sophisticated to minimize real estate, labor and heating cost; and the building codes have become stricter to satisfy seismic requirements; storage rack design requires even more upfront planning to keep up.

“With seismic codes being enforced nationally, you need to find a company that has experience and knows what to do before you put up your warehouse,” adds Keck. Steel King, a major designer and manufacturer of warehouse material handling, storage, and safety products has been helping plan warehouses since 1970.

Fire codes can also be a problem. Even if you have a building permit, there will still be a fire permit inspection. This can involve sprinklers, vents, firewalls, access to exits, and hydrants. Your needs can be especially complicated if there are pick systems or elevated works areas. If you miss on any of these local requirements, the fire marshal may not let you occupy the building.

The Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI) publishes a racking design specification and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) each publish a steel design specification. Your racking system must be in compliance with these specifications along with your local building and fire codes.

As systems become more complex, the demand on the floor slab becomes greater. New construction usually takes this into account. But what happens when you buy or expand a warehouse that just has a standard floor slab? If there is no engineer-of-record on the job, now you have to do independent testing. The slab may have to be strengthened or the rack system modified with larger base plates to accommodate the inadequate floor slab and that is added expense that could have been avoided.   “Your storage rack supplier should give you the anticipated post loads for the floor,” says Keck, “that is one of the first things Steel King does”.

You even need to follow best practices to protect your racking products once they arrive on site. For instance, often rack installation occurs before the building is complete. That requires designated docking and storage areas. Leave your racks in an area where they can collect dirt and you will have an expensive cleaning bill before you even use them.

Set-up and installation also requires a clean and protected area. This is especially true if there are other trades around such as painters or drywall works.

Remember, the bottom line in maximizing your new warehouse space and staying code compliant is all about planning with your storage rack supplier. Planning, that is, before you break ground. 

For more info, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

A host of innovative warehouse solutions can enhance storage and distribution without breaking the budget

For those seeking to expand or improve warehouse storage and distribution without building costly new facilities, a host of innovative storage rack warehouse solutions can now help without breaking the budget. By increasing storage rack density or using wasted/overlooked space more efficiently, while keeping needed selectivity, warehouse managers can significantly add to the bottom line.

To maximize storage and selectivity, savvy warehouse managers are increasingly turning from traditional techniques like floor stacking and selective racks to advanced methods, such as the pushback pallet rack, which offers up to 90 percent more product storage than selective rack systems and up to 400 percent more selectivity than drive-in racks. 

Unlike static, single-pallet deep selective racks, a dynamic pushback rack system allows storing pallets two to five deep while providing easy access to a variety of different SKUs. Pallets are stored behind each other in a series of nested carts and are loaded from the same side of the system, eliminating separate aisles for each function. Composed of a stable rack along with a series of inclined carts and rails, when one pallet is pulled, the one behind it rolls forward.

To quickly get forklift operators up to speed on the key differences between traditional static loads and the dynamic pushback system while avoiding forklift damage or pallet rack damage, proactive warehouse managers are training staff with the help of a free "Pushback System Safe Operating Procedures User Handbook," offered by Steel King Industries (www.steelking.com), of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, a leading manufacturer and provider of pushback and storage rack systems. The pushback safety handbook highlights best practice procedures, and illustrates them with easy-to-understand graphics.

By employing a pushback pallet rack system and principles covered in the safety manual, Meyer Material Handling, a national reseller and installer of material handling and storage systems, helped one wire-manufacturing customer implement a warehouse system that essentially doubled storage in about 60 percent less space, compared to a previous selective rack system, according to John Calkins, Vice President of Sales at Meyer Material Handling. "That lowered long-term overhead costs, while enabling expansion possibilities," says Calkins. "Many pushback systems can generate ROI in just over two years."

For maximum pallet rack use in a minimum footprint, along with inventory management capability, a warehouse pallet flow storage system can be the answer. 

In a pallet flow storage system such as the SK3400 by Steel King, dynamic flow rails are inclined in a static rack structure, allowing loads placed on one end to move by gravity on rollers to the unloading end, with speed controllers acting as gentle brakes. As a load is removed, the loads behind it move forward automatically.

Once loaded, FIFO product rotation is automatic and the rack eliminates labor and fork truck operation to arrange loads. Forklifts are required only for the initial and final unloading. Compared to traditional selective pallet rack use, which requires multiple aisles, aisle space can be reduced by 75 percent and up to 100 percent more product can be stored.

"Combining rack types to better use vertical space can further improve storage density," adds Arlin Keck, Corporate Engineer for Steel King. "For instance, while sharing a common pick aisle, pallet flow can be used at the bottom of a rack structure with pushback at the top, adding an additional two to three pallet capacity per level."

As a solution to empty pallet storage problems, the Over-Dock Pallet Storage Rack by Steel King can not only help warehouse/logistics managers and shipping/receiving supervisors put more product in their warehouse without a bigger building, but also enhance safety, aesthetics and operational efficiency.

Like a kitchen cupboard in the kitchen, the Over-Dock Pallet Storage Rack keeps empty pallets safely out of the way until they're needed, when they're conveniently at hand in a specially designed over the loading dock storage rack that'll accommodate empty pallets, skids or returnable shipping containers.

With typically two shelves installed above an average 12-foot wide dock door, almost 100 sq. ft of additional floor storage space can be added above each dock door. That's floor space freed up for storing higher value items than empty pallets. The empty pallets are kept safe and secure above the dock door, right where they're needed, ready to handle incoming materials or ship outgoing goods.

With every square inch of warehouse storage space or factory floor space being used to its fullest, many companies are also looking to extend the use of existing square footage with free-standing elevated work platforms. Elevated work platforms or mezzanines are ideal for additional in-plant office space, archive/record storage, small parts storage, and picking and sorting operations.

An example of this platform is the Steel King ClereSpan Mezzanine. Available in variable first-level heights and spans up to 20 feet, this platform can be customized with a variety of floor surfaces, stairs, and gates. Flooring options range from standard roof decking and treated wood, to bar grating, metal and even concrete. The platform can be combined with other Steel King products to form a full turnkey system to match facility growth.  Customize multi-level systems are also available.

For storage rack warehouse solutions customized to the application, Steel King racks can be custom designed or modified for seismic requirements, heavier loads or other needs.

For more info or a free copy of Steel King's "Pushback System Safe Operating Procedures User Handbook," contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

With standard freestanding heights up to 20', arm lengths up to 8' and the capacity to hold bundle loads up to 6,000 lbs. and loads up to 20,000 lbs. on one side of the column, the I-Beam Cantilever Rack can efficiently accommodate nearly any type of load. It can free up valuable floor space and eliminate damage, double handling and wasted time due to cumbersome floor storage by safely storing long, heavy, odd-shaped items such as die racks, piping, conduit, sheet metal, building materials, or spools of cable. Since operators can run fork truck tines between its arms, there's no need to palletize when items are bundled together, saving valuable vertical storage rack space.

Since the design of the rack is modular, it's easy to install, readily expandable, and can provide a custom design without a custom cost. It provides a variety of column widths, spacings and load combinations, as well as a varying number of arms and arm lengths.

The I-Beam Cantilever Rack arms are bolted on independently for greater adjustability, with 4" vertical spacing allowing flexible adjustment to accommodate load capacity and position. Pre-punched connection holes enable easy arm installation, adjustment and leveling so the arms cannot "slip" out of position.

Dynamic storage racks help U.S. Gypsum Company optimize production, storage and inventory management

For more info on dynamic storage, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Steel King's new storage rack combines the load capacity of structural channel with the torsional resistance of tubular steel

For storage applications involving heavy loads, seismic locations, greater impact resistance, rack-supported buildings, and/or increased vertical heights such as automatic storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), the new SK4000 Structural Tubular Pallet Rack by Steel King delivers by combining the load capacity of structural channel racks with the torsional strength of tubular steel.

Unlike conventional racks which offer load capacity in the 30,000 lbs. range, the SK4000 Structural Tubular Pallet Rack, with bolted beam connections, has the frame strength to support loads over 70,000 lbs.  This is more than enough rack capacity for even the heaviest die storage rack or auto part applications.  Thick structural tube steel increases the frames’ load-carrying capacity and resistance to seismic forces while enabling greater resistance to fork truck impact damage.

All SK4000 columns are tubular members of A-500 grade "B" steel with minimum tensile of 58,000 PSI and minimum yield of 46,000 PSI.  To meet the installation requirements, it's available in standard column sizes of 3” x 3”, 4” x 3” and 4” x 4” with thicknesses of 1/8” or 3/16”.  Tubular columns, along with the rigidity of an all welded upright frame, make it the perfect choice for rack-supported buildings and AS/RS.

For added strength and stability, its uprights incorporate fully welded, tubular steel for both horizontal and diagonal bracing.  Beams are securely fastened to uprights using heavy-duty grade 5 hardware.  Additionally, beam connection holes are drilled on the column's sides, not the corners, minimizing column strength loss.  Standard column punching on the storage rack provides users the flexibility to adjust beam elevations in 3" increments. 

Unique among racks, the SK4000 Structural Tubular Pallet Rack can be made to meet your exact preferences for adjustability and cleanliness. The columns may include holes for beam locations throughout the entire rack height, limited to just the locations used, or anything in between.

For maximum sanitation, with the limited connection hole option, a user can create a rack system with no exposed holes in the columns, making the SK4000 Structural Tubular Pallet Rack the perfect choice for industries in need of a more sanitary storage option, such as food and pharmaceutical facilities.  In addition to the closed tubular columns and bracing, all seamless welding and position drilled beam holes, its columns can be fitted with welded-on caps eliminating all potential gaps for internal contamination.  Tubular rectangle braces can also be rotated 45 degrees creating diamond shaped bracing, with no flat surfaces exposed for potential germ collection – creating the ultimate sanitary rack.

A highly durable, powder coat paint finish on the SK4000 Structural Tubular Pallet Rack offers better gloss, hardness and adhesion than typical enamel paints for greater resistance to fork truck impact, solvents and corrosion.  A choice of twelve standard colors allows color-coding the storage racks by use or for aesthetics.  An optional galvanized finish is also available to meet USDA requirements.
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For more info, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Heavy-duty die storage racks help Greenheck continue growth, maximize production floor use

Greenheck is on a growth streak, and efficient use of die racks has eased its growing pains.  Having doubled sales in the past five years to almost $500 million, Greenheck is America's leading manufacturer of ventilation equipment.  But continuous growth was straining the company's main production facility, which supplies parts nationally. 

"We not only had to ramp up production, but also get leaner since we had limited production floor space," says Larry Toboyek, Greenheck's Manager of Tooling and Maintenance at its main production facility in Schofield, Wisconsin.

To streamline production and meet quality, cost and delivery goals, Greenheck purchased larger, progressive die stamping presses and built larger dies in its in-house die center.  This helped to automate production into an essentially continuous process.  The problem: storing the massive dies, measuring up to 8'x8' and weighing up to 10,000 lbs., was impossible on standard storage racks, which typically support loads of only 5,000 to 6,000 lbs.

"We had to stack heavier, higher, and more flexibly in die racks to meet our space and production requirements," says Doug Baumann, a manufacturing engineer at the Schofield facility.  "And the storage racks had to safely withstand potential abuse since many of our operators aren't dedicated fork truck drivers, but hop and on off between jobs.  In our 24 hour operation, we couldn't afford to deal with replacing damaged uprights, loose 2x4s or fallen load beams."

The company turned to Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp, a material handling and automated systems distributor, and Steel King an industrial die rack and storage rack manufacturer. "Greenheck, which has a decades long relationship with Steel King, selected the die racks for their capacity, structural integrity and ability to work well with the fork trucks we provided," says Bill Netzel, the CAMH-certified capital equipment representative at Wisconsin Lift Truck who helped with the project.

The heavy-duty Steel King die racks provided Greenheck with the strength, capacity, and flexibility to efficiently store even their largest dies where needed on the production floor.  "Because the racks are made of structural steel, with uprights of structural tubing and shelves of channel, they're very robust," says Baumann.  "They allow us to safely store an extra 5,000 lbs. per rack beyond typical racks."  Completely welded bed frames with all beams and supports from front to rear welded into one assembly add to the structural integrity, while heavy-duty 3/4" anchors and shims secure and level the racks.

In consultation with Greenheck and Wisconsin Lift Truck, Steel King provided standard sized die racks for use with standardized sub-plates, allowing efficient die stacking and use of production floor space.  For optimal storage flexibility, the shelves  are removable from the uprights  and the shelf heights are adjustable in 3" increments across their entire vertical height.

"Standardizing rack size at the required capacity not only enabled us to add more shelving but also stack dies as high as our building height allows," explains Toboyek.  "That gave us the means to cost effectively store our dies despite limited production floor space."  In addition, the die rack solid metal shelf design allows die placement anywhere on the shelf, and can accommodate a variety of die sizes, allowing dies to be slid on or off a shelf for easy access and storage.

The efficiency of Greenheck's die rack storage has helped the company maximize its production, enabling continued growth without adding unwanted production overhead. 

"We've added about 10 to 15% to our bottom line with the larger dies without adding any square footage to our stamping facility," says Toboyek.  The efficient, high-capacity die racks help make this possible, and should generate ROI within three years.  They'll pay for themselves many times over if they perform like some of our other Steel King racks, which have lasted decades and should last for decades more."

For more info on optimizing production with die rack storage, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email:
dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Put more product in your warehouse without a bigger building by turning wasted space over dock doors into storage for empty pallets

The Over-Dock Pallet Storage Rack by Steel King may be the best-kept secret in material handling.  As a solution to empty pallet storage problems, it can not only help warehouse/logistics managers and shipping/receiving supervisors put more product in their warehouse without a bigger building but also enhance safety, aesthetics and operational efficiency.

The problem: empty pallets can clutter up the loading dock area, occupy pallet rack positions better used for higher value finished goods/incoming materials, and are susceptible to tipping or damage when stacked on the floor.

The solution: like a kitchen cupboard for the kitchen, the Over-Dock Pallet Storage Rack keeps empty pallets safely out of the way until they're needed, when they're conveniently at hand in a specially designed over the loading dock storage rack that'll accommodate empty pallets, skids or returnable shipping containers.

With typically two shelves installed above an average 12-foot wide dock door, almost 100 sq. ft of additional floor storage space can be added above each dock door.  That's floor space freed up for storing higher value items than empty pallets.  The empty pallets are kept safe and secure above the dock door, right where they're needed, ready to rack incoming materials or ship outgoing goods.

The Over-Dock Pallet Storage Rack is available in three standard configurations, and can be customized to the specifications of each facility with input from Steel King material handling experts or engineering staff.

For the greatest capacity over each dock without attaching to the building or roof, heavy-duty conventional uprights can be used.  Typically, these are designed to be freestanding with two support legs on a cement floor.  This configuration is advantageous when no load should be added to the building wall or ceiling.

A single-leg design allows more clearance for forklift traffic, while adding no load to the building's roof structure.  This configuration uses an upright frame with a special offset and a single upright column that clears the dock door height.  Heavy-duty wall ties stabilize the frame, and wall tie and beam length are varied to clear the dock door.  Wall ties need to be secured to a solid, concrete type wall.  A sheet metal walled building would not work for this type of installation.

For maximum clearance of forklift traffic, a ceiling supported design is suitable for buildings of any wall type.  "In this configuration, no lower legs interfere with forklift traffic, and rack frames are bolted or welded to the roof trusses of the building," explains John Ellis, a Steel King regional sales manager.  This configuration, however, must be designed in conjunction with the building architect, who must verify the building's ability to support the additional weight of the racking and pallets.

For sufficient strength with economy, the Over-Dock Pallet Storage Rack can be built with SK2000 boltless tubular uprights.  For added strength, it can be built out of structural tube or SK3000 structural channel uprights.  For beams, Over-Dock Storage Racks generally use channel load beams with bolted connections.  To prevent pallets from falling between beams, two bolt-in pallet supports are installed under each pallet position.

For extra security, Steel King recommends either safety netting or bolt-in steel restraining straps be used at the back of each rack bay to secure pallets.  For post protection, especially of single leg racks, it recommends a protective system such as its Steel Guard system.

For more info, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Dynamic flow storage racks help C&M Fine Pack continue growth, clear logistics bottlenecks

Having just added 118,000 sq. ft. to their Fort Wayne facility, you wouldn't expect C&M Fine Pack to need another 160,000 sq. ft. of space, including 90,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space, just three years later.  But as the fastest growing packaging company in the industry, its upscale disposable packaging is hot among food retailers seeking to distinguish their wares, reduce mess and extend use.  Yet to continue growth, clear logistics bottlenecks and meet end-of-year demand, the company's expansion required maximum pallet rack space in a minimal footprint.  The solution: a warehouse dynamic flow storage system. 

Challenges loomed.  "Because we have high standards for food safety, our facility primarily uses plastic pallets internally, which generally have difficulty flowing on typical industry dynamic storage racks," says Tim Pancake, a C&M Fine Pack project engineer.  In a flow storage system, dynamic flow rails are inclined in a static rack structure, allowing loads placed on one end to move by gravity on rollers to the unloading end, with speed controllers acting as gentle brakes.  As a load is removed, the loads behind it move forward automatically. 

"We use a wide range of pallet weights, which typical dynamic storage braking systems can't accommodate," adds Pancake.  "Vendors wanted us to designate half our storage for light loads and half for heavy loads.  Our concern was, if half our product mix was all light or heavy from month to month, half our warehouse capacity could go unused."  Additionally, to track food industry lot numbers, efficient "first in first out" (FIFO) inventory management was required on packaging products.

The company turned to Southwest Docking and Handling, a material handling and automated systems distributor, and Steel King, a flow storage system and pallet rack manufacturer.  "Steel King's was the only system that allowed flow of the plastic pallets we needed," says Pancake, who was impressed by how quickly the project was completed
to meet end-of-year demand.  "The unmodified system also worked well for loads stored on wooden pallets that another customer required."

Because the dynamic flow system depth, height, and width were limited only by the size of the facility and capabilities of the material handling equipment, it was a good fit for C&M Fine Pack's high volume, space efficient needs.  Once loaded, FIFO product rotation is automatic and the rack eliminates labor and fork truck operation to arrange loads.  Forklifts are required only for the initial and final unloading.  Since only two aisles are necessary, aisle space can be reduced by 75 percent and up to 100 percent more product can be stored than with traditional selective pallet racking.

To avoid construction and logistics bottlenecks, Southwest Docking and Handling helped to integrate the pallet rack dynamic flow storage system with warehouse space and material handling equipment.  To minimize interference between production and warehouse forklift traffic, load and unload aisles were created, and the aisles were rotated by 90° to improve sightlines.  Steel Guard protective railings were added to protect equipment and personnel from fork lift damage.

"The improved logistics has sped inventory pick time and reduced rack damage significantly," says Pancake.  "It keeps production and warehouse working smoothly together."

To allow for a varied product mix and demand, pallet rack depths between 7 and 12 deep were specified on the dynamic storage racks.  An indirect braking system, using one interior wheel controlling two outer wheels in contact with the pallets, provides the flexibility needed to handle various pallet loads without designating light or heavy lanes.

"The indirect braking system accommodates all our pallet loads, so we avoid designating lanes and avoid the labor and trouble of sorting or mis-sorting by pallet load," says Pancake.  "This gives us the flexibility to store product where and when we want it, so we reclaim warehouse space that could otherwise go unused."

"With the flexibility and reliability of Steel King's pallet rack flow storage system, we don't worry about storage limitations," concludes Pancake.  "It's helped us to vary our product mix while streamlining logistics and delivery so we can continue growing to meet customers' needs."

For more info on dynamic storage, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

A new warehouse layout, pallet racking combo helps Generac tighten its supply chain, streamline delivery

Generac, an industrial and residential power generator manufacturer, knew it was time for a new distribution center and pallet rack system.  Inefficient storage, picking, and shipping of finished product from an old, traditional warehouse was hampering employee productivity and product delivery. 

"In the generator business, efficient logistics and delivery is especially important since spikes in demand can occur within 24 hours of severe weather, when customers require power generation," explains Adam Barber, a Generac industrial engineer tasked with improving warehouse logistics and efficiency.

After research and analysis, Barber sought to turn Generac's logistics challenge into opportunity by building a warehouse using an innovative fishbone aisle design layout with selective pallet racking.  The fishbone aisle design can reduce warehouse logistics cost by 20% and speed delivery compared to traditional layouts, according to recent research by the University of Arkansas.  Because the fishbone aisles combine vertical picking rows with V-shaped, diagonal cross rows, they allow fork truck drivers to pick product in an essentially direct "travel-by-flight" manner, avoiding traditional unproductive travel down parallel aisles to put away or pick product.

"Using the fishbone aisle warehouse design and pallet racking, we aimed to tighten our supply chain and streamline delivery to customers with existing staff," says Barber.

"To sustain operational efficiency, we needed a strong, reliable pallet rack that could withstand inevitable fork truck impact," adds Barber.  "Open back uprights weren't up to the challenge in our experience.  We wanted to avoid unloading product to fix or replace damaged storage racks, then reloading product."

For help integrating the right storage racking system with fork trucks and the fishbone aisle layout, Generac turned to Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp., a material handling and automated systems distributor. 

Kristine Rauch, the Wisconsin Lift Truck industrial engineer who helped with system integration, recommended and Generac chose the SK2000 pallet rack, a boltless, closed tubular upright product by Steel King, a leading manufacturer of material handling and storage racking products.

"The use of Steel King's closed tubular upright design offered 250% greater resistance to frontal impact and increased strength to side impact," says Rauch.  While easy, boltless assembly of the system within three weeks helped Generac meet its distribution center opening date, a number of other pallet rack features helped the company meet its strength, durability, and maintenance goals for use with the fishbone aisle design layout.

Compared to open back roll formed columns, the closed tubular uprights are 44 times more torsion/twist resistant, with 250% greater frontal impact resistance and 68% greater side impact resistance.  All beams are constructed of high-strength (55,000 p.s.i. minimum) steel, and holes are placed on the column's face, not the corners, minimizing strength loss.  "The strength of the uprights allowed us to add a necessary fishbone cross aisle for our fork trucks to pass through," says Barber.

To make their storage racking system even more fork truck resistant, Generac opted for Column Core column reinforcement, which can make the SK2000 rack five times more impact resistant at the front corners and sides where the upright is the most vulnerable.  "As careful as our operators are, accidents will happen," says Barber.  Unlike sheet metal placed in front of a rack, Column Core adds structural integrity that can help prevent downtime for rack repair or replacement."

According to Barber, column reinforcement on the bottom 24" of the rack provides protection from fork truck damage without interfering with product put away or picking, while the rack system's higher beam height allows it to hold all of Generac's generator products.

Because the rack is powder coated rather than painted with enamel, it's 94% more resistant to chips and scratches.  "Properly used, the pallet rack will look and operate the same in 10 years as it did on install," says Rauch.

"Any volume manufacturer who wants to maximize the use of staff and facilities should consider the fishbone warehouse layout with a pallet rack like the SK2000," concludes Barber.  "With them, we're tightening our supply chain, getting more from existing employees, and giving faster, better service to our customers."

For more info on tightening the supply chain with a fishbone warehouse layout/pallet rack combo, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Freightliner optimizes logistics, quality control and cost containment
with custom shipping racks on a new vehicle launch

When Freightliner LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America, prepared to launch its new class 8 model vehicles called Cascadia, a major focus was optimizing the efficiency and quality of its supply chain.  Due to the many irregular sized and shaped components required by the new vehicle launch, Freightliner opted for custom shipping racks over expendable packaging such as cardboard, wood crates or pallets, which offer less protection, require more space, and have recurring purchase and disposal costs.

"Once the parts are manufactured, they need to be delivered in the same condition," says Royce Hermens, a packaging engineering group leader at Freightliner.  "This is critical for logistics, quality control, and cost containment since vehicles can't be sold if they're waiting for replacement parts due to part damage caused by shipping."

As an OE manufacturer sometimes receiving less than truck-load shipments, Freightliner was mindful of the increased wear that extra unloading and reloading would cause when consolidating product at transport terminals.  With environmental concerns growing and some states prohibiting the disposal of wood pallets at landfills, the company wanted to limit its use of disposable packaging.

For a number of key components, Freightliner chose custom shipping racks offered by Steel King Industries (www.steelking.com), a leading manufacturer and provider of shipping racks, portable racks and portable racking.  The shipping rack supplier helped Freightliner to streamline logistics for the vehicle launch while enhancing quality control and cost containment.

Due to the size, shape and aesthetics of a day cab roof assembly, for instance, Freightliner would have shipped one per pallet if using expendable packaging; and it could not be stacked due to risk of denting, scratching and other damage.

Instead, "They built us custom shipping racks that accommodate eight parts each, and stack two high in trailers," says Hermens.  "That's a 16-to-1 increase in shipping storage density with better protection.  We and our suppliers can also stack five high in warehouses, which further improves storage density and makes it easier to store product indoors instead of out."

Because Freightliner pays for the cost of returning the shipping racks to its parts suppliers, the supplier of shipping racks developed a front wall assembly rack that "knocks down" to just one-third its shipping size for return shipping, via fold down corner posts.  "The custom shipping racks cut our return shipping costs in third," says Hermens.

And the custom shipping racks, which contain protective padding only where needed, have been doing their part to improve quality control while eliminating the purchase and disposal costs of expendable packaging.

"The word from our warehouses and our suppliers is that product damage is not a problem with the custom shipping racks," says Hermens.

Hermens credits the supplier of shipping racks for flexibility in adjusting to changes in Freightliner's tight vehicle launch deadlines while consistently offering more than expected.  "To expedite our vehicle launch when scheduling changes were needed, their shop steward sat in on one of our conference calls," says Hermens.  "Other times, they collaborated with us to adjust dunnage position or rack closure to get it just right at no extra cost."

"Overall, we're aiming for ROI in less than a year on the custom shipping racks, and with Steel King that's what we're getting," concludes Hermens.

For more info on how custom shipping racks can optimize logistics, quality control, and cost containment, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Proper training prevents forklift damage, pallet rack damage on
pushback rack systems that maximize warehouse storage and selectivity

To maximize storage and selectivity, savvy warehouse managers are increasingly turning from traditional techniques like floor stacking and selective racks to advanced methods such as the pushback pallet rack, which offers up to 90 percent more product storage than selective rack systems and up to 400 percent more selectivity than drive-in racks.  Yet while warehouse facilities are significantly ramping up productivity and reducing operating costs with pushback systems, proper training is required to achieve full safety and effectiveness.

"Forklift operators used to static storage systems need to shift their thinking when using a dynamic pushback system," says John Calkins, Vice President of Sales at Meyer Material Handling, a national reseller and installer of material handling and storage systems with considerable experience in pushback systems.  "While the upside of using a dynamic pushback system is huge, failing to do so properly can compromise safety and lead to product damage, forklift damage and pallet rack damage."

Unlike static, single-pallet deep selective racks, a dynamic pushback rack system allows storing pallets two to five deep while providing easy access to a variety of different SKUs.  Pallets are stored behind each other in a series of nested carts and are loaded from the same side of the system, eliminating separate aisles for each function.  Composed of a stable rack along with a series of inclined carts and rails, when one pallet is pulled, the one behind it rolls forward.

To quickly get forklift operators up to speed on the key differences between traditional static loads and the dynamic pushback system while avoiding forklift damage or pallet rack damage, proactive warehouse managers are training staff with the help of a free "Pushback System Safe Operating Procedures User Handbook," offered by Steel King Industries (www.steelking.com), of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, a leading manufacturer and provider of pushback systems.  The pushback safety handbook highlights best practice procedures, and illustrates them with easy-to-understand graphics.

"Using the Safety manual should cut forklift operators' learning curve in half, while helping them operate more safely and productively," says Calkins, who's familiar with the manual and plans to use parts of it to train at pushback installations he's involved with.  "It captures the best practices we've learned from years of experience.  It covers the three main points that every forklift driver must master to get the most out of a pushback system: controlling the load when it comes forward; properly positioning pallets; and avoiding 'cross stacking,' or the placing of pallets on multiple carts."

Because most forklift operators are used to simply grabbing a static load and going, it requires training to familiarize them with the proper, dynamic way to control pushback system pallet flow.  To ensure safety and control, forklift operators must pick up the pallet and slowly back out of the system, controlling the speed of the remaining pallet loads in the lane.  They must not pull out the front pallet faster than the rear pallets will flow.

Positioning a pallet load so that it's centered on the cart, with the forklift forks tilted slightly upward along the incline of the rails is also important to get the safest, most productive use of a pushback system.

Though each pushback system cart is engineered to avoid cross stacking, forklift operators can inadvertently place a pallet on multiple carts. For example if an operator places a load too far back on the first cart such that it is  sitting on top of the back stop guide, this exposes the front of the cart potentially allowing the next load to be placed on the exposed portion .  Cross stacking can also occur if an operator incorrectly places a pallet smaller or larger than a cart is designed to hold.

By employing a pushback pallet rack system and principles covered in the safety manual, Meyer Material Handling helped one wire-manufacturing customer implement a warehouse system that essentially doubled storage in about 60 percent less space, compared to a previous selective rack system, according to Calkins.  "That lowered long-term overhead costs, while enabling expansion possibilities," says Calkins.  "Many pushback systems can generate ROI in just over two years."

For a free copy of Steel King's "Pushback System Safe Operating Procedures User Handbook," contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Combine two powerful products and maximize your facility safety

In a warehouse or other storage facility, safety of both personnel and material must be the paramount concern. Every year, forklift accidents account for thousands of serious injuries and dozens of deaths in industrial facilities. Additionally, tens of thousands to millions of dollars are lost in material damage from fork truck collisions with other equipment, pallet racks, and merchandise. The safest move a facility can make is to institute a powerful one-two punch with the industry’s most impact-resistant pallet rack, fortified with Column Core column reinforcement, and Steel Guard guardrails.

Column Core

One vital aspect to this kind of protection is taking care of a facility’s pallet racks—a hefty investment subject to considerable abuse. “Wherever there is a lot of damage to uprights, it’s usually occurring because the fork truck drivers are using the uprights as guides,” says Kurt Larson, Central Regional Sales Manager for Steel King, Inc. “They’re bumping the uprights on the front or the sides, coming around corners, and bumping into the lower portion of the frame.”

The most rugged solution to consistent pallet rack damage available today is Steel King’s SK2000 tubular boltless pallet rack—the benchmark system in the storage market—reinforced with a C-shaped column insert called the Column Core. The SK2000, with its fully welded, all tubular uprights is already 2 ½ times more impact resistant than its open-column, bolt-together competition. With the Column Core added it becomes a full 5 times more impact resistant at the front corners and sides where the uprights are most vulnerable.

Column Core is a factory installed option to Steel King’s SK2000 tubular, boltless pallet rack.  With Column Core installed, companies retain full adjustability of their pallet rack beams, reduce puncturing, buckling and torsional twisting of their pallet rack uprights, and increased protection without any additional installation costs.

Because most fork truck damage is in the lower 48 inches of pallet rack uprights, that is where the Column Core is usually installed and where it will provide the most benefit. Column Core is sold in standard heights from 6 to 96 inches, in 6-inch increments, and custom heights are available upon request.

Steel Guard

For the protection of personnel, equipment and stored goods, installation of heavy-duty steel guardrails in facilities is essential. “Any company with any sort of industrial traffic greatly benefits from protection of personnel against forklift or other motorized traffic,” says Jay Anderson, president of Steel King. “This would include a broad spectrum of operations, including warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities.”

Strength is the prime concern in the choosing and implementation of such rails, and Steel King’s Steel Guard meets and exceeds requirements for most installations. The rugged specs include a 14”-high, 3-ribbed design in 11 gauge corrugated steel—the most rigid rail currently available—utilizing 3 bolts at each end for mounting on 4-inch square ¼-inch thick heavy-duty structural steel columns which are then bolted to the floor.

The rails are customizable to needed lengths and can be single-rail or double-rail in height.  In addition to the standard bolted-to-post system, an optional lift-out/drop-in rail system is available which maintains accessibility to material or equipment while providing uninterrupted protection.  

Combined together, Column-Core-reinforced SK2000 pallet racks and Steel Guard guardrails, both from Steel King, provide durable, long-lasting protection and mean substantial reduction or elimination of damage to pallet racks, stored goods, equipment, and most important of all, personnel.

Forklift damage accounts for 90% of rack failures. Reinforced pallet storage racks provide long-term rugged protection against such damage.

With the costs of warehouse storage space on the rise, including both the actual floor square footage and the pallet rack inside the facility, a company certainly doesn’t need any additional unplanned costs to maintain their warehouse. 

One such cost is for replacing forklift-damaged pallet racks, especially with open column, bolt-together storage racks.

“Wherever there is a lot of damage to uprights, it’s usually occurring because the fork truck drivers are using the uprights as guides,” says Kurt Larson, Central Regional Sales Manager for Steel King, Inc. “They’re bumping the uprights on the front or the sides, coming around corners, and bumping into the lower portion of the frame.”

Larson has encountered installations in which they have tried to make open-column, bolt-together pallet racks more rigid and damage resistant by placing 2 open columns back-to-back, with a 3” column in the front and a 1 5/8” column welded behind it. The problem is the hollow area inside the columns, which can still allow the upright to bend inward if hit with forks.  Needless to say, this is a dangerous situation that could result in a pallet storage rack collapse.

A far more rigid installation is Steel King’s SK2000 tubular boltless pallet rack—the benchmark system in the storage market—reinforced with a C-shaped column insert called the Column Core.  The SK2000, which is fully welded and not bolted together, is already 2 ½ times more impact resistant than its competition. With the Column Core reinforcement added it becomes a full 5 times more impact resistant at the front corners and sides where the uprights are most vulnerable.

“The problem with the open-column, bolt-together pallet rack is that in the short term you save money, but in the long term you’ll have to keep replacing parts of it or the whole rack.” Larson says. “With an SK2000 pallet rack re-enforced with Column Core, you’ll almost never have to replace it.”

Larson knows of what he speaks. In visiting a client a short time ago, he found that the client had installed open-column, bolt-together racks and was paying $4,000 to $8,000 per month in pallet rack repair. “The guy that came in to run the warehouse took one look and said, ‘we’re done with this,’” Larson relates. “He ended up installing the SK2000 pallet racking with Column Core in the front uprights, and has had no more problems.”

Because most fork truck damage is in the lower 48 inches of pallet rack uprights, that is where the Column Core is usually installed and where it will provide the most benefit. However Column Core is sold in standard heights from 6 to 96 inches, in 6-inch increments, and custom heights are available upon request.

Column Core is a factory installed option to Steel King’s SK2000 tubular, boltless pallet rack.  With Column Core installed, companies retain full adjustability of their pallet rack beams, reduce puncturing, buckling and torsional twisting of their pallet rack uprights, and increased protection without any additional installation costs.

For more info, contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481; call 800-826-0203; email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website www.steelking.com.

Statistics on forklift injuries are staggering, making pallet rack safety a major concern at plants, warehouses, and distribution centers.  Can guardrails help?  Steel King experts say yes.

Every year, forklift accidents account for thousands of serious injuries and dozens of deaths in industrial facilities—statistics show that 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 seriously injured yearly in such accidents. OSHA estimates that 95,000 workers suffer injuries involving powered industrial trucks yearly, resulting in lost work time, workers’ compensation claims, and productivity losses. 

Installation of heavy-duty steel guardrails is essential to prevent employee injuries, and is probably the best investment an operation can make. “Any company with any sort of industrial traffic greatly benefits from protection of personnel against forklift or other motorized traffic,” says Jay Anderson, president of Steel King industries, a leading manufacturer of material handling systems, warehouse storage systems, pallet rack systems, and flow storage systems. “This would include a broad spectrum of operations, including warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities.”

Strength is a prime concern in the choosing and implementation of guardrails.  Steel King’s Steel Guard meets and exceeds requirements for most installations.  The company has optimized its protective aspects; its rugged specs include a 14”-high, 3-ribbed design in 11 gauge corrugated steel—the most rigid rail currently available—utilizing 3 bolts at each end for mounting on 4-inch square ¼-inch thick heavy-duty structural steel columns which are then bolted to the floor.

Savings from installation of rails can’t be underestimated when considering prevention of injuries, worker compensation claims, and lost production time. The return-on-investment extends to prevention of material damage from fork truck collisions with other equipment and merchandise, reducing or eliminating equipment damage and loss, inventory losses and building damage. Rail systems create a visual and physical barrier and protect worker areas, aisles, mezzanines, in-plant offices, building walls, pallet rack aisle ends, conveyors, inventory areas, pedestrian aisles, loading docks, electrical panels, HVAC equipment, and more.

Guard rails are customizable to needed lengths and can be single-rail or double-rail in height. In addition to the standard bolted-to-post system, an optional lift-out/drop-in rail system can maintain accessibility to material or equipment while providing uninterrupted protection. 

To optimize strength, different post types are available depending on their utilization. The standard center post is used as an end or interior post; the standard corner post is used to make a 90-degree bend in a run of a railing; a center post with end offset is usually used as an end post where flush design is desired; a center post with side offset can be used as an in-line post where flush design is desired; a reinforcing post is used to reinforce longer rails; and a corner post with standard offset is used to make a 90-degree bend in a run of railing with rail flush to outside of the baseplate.

Steel Guard rails have a prefabricated pre-punched baseplate and pretapped connection holes, and require no on-site cutting, welding, core drilling or painting. All hardware and top caps are included with posts. Systems can be easily installed by facility personnel.

With proper attention to pallet rack safety, Steel King Steel Guard rails are the best investment you can make in prevention of costly damage to both personnel and material in industrial facilities.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com

Unpredicted growth and an inferior pallet rack flow system threatened to gobble up the bottom line—but they found the solution to turn it all right

A pallet rack system must be designed to accommodate growth. But what happens if that company surpasses its predictions and grows too quickly? For one distribution center, it meant a frantic retooling and rethinking when the distribution system failed and demand soared.

Boar’s Head Provisions is a renowned provider of high-quality delicatessen meats and cheeses. Their distribution center in Holland, Michigan, a 50,000 square foot facility, handles 186 different SKUs and services 250 local New York distributors and 120 out-of-town distributors, all on a next-day-delivery basis. Shortly after the distribution center opened with its new flow rack system, they began experiencing what many would term their worst nightmare.

“We grew faster than the warehouse could,” says Dan Crook, the distribution center’s manager. “We experienced what we had predicted as 5 years of growth in a little over a year.”

The storage rack system was overwhelmed, along with the distribution center employees who were scrambling to keep up. “We lost a lot of work hours because our rotation was just terrible,” says Crook. “We did not have enough space to rotate properly so we were looking for product continuously. The people on the floor were constantly frustrated, having to work around double-stacked and triple-stacked pallets. It was a lot of wasted money and time, and a lot of pain and agony.”  In fact, Crook estimates the company was spending upwards of $2,000 a week in overtime, because that’s when most of the searching for product was conducted. 

To add to the disaster, Crook and his staff discovered that the pallet rack system itself, a pick module installed just before the distribution center opened, was an inferior product. Pallets were sticking and weren’t flowing. Wheels were falling off in droves. “I was returning damaged wheels constantly,” says Crook. “They numbered in the thousands.” 

In desperation, Crook turned to his local materials handling dealer, Bob Luban of Progressive Handling Systems. After inspecting the facility, Luban recommended a flow rack system from Steel King Industries, Inc. “Bob promised me a well-constructed rack with a good roller wheel and brake system,” says Crook. “It has by far exceeded my expectations.”

The new system is a 17-bay-long pick module and flow storage system. On the floor level, through the center of the system, is a lit tunnel in which personnel pick orders from either side. Overhead is the flow storage, which is 2 levels high by 5 pallets deep. As product is depleted on the floor level, it is replenished by fork truck from the upper levels. The system is in continuous 24/7 operation, through 3 shifts daily.

It has proven extremely efficient. Crook was running out of pick spots, and with the installation of the new storage rack system he and the company acquired 260 new pallet positions. He says it also put him back into good graces with the frustrated warehouse personnel.

The system is built to the distribution center’s rugged specifications. Due to the high volume of activity, the racks are designed with abuse-resistance built into them—all of the verticals are double-column structural steel channels. The double structure however creates a hollow tube effect on the ends of each column, so to prevent the accumulation of dirt or debris inside, each tube must be sealed off with a ¼-inch steel plate. In addition, all components of the pallet rack system are galvanized, creating an impervious corrosion-resistant surface necessary to meet sanitary requirements.

The positive impact of the pallet rack system has now gone well beyond the distribution center. “We just had visitors last week from Corporate, and they can’t believe the numbers we’re putting out of this little place,” Crook says. “The company is now looking at taking it to the next level, expanding our New York and Virginia plants into this same pick module style.”

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com

Elevated work platforms instantly add much-needed working area or storage space

With every square inch of warehouse storage space—or factory floor space—being utilized to its fullest extent, many companies are seeking ways to extend the use of their existing square footage for additional storage or work space by looking up…literally.  Increasingly, companies are turning to a customized mezzanine as a cost-effective warehouse solution.

“This is a perfect solution for the creation of storage space or even office space above a working area,” says Arlin Keck, corporate engineer for Steel King, a leader in high quality material handling solutions. “In a larger facility, with a complex picking and sorting operation, an elevated platform can be used for part of the distribution system.” These platforms can actually double or triple existing warehouse space while offering versatility in design and function.

A leading example of this platform is the Steel King ClereSpan Mezzanine. Available in variable first-level heights and spans up to 20 feet, this platform can also be customized with a variety of floor surfaces, stairs, and gates. Flooring options range from standard roof decking and treated wood, to bar grating, metal and even concrete. The platform can also be combined with other Steel King products to form a full turnkey system to match facility growth: selective pallet racks, dynamic flow storage systems, cantilever racks, portable racks, custom shipping racks, and industrial steel containers.

These products are known for their rugged stability in warehouse solutions and these elevated platforms are no exception. They are custom designed for their particular applications and location. They can also be modified to take into account higher seismic zone requirements or heavier load rates.

Elevated work platforms or mezzanines are ideal for additional in-plant office space, archive/record storage, small parts storage, and picking and sorting operations.

The ClereSpan line is manufactured by welders using certified quality control systems in Steel King’s Wisconsin and Georgia facilities, and is distributed directly through the company’s nationwide network of local material handling dealers and system integrators.

Steel King’s innovative mezzanine design, customizing capabilities and utilization of the finest materials and construction methods in the industry has earned the company a reputation for quality in the design and manufacture of material handling and warehouse solutions.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at http://www.steelking.com/

For a low purchase price, quick assembly and maximum durability, the answer is the boltless pallet rack

These days, most companies must make the absolute most of their warehouse space. A high percentage of companies also have constantly shifting inventory, a limited budget for storage material, and the need to make existing racking last as long as possible. For such facilities, the boltless pallet rack is a worthy option.

“Industries which benefit the most from boltless pallet racks are those with the need to adjust their storage rack configurations on a frequent basis, as the products they handle change with increasing frequency.  The ability to move shelf levels without tools is the biggest benefit of boltless rack,” says Jay Anderson, president of Steel King Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of materials handling products for warehousing, distribution and manufacturing industries.

Boltless pallet racks have their primary advantages in a low purchase price, the ability to assemble without tools, and ability to carry heavy loads. A third-party installer is not always needed to adjust storage positions, as the shelf levels can be easily adjusted. It is important to note however that beam level location affects load carrying capacity, so users should verify with the manufacturer that the racks will work safely in the new configuration before making any adjustments.

Buyers of new racks, however, are discovering that the traditional open-back roll formed columns used in these types of racks do not easily withstand forklift impacts, negating any savings gained in the initial purchase. Many are turning to a design that utilizes closed tubular column shapes, such as Steel King’s SK2000 system.

This system retains the industry standard “tear drop” connection, and is interchangeable with most existing “tear drop” systems in use, but the closed tube column design generates more resistance to accidental fork truck impacts. Replacement is actually easy, as the stronger columns can often be utilized with existing load beams. 

“This system has been proven in an independent test to have 250% more resistance to fork truck damage,” Anderson says. “The product lasts longer, and a more durable system can be an important part of an overall safety improvement program.” 

The system has 44 times more torsional strength (resistance to twisting) and 68 percent more side impact resistance. A 3-rivet connection is used for beams, offering 26% greater strength than the standard 2-rivet connection. Heavy 10-guage footpads are welded directly to the uprights, dispersing the column load more efficiently than conventional lighter footpads. 2” beam adjustments allow for needed flexibility in load adjustment. Welds between braces and column are full fillet welds, with up to 4 times the amount of weld used on other rack systems. Also, due to no open backs on the columns, braces, or on step beams, the pallet racking also remains cleaner.

This line also offers a wide variety of column sizes, a number of which are not available elsewhere. The large 4” wide column has proven very competitive in meeting new seismic design parameters specified by local building departments.

For even further strength, extra damage protection is available in the company’s Column Core—an optional C-shaped column reinforcement welded inside each column. This addition further reduces puncturing, buckling and twisting, yet still allows full beam adjustability. To save cost, the Column Core can be added only where needed, usually in the lower 12” to 48” of an upright frame where fork truck damage is most likely to occur. With this addition, SK2000 boltless racks can actually have more abuse resistance than structural bolted racks.

“The kind of strength available with the Column Core is pretty surprising to end users who quite often look at the bolted structural design as the ultimate in the abuse resistant rack,” says Anderson.

In today’s uncertain economy, new solutions such as the boltless pallet rack solve storage concerns with cost-effective reliability. 

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com

For cost, ease of use, accessibility and versatility, cantilever racks fit the bill

Today’s premium cost of storage space mandates careful and critical choice of warehouse racking. Elements such as fastest and most direct loading, dimensions and weight of goods to be stored, and maximum utilization of space must all be taken into account. For many applications, cantilever racks are the most cost-effective solution.

"For the wide variety of aluminum shapes, sizes, and lengths that we store, cantilever racks give us tremendous flexibility," says Todd Andreshak, maintenance manager for Linetec. The company is one of the nations largest metal finishers specializing in finishing aluminum extrusions. "It allows us to maintain our inventory at a much more efficient level."

The company maintains in-house inventory for their customers, all of it stored in cantilever racks manufactured by Steel King, Inc. As customers require finished product, it is pulled from the racking, finished, and then shipped either to the customer or a job site. At any given time, there are approximately 3-million pounds and 2,000 different parts stored in their facility, hence ease of storage and access is vital to their business operation. Due to the variety of customer inventory, the company must constantly adjust arm spacing and distance between racking, and Steel King cantilever racks have allowed this as well.

Cantilever storage racks can be implemented by any facility requiring similar versatility. They are used for storage of lumber, furniture, pipe and tubing, structural members, sheet steel, doors and windows, rolls of items such as carpeting, building materials and many more.

With no front column in the way, the cantilever rack is faster to load and unload, lowering handling time and costs. The lack of a front column also saves horizontal space normally lost to rack structure, and handling clearance is also more abundant. Loads may be placed anywhere along the entire length of a row, and any load or storage slot is immediately accessible. Nearly any type of load can be stored, and they are especially useful for storing long, bulky, or oddly shaped items. All of these features add up to savings in time and cost.

Due to their 30-plus years experience in the industry, Steel King has created their cantilever storage racks to be extremely durable. All arm connections are bolted, making for the strongest adjustable connections. Pre-punched connection holes make for easy arm installation, adjustment and leveling; the arm cannot slip out of position. The connection holes are also made on the sides of columns, not corners, which achieve a minimum loss of strength. And the base is welded to the column at the factory, making for a strong base connection and easy installation at less cost.

The racks are available for both light and standard (heavy) duty applications. The standard duty racks are meant for rugged operation, and contain features such as heavy arm connectors, arms adjustable vertically in 3” increments, and a choice of many arm sizes and types. Light duty racks are ideal for hand-loading applications, feature 55,000-psi high strength steel columns and arms adjustable in 2” increments, and are ideal for products such as conduit, pipe, bars and lumber.

“From a structural standpoint, we have found Steel King cantilever racks to be greatly superior to others we have tried,” says Andreshak.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com or visit the website at www.steelking.com

For fluctuating or constantly-moving inventory, or simply to save space,
 Portable storage racks can be a cost-effective answer

Warehouse space is always at a premium, and maximizing it is always a burden upon a company. Fluctuating or constantly shifting inventory can cause space to be wasted within fixed storage such as selective pallet racking. A traditional solution to this problem has been simply stacking wooden pallets on top of each other, which puts inventory, personnel and facilities at risk. In such cases, it is well worthwhile for an operation to consider portable storage racks.

“A company can use portable racks in place of wooden pallets simply because they can be loaded with product and safely stacked several units high,” says Garry Grzesiak, Director of Container Design and Sales for Steel King, Inc., a leading provider of pallet racking. “They’re fully supported by steel corner columns, completely protecting the inventory.”

By the nature of their portability, such racks allow the user to maximize storage density (like a drive-in or flow rack), or to maximize selectivity (like traditional selective pallet rack), or anything in between, all with the same rack. Changing rack layouts is simple, with no expensive installation or dismantling costs. They protect product during handling, stacking and shipping and act as their own pallet, many times eliminating the need for wooden pallets, and offer complete product visibility and ventilation.
Many different industries have utilized Steel King portable storage racks to solve their storage problems. In multi-step manufacturing or any situation requiring frequent movement of components or products from one location to another, portable racks can be picked up, transported and utilized wholly in the new location, eliminating the need to remove items from the rack. One example in actual practice is tire manufacturing; a portable rack is packed with a certain tire and stored in a distribution center, and the same rack is used to ship a quantity to the dealer. Removal from the rack is never required until the final destination.

Another common use is in frozen foods—a slip sheet or pallet will be loaded with an item, then placed into a portable storage rack and then into a refrigeration unit. This method makes for maximum storage density within a freezer—and with the cost of storage and electricity, every square inch is at a premium. When the items are needed for shipment, the slip sheet or pallet can be removed from the portable rack and shipped. When not in use, the legs (columns) can then be removed from the portable rack, allowing easy storage until again required.

Another unique use has been for book fairs, for which 3 metal book carts can be safely stored in a portable storage rack until needed. When a book fair occurs, the book containers are removed and shipped to the fair location. The portable rack can be taken down or moved about as needed, so that the space is constantly utilized.

“Practically every industry or operation has some use somewhere in their facilities for portable storage racks,” Grzesiak says. “Steel King has provided portable Stac-Kingä racks for airplane and automotive manufacturing, lawnmower manufacturing, door and window manufacturing, lumber yards, dry storage warehouses, book storage, electronic industry, and manufacturing of heavy machinery and equipment, among many others.”

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com

When warehouse space is at a premium, the drive-in / drive-through pallet rack is the solution.

The cost of doing business is constantly on the rise, and long with it the cost of storing saleable goods. Those saleable goods, being the key to revenue, have to survive the slimmest business expense possible in order to maximize profit margin and allow a company to compete in today’s competitive environment. Hence warehouse space must not be wasted in any way; every square inch must be utilized. For many warehouse scenarios, the drive-in pallet rack has been the cost-effective, high-density storage solution.

Requiring fewer aisles and providing better cube utilization than selective racks, drive-in/drive-through racking allows storage of up to 75% more pallets than selective racking.

Both drive-in and drive-through systems require forklifts to drive directly into the rack structure to access the palletized loads.  Drive-in racking uses a common entry and exit while drive-through has entry and exit points on both sides of the rack.

“Drive-in storage racks help us get denser product storage and a better setup than bulk storage,” says Jim Romine, Director of Engineering Support at AmeriCold Logistics, a refrigerated food product storage company with over 100 facilities nationwide. Bulk floor storage requires wooden or steel stacking aids attached to each pallet to make it stackable, a significant cost and labor addition.
The primary set of problems the company needed to overcome was the maximum utilization of space combined with the need to store—and the need to quickly be able to retrieve—a high number of SKUs. After a number of trials, the company finally settled on the most successful formula of drive-in pallet racking built to take pallets 2-deep and 4 to 6 pallets high.  “We get a better density out of this arrangement, and it costs us less as well,” Romine says. “We get more pallets per run than we do with deeper drive-in pallet racks.”

For the majority of their needs, the company utilizes pallet racks built by Steel King Industries. Steel King offers distinct advantages with their drive-in/drive-through storage racking.  In addition to their highly-rigid, welded-frame design, Steel King load rails have a space saver flared entry that lines up flush to the face of the rack, eliminating hazardous projections into aisles.  The load rail is also designed to save vertical space—welded onto the end of an arm instead of the top, which can save about 3” per storage level.  Many times this frees up space for an extra level to be added, or makes for a shorter rack.

Although such construction makes for a very sturdy product, the company also offers several additional safety options to protect against forklift abuse, such as an offset front leg, reinforced posts, welded-angle column protectors, free-standing column protectors, wider footplates, and steel guard protective railings.

Steel King often works directly with AmeriCold to get their racks installed within budget and on time. “They have been really great with us over the years,” says Romine. “With them, it’s a turn-key operation. Their representative will come out and verify that the installation will work. They take care of any issues that come to light before or during the installation, and see it all the way through.” The pallet racks built and installed have are virtually problem-free.

The drive-in or drive-through pallet rack minimizes wasted warehouse space, making for sturdy storage, while maximizing product density and retrieval.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com

With an eye to the future, Navarre is using customized pallet racks to carry the load

If an enterprise is experiencing growth, that means goods are being sold. If goods are being sold, that means they have to be delivered. To assure future business and the reputation of the company, that delivery must occur as rapidly and as trouble-free as possible. Today’s warehouse solution, for efficient storage, item retrieval and delivery, is the modern customized pallet rack system or pick module.

Far from the static storage racks of yesterday, today’s solutions combine elements such as carton flow and pallet flow for first-in-first-out inventory rotation, pushback racks for stock replenishment of multiple pallet SKUs, narrow aisle selective racks for single pallet SKUs, multi-level pick modules for fast efficient order picking, free standing and rack supported mezzanines and much more to utilize every square inch of premium warehouse space as cost-effectively as possible.

Navarre Corporation of New Hope, Minnesota is a wholesale distributor of software, music, video, and video games, to retail outlets. They recently found their static racking solution for product storage and order fulfillment had been exceeded. “Our business and SKU count had grown very rapidly,” says David Ginsberg, Navarre’s Vice-President of Operations. “Our picking system consisted of a 2-story mezzanine, and was essentially a manual operation.”

After submitting an RFP to various vendors, Navarre decided on a solution provided by Cardinal Materials Flow of St. Paul, Minnesota, along with Steel King Industries, Inc. of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Cardinal Materials Flow designed the floor plan, and Steel King designed the components for the new, customized pick modules utilizing pallet racking components and a customized conveyor system. Cardinal Materials and Steel King were involved very early in the project’s conception.  Using their pick module design, they were able to customize where the building’s support columns were located guaranteeing they did not interfere with the module’s operation.

“These new modules allow us the room and efficiency to do the picking as well as replenishment from behind,” says Ginsberg. “We are able to get more SKU facings per square foot than we were able to obtain before. We can accomplish more work faster and in a smaller space.”

Currently Navarre has two pick modules; one is for software, and the other for music and DVDs.  A third module is now being added.  Once this module is installed and operational, each module will focus entirely on one product line.  One for software, one for DVDs and the newest will become strictly for music.  The pick modules consist of three levels each, two dynamic and one static.  Each pick module consists of ten zones, with each zone containing an order picker and a particular group of products.

The new system makes the most efficient use of space and labor possible. Once orders are entered into a computer, the first step is the creation of a carton, with an applied bar code, at the front end. The carton is routed to each zone necessary for the order, and at each zone, the carton is scanned by the picker. Upon receipt of the scan, the computer then sends voice instructions to the picker, listing the items to be picked and added to the carton. Once the items have been placed in the carton, the carton is put back on the power take-away conveyor, and it is routed to the next needed zone, to the next module, or, if the order is completed, to the shipping area. If items are not needed from a particular area, the carton is not routed there.

Such exact engineering can only be obtained through the intelligent use of the pallet rack, carton flow, power conveyor and other elements, custom designed to fit the building around the system and installed by such companies as Steel King and Cardinal Materials Flow.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King
2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203,
Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com

The Furniture Cantilever Rack Open Web System allows easy storage of a furniture storage rack of any size and shape—while saving storage space and even fire prevention expenses

Furniture comes in all shapes and sizes, from dinette chairs and footstools up to long couches and king-sized mattresses and beyond. Storing it for immediate retrieval and delivery can be a neat trick. Fortunately, furniturecantilever rack open web systems now make it easier than ever.

The Village, a retirement community known as “Florida’s friendliest retirement home town”, services their residents through their own furniture outlet called Southern Lifestyles. With sales growing drastically, they grew from one store to two. For storage, they had already outgrown one warehouse and expanded into a second, then a third addition. Despite the space additions, however, the warehousing was just not efficient.

Neither was their furniture storage rack system. “It was kind of a mix-and-match system over the years,” says Steven Drake, the Village’s owner. “We would acquire old racking systems from other companies, then reassemble them to suit our own needs. We probably had five different types welded and put together. We were really outgrowing it.”

With the company experiencing such rapid growth, they realized that they needed to provide properly for it. They opted for a brand new warehouse that tripled their space, and was arranged for their exact line of business. Different areas of the warehouse have been utilized for different types of items, and shipping and receiving have been made entirely separate so they don’t interfere with each other.

The key to efficiently utilizing the new warehouse space was a new racking system including a furniturecantilever rack open web system, manufactured by Steel King, Inc. and installed by Craft Equipment, a Steel King Premier dealer.

Per-square-foot storage space has been greatly increased. “We can store so much more now,” Drake says. “Because it’s open, this system is much more furniture-friendly. You can store long and short items, and boxes as well.”

Cantilever racks are an ideal storage solution for long, bulky or odd-shaped items such as furniture. There are no interfering columns between racks, so loads may be placed anywhere along the rack. The lack of a front column saves space normally lost to a rack structure, and adds handling clearance.  The open web design easily accommodates the routing of in-rack sprinkler systems if required by local building or fire codes.

The Village’s system provided great savings in fire protection by using a new style of shelf decking. “The big thing about it was that we could get a decking system which was first of all metal, so it was non-flammable, and second it had holes in it to carry down water from the sprinkler system,” Drake continues. “That meant we could mount fire sprinklers on the ceiling and not need them for every level of racking.”

Because the racking was all uniform, it made for a far neater appearance than their previous warehouse. “You would have walked into the old warehouse and said, ‘what a dump,’” Drake says. “The racks in the new warehouse are close to perfect, in alignment, and I think we’ll find our employees are going to go ahead and take care of things better.”

Installation of thecantilever rack system was very smooth as well. When the building was up and ready, the racks arrived, right on time. The whole installation—warehouse, racks and all—took less than 6 weeks.

“It’s a phenomenal install,” Drake concludes. “It’s a great product which is now providing the benefit of proper storage and handling, protecting goods bound for our customers’ homes.”

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King,
2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203,
Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com.

Steel custom shipping containers do away with damage and the enormous amount of waste associated with shipping of odd-sized manufacturing parts

For years, automotive parts were shipped in either corrugated or wood containers, custom-made for the task. Inside the containers, they were packed in paper or plastic-based material for protection. The problems were multiple: First, the containers and packing materials were not adequate to the task and goods were often damaged. Second, and perhaps most importantly, tons of waste were created because these containers, and the packing materials, were simply discarded once the parts reached the assembly plants and were unpacked. Steel custom shipping containers are now solving this problem for many manufacturers.

Bernard Vercillo is the Senior Packaging Engineer at Volvo’s North American Manufacturing Engineering (NAME). This division of Volvo is involved with the manufacture of parts for Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks, parts which are manufactured in the Midwest and shipped to three different assembly plants in North America. The assembly plants turn out both highway trucks (Class A 18-wheelers used for freight transport) and vocational trucks (cement mixers, dump trucks and other specialty vehicles).  Parts are also shipped to some of Volvo’s overseas plants as well.

Vercillo recalls the problems he was having prior to using steel custom shipping containers. “We were using a lot of wood and cardboard boxes, and it was damaging parts because these boxes were stacked and they weren’t holding up.”

Thirteen years ago, Vercillo discovered a company called Steel King which custom manufactures steel shipping containers, based directly on the material they will contain and the space requirements of the customer. Since that time, Steel King has customized some 40 different lines of containers for NAME and has become the principal supplier for them. 

“These containers are able to protect the class A parts as well as the easily-damaged parts,” Vercillo says. “We experienced far less damage with our glass components, fiberglass components, our painted parts, as well as instrument panels and electrical parts.”  Other parts shipped include virtually everything that eventually becomes a truck, including hoods and exterior panels, engine parts, cab parts, and mirrors.

The containers must be efficient everywhere they are used, and are designed for such. “Steel King regularly works with us to design specific shipping racks,” Vercillo continues. “The key is to optimize transportation for the various parts as well as fit in our workstations. We have racks built from the point of unloading and work backward to the supplier so that there’s the least amount of work for our direct labor all the way along the line.” Also taken into account are the space occupied on inventory floors and within shipping trailers.

These containers can also be easily broken down flat when empty, and many are designed so that when flattened 3 of the containers take up the space normally occupied by 1 full container. They are then quickly set up again when they reach the beginning of the line.

Besides the automotive industry, these containers are in use in many other types of manufacturing industries including windows and doors, glass, and even currency containers for the United States Federal Reserve Banks. 

Customized steel shipping containers solve the most crucial problems associated with manufactured parts shipping: Parts are protected so damage is eliminated, and the enormous waste which used to end up as only landfill is completely eliminated.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call at 1-800-826-0203, Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com.

Create high-density yet easily accessible warehousing with pushback pallet racks

Today, warehouse space is at a premium, and due to its cost; engineers are constantly inspecting and trying to create ways to better utilize both existing floor and vertical space. Additionally, company management is always seeking ways to make better use of the time and motion of warehouse employees through, among other things, improved accessibility of pallet rack products. All of this is in the direction of improving that ever important bottom-line, and the solution for many warehouse situations is the pushback pallet rack.

Pushback pallet racking is a storage system that allows pallets to be stored one behind the other on a series of nested carts.  Pallets are loaded and unloaded from the same side of the system, eliminating separate aisles for each function.  When one pallet is pulled, the one behind it rolls forward. The system is composed of a stable rack to which is added a series of inclined rails and carts.

Pushback pallet racks eliminate the need for multiple aisles in a warehouse, allowing much higher density yet with increased product access. They actually allow up to 90% more product storage than traditional selective rack systems, and up to 400% more selectivity than drive-in racks. 

A common use for the pushback system is frozen food storage. Because freezer space is so expensive to build and maintain, storage density is a must. For example, a 20,000-pallet pushback racking system was recently installed inside the freezer of a major ice-cream manufacturer, and another was installed inside a cooler of the dairy division of a large Midwestern food conglomerate. Both of these companies were seeking to maximize every possible square inch of storage space, and these systems were the answer.

But any enterprise, especially distribution or manufacturing in which there is a lower number of SKUs in high rotation, greatly benefits from pushback pallet racking.

A great many of these systems (including the frozen-food systems mentioned above) are manufactured and delivered by Steel King Industries, of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, a leading manufacturer and provider of pushback pallet rack systems. This company has found that they can better service their clients by being a single-source solution, and are one of the few pushback pallet system manufacturers to do so.

“We manufacture both the racks and the pushback rail system, and perform the installation,” says Dick DeFoe, Steel King’s National Accounts Manager for Flow and Pushback. “We’re a turnkey supplier so that you have one-source responsibility. Otherwise you have a dealer who has to deal with one source for the racks, another source for the pushback system, and maybe even a third for the installation. They then have to be responsible for how it all comes together, and if something doesn’t work right, one source can blame another, and it can get complicated. We absorb all of that, seeing it all the way through from design to an installed system.” Steel King offers a patented pushback rail system design.

Since every system is made to order, all spatial and weight circumstances are taken into consideration. In addition to standard pallet sizes, pushback pallet racking can be designed to accommodate non-standard pallets such as plastic pallets, skids, and special metal containers, and can be built with a weight capacity of up to 3,000 pounds per pallet.

With today’s high cost of space and labor, warehousing enterprises are finding the pushback pallet rack to be one of the most efficient storage solutions.

For more information about this article contact Donald Heemstra at Steel King, 2700 Chamber St., Stevens Point, WI 54481 or call  at 1-800-826-020,  Email: dheemstra@steelking.com  or visit the website at www.steelking.com.

The savings in time, space and money is considerable with pallet rack flow storage systems

There are numerous factors to take into account when planning storage and space within a warehouse. Traditionally, these would consist of floor space utilization, vertical space utilization, and pallet rack placement ensuring the least amount of travel by personnel and forklifts.

In addition, there is another element which comes into play especially with perishable or dated items such as groceries, meat, candy or pharmaceuticals; the first items in should be the first items out, so that no stock goes bad or is wasted. For this type of application the next generation in pallet racks – pallet flow storage systems – is vital.

Ed Stumpner is the Inventory Control and Dock Manager with Grassland Dairy, the largest privately-held butter manufacturer in the U.S. He says that prior to the implementation of a flow storage system, “we were only able to double-stack on the floor and were wasting all of our height space”, explains Stumpner.  “We had to store stock off-site as well.”

When a pallet is loaded on one end of the system, flow storage uses gravity to automatically move it to the front of the rack as other pallets ahead of it are shipped out. The pallet remains in the order it was loaded.  In this way it is shipped out ahead of all the pallets that were loaded after it. 

A pallet rack flow storage system can even eliminate the addition or use of extra warehousing.  “We put in a 12-bay wide 3-high racking system, 20 pallets deep, which more than doubled our existing space. We were able to curtail off-site storage. We also no longer have to rotate any stock. It’s first-in, first out,” explains Stumpner.

Additionally, pallet flow systems minimize motion previously wasted by warehouse personnel having to travel to a specific place and make sure they are pulling the correctly dated item.

“It saves us drive time,” says Stumpner. “The pallets are always flowing to where we’re loading trucks. We’re saving man-hours by not having to drive all the way to the end of the warehouse to get what we need. It’s right there to load onto the truck.”

Flow storage systems consist of two different elements: rack structure and flow rails. The flow rails are set within the rack structure at a slight incline, which allows pallet loads placed on one end of the rack to move, by gravity, to the other end of the rack.  Wheels or rollers are mounted within the rails along with self-energizing brakes to control pallet speed. As a pallet is unloaded at the front end, the next pallet in line moves forward. 

Steel King, a leading pallet rack manufacturer known for their durability, strength, and custom-designed systems, was one of the first manufacturers to bring the separate elements of flow storage together; manufacturing both the racks and the flow rails to combine into one system.

According to Dick DeFoe, Steel King’s National Accounts Manager for Flow and Pushback, “Traditionally, a dealer would have to order the racks and flow rails separately to make a whole system, as well as dealing with a third entity in an installer. Steel King provides a single turn-key system, designed specifically for a facility, and handles the installation as well. The dealer only needs one contact.”

Pallet rack flow systems are also carefully engineered to take into account pallet weight and the movement and stress of flow control. “I chose Steel King’s system because it was a lot sturdier than the other systems that I looked at. We know it’s going to last,” adds Stumpner.

###

For more information contact:

Steel King Industries, Inc.,
2700 Chamber Street

Stevens Point, WI 54481

Phone: (800) 826-0203
Fax 972-660-4387
E-mail: info@steelking.com
Web site: www.steelking.com

Corporate customers seek pallet racks that will meet tough standards to withstand seismic activity – and not just in California

As with anything dealing with earthquakes, the issue began in California: Building codes came into effect which demanded that pallet rack systems be sturdy enough to withstand earthquakes without collapsing, cracking or otherwise malfunctioning.  But what began in California is now spreading nationwide as regions like northern New Jersey, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Memphis, St. Louis, Buffalo and Atlanta require pallet rack systems built to seismic specifications.

The City of Los Angeles, for example, already demands that pallet storage racks installed within the city meet rigorous standards, and proof of meeting of these standards can only be shown through the attainment of a City of Los Angeles Fabricator's License. While California, and specifically Los Angeles, is located in the most earthquake-prone area in the United States, other earthquake-prone municipalities are following suit and demanding that pallet rack manufacturers meet seismic standards as well.

Obtaining a City of Los Angeles Fabricator's License signifies that a manufacturer's quality control and fabrication methods meet the strict standards set forth by the City of Los Angeles.  Manufacturing supervisors are tested for their knowledge of quality control, fabrication and welding, and all welders must be certified on an ongoing basis in regards to conformance to American Welding Society (AWS) standards.

In 1996, Steel King’s Stevens Point, WI facility achieved the status of City of Los Angeles licensed fabricator.  Since then, all three of its manufacturing plants have received this status.

Recently, material handling systems integrator Granite Distributions Solutions Inc. obtained a contract for a California customer whose facility was located near a seismic fault line, which meant the already stiff standards were further increased.  For the racking needs of this project, Granite Distribution Solutions turned to Steel King, a leading manufacturer of pallet rack systems and other material handling solutions.

“Anything we do for the west coast, in terms of racking or mezzanines, requires structural design approval by a State registered structural engineer.  The approved, engineered drawings and calculation package must be submitted for permitting to the city or the county where the project is located,” says Doug Hayden, vice president of Granite Distribution Solutions. “This project had to be designed around a Na=1.4 near-fault seismic factor¾ meaning the standards were increased by 40% above normal seismic requirements due to the warehouse’s location.”

According to Arlin Keck, corporate engineer at Steel King, “Our material not only meets the standard RMI [Rack Manufacturer's Institute] specifications for industrial steel storage racks, but also conforms to the current prevailing building codes, which include seismic standards, and now has met the high standards necessary to obtain the City of Los Angeles Fabricator's License. All our roll-formed and structural pallet racks can be built to these specifications.”

Keck also added, “Our SK2000 roll-formed product line is better suited for seismic zones, due to our already heavy horizontal bracing and tubular column uprights.”

“Steel King’s pallet rack systems fully met the seismic standards required for the project,” says Hayden.  “They were an integral part in making the project a success.”

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For more information contact:

Steel King Industries, Inc.,
2700 Chamber Street

Stevens Point, WI 54481

Phone: (800) 826-0203
Fax 972-660-4387
E-mail: info@steelking.com
Web site: www.steelking.com

Selecting warehouse storage rack systems involves specific expertise, appropriate system choices and ensuring the facility is ready – all of which affect capital expenditures, overhead and the efficient response to distribution needs

Whether setting up or replacing storage rack systems, warehouse operators are often confronted with a dazzling number of choices. That can be troublesome, since the selections they make will dramatically affect the “throughput,” and hence the profitability of the operation. On the other hand, they may be offered limited choices because a rack manufacturer or dealer specializes only in certain types of racks, a scenario that is often even more problematic.

“Because warehouse storage and material handling have a pivotal impact on a business, manufacturers and distributors often turn to storage rack specialists,” says Arlin Keck, Corporate Engineer at Steel King, a leading manufacturer of pallet rack systems. “They rely on material handling consultants, dealers or rack manufacturers like us to ensure that their warehouse systems fit their needs.”

Matching business needs with the appropriate rack system is critical and entails asking the right questions as well as providing flexibility in solutions that can accommodate variables such as capital resources, anticipated growth and variable product lines. That flexibility requires doing business with a supplier who can offer a variety of rack system designs, structural materials, accessories and, in some cases, customized equipment.

According to Keck, it is also advisable for warehouse operators to purchase from suppliers that comply with essential safety and structural standards set forth by the Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI), of which Steel King is a member.

Consider storage density
Choosing the right storage rack system involves a solution process, and that begins with considering the flow of merchandise. That will dictate your density requirements – how ‘tightly’ that merchandise should be stored. From that determination cascades a series of specifications: the material and style of racks, pick systems, ancillary material handling, etc.

Warehouses with high-density storage solutions usually have large or even complete turnover of inventories during specific intervals or seasons. During these times, merchandise is often stored en masse in large bays with few access aisles to maximize floor space.

Conversely, lower-density warehousing is appropriate for parts or retail distribution centers where custom orders are picked continuously to fulfill JIT or other time-critical requirements. “We have bulk shipments coming in one set of dock doors and customized packages going out another set of dock doors,” explains Keck “Often, located near the center of the DC, are rack-supported pick modules that specialize in the re-packaging effort.”

Selecting the appropriate rack system
Depending on density requirements, a specific pallet rack system – or combination of systems – may best serve the warehousing and shipping needs of a business.

The most popular type of rack is Selective Rack, so called because it allows easy selection, normally by service (truck) aisles. Selective Rack does not make the most complete use of floor space due to the aisles required, but may be the ideal solution for many companies.

A Drive-In Rack, on the other hand, increases density and is often utilized where group pallet selection is more likely than individual pallet selection. With Drive-in Rack, loading and unloading within a bay must be done from the same aisle. A similar system called the Drive-Through Rack permits loading and unloading from both ends of a bay.

Cantilever Rack is primarily utilized to store bulk items such as building materials (lumber, pipe, drywall, etc.) and furniture. It is commonly found in home centers and furniture warehouses. Cantilever Rack is easily identified by the arms protruding from the face of the columns.

Structural Requirements
“Because no two warehouses are identical in every respect, it is important to consider and solve structural requirements,” Keck says. “That may include issues to do with building obstructions, office and door locations, seismic (earthquake) conditions, the floor slab, and so on. It could be that a variety of the pallet rack systems of varying densities provide the best solution. We often run into situations where a customized or modified rack system is needed. Steel King is not just a fabricator, but we do have those capabilities.”

Also, there are two types of steel that are used in the majority of pallet rack systems, so it may be important to work with a supplier who can provide both. “Roll-form steel” rack frames and beams are fashioned from steel coils, and are bent into a tubular shape. “Structural steel” frames and beams are hot-rolled into channel at the mill, with holes punched into it by the rack manufacturer.

“Both types are widely popular and have advantages,” Keck says. “While the majority of manufacturers offer one or the other, we think it’s important to offer both.”

For more information contact:

Steel King Industries, Inc.,
2700 Chamber Street

Stevens Point, WI 54481

Phone: (800) 826-0203; Fax 972-660-4387
E-mail: info@steelking.com
Web site: www.steelking.com