AR Racking and the University of the Basque Country (UPV) have signed an agreement for joint research work. To this end, the Spanish systems integrator has set up the AR Racking Research Laboratory: Storage Solutions teaching facility at the Bilbao School of Engineering. The research laboratory will be managed by the university in the capital of the Spanish Basque Country. The university laboratory will begin its activities at the start of the next academic year in September 2021. Following the collaboration agreement signed in 2019 with the University of Mondragón, where the AR Lab research laboratory and test bench are located, this is the second research laboratory sponsored by AR Racking and linked to a university.

The agreement to intensify the collaboration was signed by Charles Pinto, Director of the Engineering School, and Eric Arana, President of Grupo Arania, AR Racking's parent company, on July 15, 2021 at the Bilbao Engineering School. The opening ceremony was also attended by Iñaki Arriola, Managing Director of AR Racking, Pablo Montes, Technical Director of AR Racking, Javier Ruiz (Product Manager) and Lorena López (AR Racking Marketing & Communication Manager). On the university side, Charles Pinto and Jesús Cuadrado, professor at the university and technical director of the research laboratory, attended the signing ceremony.

The research focus of the test laboratory will be on analytical studies of structures formed from thin-walled profiles. The results will be used immediately as basic research in studies on material fatigue in this type of profile and will promote new developments and further research. Other fields of research in the new test laboratory are aimed at promoting studies on seismic analysis and the properties of components and connecting elements. In the research area of steel structures, the mechanisms of structural collapse in the event of fire will also be analyzed.

The establishment of test and research laboratories is a valuable and effective tool for both academic institutions and companies to contribute to technological development, the training of engineers and the transfer of know-how in the industry. With this in mind, AR Racking sees the establishment of the AR Racking Research Laboratory: Storage Solutions as an effective institution for the professional training, education and further training of engineers who can contribute their development work to AR Racking's product development and thus further promote the company's material expertise and growth. This can take place both in the development of solutions and products as well as in the execution of real projects. A goal that UPV and AR Racking share. Their common path is characterized by an avant-garde spirit and the pursuit of continuous improvement.

AR Racking specializes in the design, production, calculation and installation of industrial storage systems for all types of loads. With an export rate of over 85 percent, AR Racking is represented in more than 60 countries. The company's history is characterized by internationalization and a clear, firm commitment to research, development and innovation.