Manual system.

A subsidiary of DCC plc, SerCom Solutions is one of Ireland's leading providers of supply chain management services to the IT industry. Headquartered in Cloverhill Industrial Estate Clondalkin, Dublin, its parent company, DCC plc, is one of Ireland's leading public companies. SerCom Solutions started business 21 years ago as a printer of computer manuals.

The company's 165,000 sq. ft. distribution centre was kitted out when it first opened by Redirack's Irish distributor Storage Systems. It has subsequently been refitted to optimise material movement routings and reduce travelling time to the point of use. Bernard Monaghan of SerCom Solutions explains "It was felt that warehousing capacity and flexibility was a critical element in meeting customer demands."

Within the distribution centre is a narrow aisle storage system and a high rise shelving system, both specified and installed by Storage Systems. Bernard again: "Storage Systems managed the project in a truly professional manner with support and advise available from the initial project plan. They offer much more than just a commodity by ensuring we were always aware of the best option to meet our specific requirements."

The racking system features four or six beam levels with the bottom bays given over to picking locations. The storage system is serviced by wire-guided trucks. Cantilever P&Ds at the aisle ends enable counter balance trucks to fetch and retrieve pallets. The high rise shelving system offers high quality storage for non-palletised goods.

Bernard is pleased with the new system. He explains: "Its initial appearance lends itself to a positive initial response when viewing the warehouse area. I am also impressed with the option of sacrificial sections for each upright eliminating the need to reorder the complete unit. Obviously flexibility is key in our industry and the configuration allows for the restructuring of the racking easily and cost effectively should requirements change."