Colby Protect-a-RACK boosts OH&S and minimises damage at Westgate Logistics

“The Colby Protect-a-RACKs have done their job superbly. Over the past 12 months, we have experienced minimal rack damage and enjoyed a safer workplace thanks to them, and Colby Storage Solutions’ smart warehouse layout,” said Terry Wicks, Manager of Westgate Logistics 35,000 square metre distribution centre at Yennora in Sydney.

Established to provide dry grocery distribution services to Franklins supermarkets throughout NSW, Westgate Logistics Yennora DC was designed for high volume, high throughput operation.

With rack damage being a common occurrence in such high velocity DCs, Colby recommended the use of Protect-a-RACK to enhance OH&S in the facility, as well as minimise on-going rack maintenance costs.

“Rack damage is a fact of life in warehouses and one of the most serious issues with it is that it can go unnoticed if not reported at the time of the incident,” said Terry Wicks.

“That means the structural integrity of a rack could be compromised, creating a potential safety hazard. Working on the principle that prevention is better than a cure, we accepted Colby’s recommendation to fit out our 30,000 pallet warehouse with Protect-a-RACKs.

“We also took Colby’s advice when it came to warehouse layout,” added Mr Wicks.

“While we wanted to maximise our storage capacity, operational flexibility and functionality were the key drivers, and this led to Colby recommending wider than normal aisle widths for the forklift operations.”

Colby Storage Solutions utilised its exclusive rack design software RACKMAN to evaluate the impact that moving to wider aisles would have on the total storage capacity of the facility.

“While our total storage capacity was reduced by about 5% by opting for generous aisle widths, the increased productivity and safety they have created more than compensates for the small loss in cubic utilisation,” said Mr Wicks.

“The forklift drivers don’t need to constantly worry about bumping into racks when they are manouevring in aisles, and can get on with their job more efficiently.”

Westgate Logistics began distributing dry groceries to Franklins network of supermarkets in NSW in February 2005.
Westgate Logistics is one of the leading providers of third party warehouse services in Australia. The company operates 18 modern and secure facilities providing over 300,000 square metres of warehouse space across Australia.

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