Colby Protect-a-RACK standing guard over Dexion racking

The versatility of Colby Storage Solutions new rack protection system is clearly illustrated in an application where it will be used to protect Dexion racking at label specialist Avery Dennison’s warehouse in Sydney’s north west.

Following a two month trial in which the performance of the Colby Protect-a-RACK and other rack protection systems were evaluated, Avery Dennison has ordered 290 Protect-a-RACKs to be fitted to Dexion racking in high traffic areas of its Castle Hill warehouse.

Avery Dennison’s Director of Operations, Neville Tapp, said the Colby Protect-a-RACK had outperformed the other systems trialled, through its innovative design and ease of installation.
“We have had excellent feedback on the performance of the Colby Protect-a-RACK from our forklift operators,” said Mr Tapp.

“Our drivers really like the fact that the Colby Protect-a-RACK provides both front, side and rear protection to the upright, and that it is also quite a bit higher than the other systems we trialled.

Mr Tapp added: “Another advantage we found with the Colby Protect-a-RACK is that it fits snugly to the front face of the upright making it more space efficient than other systems, and its angled design means that most collisions are simply deflected away from the upright, reducing the severity of the impact.”

“The Colby Protect-a-RACK also doesn’t require masonry anchors in the floor,” he said.

“Apart from the extra time and expense associated with installing masonry anchors they, and the base of the protector they hold in place, take up vital floorspace in the bay of racking, making the forklift driver’s job of putting away or retrieving pallets in the bay even more difficult.

“As well as outperforming the other systems we looked at, the Colby Protect-a-RACK was also the most cost-effective solution, which made this a very easy decision.”

Repairing damaged racking has represented considerable on-going expense and inconvenience for Avery Dennison.

“Space is at a premium in our warehouse, so despite our forklift drivers doing their best, they have accidental collisions with the pallet racking on a fairly regular basis,” said Mr Tapp.
“Normally the impacts are not significant, but they are enough to damage the racking.

“Safety is a key priority in our warehouse, and we treat rack damage very seriously. If the damage to any component is severe, we arrange immediate replacement, otherwise the component will be replaced when we carry out our scheduled rack safety audit every six months,” said Mr Tapp.

“It normally takes us about three weekends solid work to replace damaged rack components every six months, because it is not just a simple matter of swapping over new for old. All of the stock in affected areas has to be removed from the rack, the rack disassembled, new components installed and all of the stock carefully returned to where it was.

“Based on the Colby Protect-a-RACK’s performance during trials, we expect the level of rack damage to decrease significantly, reducing our on-going rack maintenance costs and improving OH&S in the warehouse,” concluded Mr Tapp.

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