Repair shelves instead of buying new ones

Rhein-West's 30,000 square meter pallet warehouse in Emsdetten is exposed to heavy loads: handling up to 2,750 pallets a day has left its mark on the rack struts and rack supports. After decades of intensive use, the first signs of wear have become apparent on the warehouse technology. The logistics service provider for pharmaceuticals, food, pet food and non-food had to react in order to ensure continued operational safety.

Repair is cheaper

Rhein-West opted for a cost-effective repair and commissioned the racking inspection and repair experts from Klein to carry out a general refurbishment of its pallet warehouse. "During a detailed inspection, we discovered that the rack supports and struts at Rhein-West were repairable," reports Egon Klein, Managing Director of Klein GmbH Regalprüfung + Reparatur.

Not everyone is allowed to repair shelves

The legal basis for repairing shelving is provided by the German Social Accident Insurance in its BGI 5166, which stipulates that repairs to shelving may also be carried out by companies that are not the manufacturer of the shelving. The prerequisite for this is that the repairer guarantees and certifies to the operator that the load-bearing capacity of the shelving is at least as good as when it was new.

Repair when shelves are full

Klein used the Robusto repair kit to stabilize 1,200 shelf supports and 300 shelf braces in the RheinWest warehouse. The shelves did not have to be emptied for this. Defective shelving components were straightened during operation and then reinforced with a galvanized, 4-millimetre-thick U-profile. Robusto reinforces the straightened shelving components so that the shelves are significantly more resistant to damage after the repair. Tests and calculations by the Dr. Möll test institute in Darmstadt confirm the increased stability.

Impact protection absorbs shocks

"With 15 forklift trucks in 41 aisles, the racking system is bound to suffer impact damage," reports Heiner Haverkamp, Logistics Manager at Rhein-West. In addition to the Robusto profiles, the logistics service provider had the "Rambo" impact protection installed on the end faces of the racking. This is made of galvanized steel and is designed to give way resiliently in the event of an impact. "Klein has adapted the protection to our warehouse typography depending on the shelf type and depth," says Haverkamp. The racking expert also carries out the prescribed annual inspection at Rhein-West. If new damage comes to light during this inspection, Klein repairs it with special solutions from its own production, providing RheinWest with the entire maintenance of the shelving system from a single source.

Nils Heinen

Contact:

Rhein-West Güterverkehr GmbH 48282 Emsdetten Tel.: 0 25 72 / 2 08-02 E-Mail:

Klein GmbH Shelf inspection + repair 67744 Schweinschied Tel.: 0 67 53 / 1 23 22 16 E-mail:[email protected] www.regalpruefung.de