Housing Units Home Racking

"We struck up a good relationship from day one and Redirack put our minds at rest throughout the whole process.” Stuart Fox, Operations Manager for Housing Units, identifies a crucial issue for their company when installing racking in their new £4m distribution and administration centre in Manchester.

Faced with outdated and inadequate warehousing, furnishing retailer Housing Units decided that a new, purpose built 4,800sqm facility adjacent to the store on the their five acre site was the best solution. Still a family-run and privately owned business after almost 60 years of trading, Housing Units set about scouring the market for suitable suppliers they could trust.

Stuart explains: “We were new to racking and it was important for us to use a company we could trust and work closely with. We fitted like a hand in a glove with Redirack from the start, and were most impressed with the way they kept us informed of what was happening throughout the installation.”

Redirack set about designing a unique solution to the new challenges facing Housing Units, and after about three months of planning, installed six double runs and one single run of racking. Nearly 30m long the racking system rises to a height of almost 10m.

Wide aisles allow reach trucks easy accessibility to the large 2 metre wide, bespoke pallets used by Housing Units. These pallets enable bulky furniture, the company’s products, to be lifted on and off delivery vehicles and the storage system with ease. This is particularly important as Housing Units stock high quality furniture and any accidents could quickly prove expensive!

Health and safety was also a big consideration so all frames were installed with Sacrificial legs. This unique Redirack feature enables the quick and easy rectifying of any damage to the lower front upright of all the frames. Special wheel stops were also installed to form a safety barrier to prevent trucks from advancing too far and damaging an office wall that is adjacent to the warehouse.

However, the main issue facing the company was the insistence by their insurers, and the Greater Manchester Fire Authority, that sprinklers were installed directly underneath the pallets. Consequently, the beams were designed to be deeper than required so that they would act as a guide for the pallets. This prevents damage to the sprinklers. Also, a specially devised system was included to allow the quick dismantling of the frames and easy access to the sprinkler system, if any repairs are necessary.

The racking system currently occupies about half the available space at the new warehouse. Housing Units are so pleased that they are planning a second racking installation later in the year.