Warehouses in the UK are always changing. Due to growing order volumes, changing product ranges, new suppliers, and different sized pallets, available floor space can start to feel tight in just a couple years. When this happens, many businesses have to decide if they want to remove old racking systems and start over, or look for a way to work with what they have. More often than not, the latter option is less expensive and disruptive when the original installation is done with growth in mind.
Racking systems are flexible and designed to be changed. Systems such as selective pallet racking and cantilever racking are put together using standard components like uprights, beams and brackets. The components are modular, meaning they are different from permanent systems. A single additional bay can be added to the end of an existing row or a new row added parallel to the existing run and should be similar in load rating and dimension as the existing components. This is why it is important to maintain records for what was previously installed so additional bays can be ordered and installed without an extensive survey for the site.
The complexity of growth arises when the type of product being stored changes rather than just the amount. An example is a warehouse that was originally filled with uniform, palletized product, but now needs to accommodate longer, more irregular items like pipes, timber, or steel. For that situation, additional cantilever racks will be needed along or instead of standard pallet racks, as each system addresses different storage needs. In the same way, other shifts like the change to smaller, higher-turnover stock-keeping units (SKUs) that are picked by hand rather than by a forklift often require the placement of boltless shelving units within or adjacent to a racking section. This is so that the lower levels of operated pallet positions are available for bulk stock, and fast-moving smaller items are elevated to eye level for pickers. While mixing systems in a single warehouse is workable, it does require consideration of the widths of aisles and the flow of traffic so that the forklifts, pallet trucks, and pedestrian pickers do not compete for the same pathways.
Increasing the height of a building can optimise the building capacity, and it is cost-effective. However, this needs to be done strategically. Increasing the height of a building increases the vertical loads on the existing columns and the floor slabs. It means that design loads should be checked on existing columns and the floor slabs before increasing the height of a building rather than assuming they are safe.
It is similar to the addition of new storage capacity. It is possible that racking systems and pick-and-pass storage systems are used in an outdated manner. This results in a storage capacity requirement greater than that which is actually needed for operational efficiency.
The operational requirements of an efficient storage operation can be optimised through the strategic positioning of storage units and the creative use of height, and differentiating different operational areas, rather than building additional storage capacity, shelves, or racks.
The budgeting procedure associated with particular types of expansion is quite different to budgeting for entire new fit-outs. Typically, additional bays or extra beam levels are only a small percentage of the overall cost of a full re-rack, hence businesses are able to phase their investment. They are able to add capacity a section at a time as volume increases, rather than trying to predict demand years in advance and overspending on space that will remain empty. This approach works well for seasonal businesses, as they are able to incorporate a temporary addition that absorbs the peak periods, like a pre-Christmas build, without having to build permanent capacity that will only be used a few months a year.
Regardless of which combination of expansion, reconfiguration, or new racking systems is ultimately determined useful for the site, the work must always be scheduled and assessed according to the most current safety guidelines. This is because any structural change made to a racking system modifies the entire load path of the racking system. Hence new safety hazards are introduced. Expanding storage capacity without introducing new safety hazards is best accomplished by obtaining a professional assessment prior to executing any of the work.