Stable support for intralogistics

In your opinion, are there any notable innovations in storage and shelving technology, for example with regard to the materials used and the increased use of recycled materials?"

was our first question.

"Thanks to our new production machines, we have succeeded in further optimizing the processing of the raw material," emphasizes

Peter Beilenhoff, General Sales Manager Germany, Meta-Regalbau

"Pallet warehouses are most frequently required in the classic high-bay warehouse sector." - Stefan Pfeifer, voestalpine Krems Finaltechnik

. "We are currently working on innovative material designs for the surface galvanization of our shelves to protect the items to be stored. We attach great importance to the reuse of our raw materials. After professional pre-sorting of the material, all of our punching and metal scrap is 100% recycled."

"With the trend towards modular and flexible shelving systems, a market for used shelving has developed in recent years," says Uwe Berg, Sales Manager at Franz X. Rauscher. "We hardly see any real innovation in the use of recycled materials; it is limited to the conventional realloying of scrap and old metal."

"There are research projects investigating the use of high-strength materials," says Stefan Pfeifer, Managing Director of voestalpine Krems Finaltechnik GmbH. "Dortmund Technical University, for example, is working on this topic - the results are still pending and have not yet been reflected in various standards."

In response to the second question "Which storage types are most frequently requested, such as pallet storage, small parts storage, shelving racks, live storage, cantilever racking, storage platforms?", pallet racking is mentioned most frequently.

More design freedom with silo construction

For more than 45 years, Kocher Regalbau has been offering complete customized high-bay storage solutions with roof and wall cladding for a wide range of storage requirements. Kocher has specialized in silo construction and says: "The Syko-Silo is perhaps the best-known high-bay storage silo of all". The Syko-Silo is recognizable by its design: the high-bay storage system is bolted together. This means that flexible solutions can be offered for transportation and subsequent conversion measures. "Perforations in production that are precise to the millimeter allow for infinite design freedom," says the company.

"Our profiles are galvanized so that durability is guaranteed. Some warehouses that are still in use today have proven their stability for 25 years and more." For double-deep shelving with two uprights instead of four, the longitudinal supports are not attached directly to the uprights, but suspended from horizontal profiles. This has a number of advantages: For example, there is no spray obstruction for the sprinkler in the middle of the double shelving, and fewer sprinkler heads and therefore less water storage are required. In addition, the façade can be mounted directly onto the outer rack supports, which saves on additional façade uprights.

"We are one of the few racking specialists in Germany to offer all types of racking, from shelving to cantilever racking and pallet racking," says Beilenhoff. He goes on to explain that, with the exception of live storage, all systems are produced in-house. "Pallet racking and flow racking are still in first place in terms of requested volume."

"Shelving and pallet racking are the most frequently used racking systems," says Uwe Berg. "In most cases, they are supplemented with the other systems mentioned, depending on the operational requirements."

"Frequently changing product ranges of e-commerce companies require extremely flexible warehouse technology." - Uwe Berg, Franz X. Rauscher

"In the classic high-bay warehouse sector, definitely pallet storage, followed by automated small parts warehouses," emphasizes Stefan Pfeifer. "In the area of in-house system solutions, cantilever and shelving racks are most frequently requested."

Equally varied and detailed answers follow the third question: "What are the main customer requirements in terms of robustness, stability, durability, expandability and flexibility of the entire storage system?"For Meta-Regalbau, the main customer requirements are "that we comply with all building regulations in the respective regions. Added to this is the fact that there are earthquake zones in Europe and also in Germany that require different static verifications. It is a matter of course for us that we comply with the relevant DIN regulations and EU standards. In addition, we provide our customers with information on subsequent delivery and expansion options. We attach great importance to the quality of our products and offer a five-year warranty," emphasizes Beilenhoff.

Customers expect space efficiency and product-specific storage

"The most important customer requirements include maximum space efficiency in the available space and given hall height, product-specific storage of goods according to size, weight and type, integration of conveyor and fire protection technology as well as escape routes," explains Berg. "The sum of the requirements determines the planning of an efficient and safe racking system for each individual customer."

Specially designed to prevent deformation

In SSI Schaefer's high-bay warehouses, "high-quality materials and reliable corrosion protection ensure that the steel structure has an almost unlimited service life. The specially developed anchoring systems reduce the work involved in creating the base plate to a minimum," says the company. The specific design of the bearings and the extensive avoidance of welded joints prevent deformations and additional stresses in the rack steel construction. In this way, the tightest tolerances are achieved and the performance of the overall system is enhanced. The racking support systems in a wide variety of designs are versatile and enable the implementation of diverse storage variants, from single-deep to multiple-deep as well as single and multi-user storage.

"The decision between a silo and an indoor storage system is often particularly significant," says the company. SSI Schaefer emphasizes that the silo design already offers various advantages in the construction phase and during subsequent operation. These include attractive space savings thanks to the compact design, simple flat foundations thanks to load distribution over many rack supports, faster use of the system thanks to shorter assembly times and lower operating costs.

As Pfeifer emphasizes, "the misalignment of a bearing is one of the most important points to ensure the optimal functionality of the devices. This is particularly important in areas with an increased probability of earthquakes or wind risk. In terms of flexibility, our experience in silo construction has shown that extensions to an existing storage facility by a further block are definitely in demand. The existing warehouse is not being extended here; it is a completed, additional project." In addition, it is "much easier to implement flexible storage solutions in the system racking sector, which we have already successfully implemented."

Flexibly configurable shelf units for e-commerce

With the strong growth in online retail, the need for adequate storage and shelving technology is also growing, as the answers to the following question show:

"What impact is the e-commerce boom having on warehouse technology? And which rack types are particularly suitable for ever smaller batch sizes and demand-driven, high-throughput picking?"

"As a warehouse technology installer for e-commerce companies, we are feeling the boom because we can cover this sector very well with our solutions," states Beilenhoff. "Shelving racks and multi-level shelving racks are mainly in demand here. Due to the item structure, the focus here is on shelving with compartment division options that can be individually converted, for example for hanging goods such as textiles."

Quick conversion: different range - different shelving system

"Rapid product range changes are characteristic of e-commerce. Customers in this sector therefore demand flexibly configurable shelving bays that can be converted from hanging goods to shelf storage, for example, without tools and in a minimum of time," explains Berg. "For goods-to-person storage concepts, e-commerce customers are increasingly demanding mobile shelving bays that are brought directly to the packing station by driverless robots."

As Pfeifer notes, "many distribution centers are needed, most of which are in-house warehouse solutions with automated picking systems and are therefore located in the miniload area. Some of them are implemented as pallet warehouses."

TÜV-certified shelving modules

The MEA shelving modules are specially designed and tested for use as shelves for warehouses with different application functions and, as MEA Metal Applications GmbH reports, are the only shelves with TÜV Süd construction certification. In the standard range, the shelving modules are available in a width of 880 millimetres and in three widths of 1,000, 1,050 and 1,100 millimetres. If required, the dimensions can also be adapted to individual requirements. The standard installation height of the shelf modules is only 20 millimeters. They are therefore particularly suitable for picking, as the protruding bars are fitted in the direction of push. According to the company, the modules offer a long service life, are produced in an environmentally friendly way with optimum use of materials, are lightweight, easy to install and quick and easy to assemble thanks to a sliding lock.