VNA (Turret) Racking

This is a new warehouse facility for a specialty chemical company, built as a result of company acquisitions and forecast growth. Process Design and Fabrication (PDF) designed the warehouse and its operation and prepared the design brief for storage ideas.

1. Hazardous chemicals storage challenge

CUSTOMER:	Specialty Chemical Company
LOCATION:	Seven Hills, Sydney, New South Wales
BACKGROUND:	This is a new warehouse facility for Asia Pacific Specialty Chemicals, built as a result of company acquisitions and forecast growth. Process Design and Fabrication (PDF) designed the warehouse and its operation and prepared the design brief for Storage Ideas.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:	PDF’s brief to Storage Ideas included special weight limits and the effects of chemical corrosion to the rack, with the prime requirement being to maximise the cubic capacity of the warehouse. Storage Ideas were also required to apply labels to each shelf and pallet position.

2. Our Storage Solution

Colby Selective Racking was used throughout the warehouse, with shelving strategically positioned to house smaller items. The use of a man-up turret truck kept aisle space to a minimum and provided the operator with the flexibility to pick full pallets or single cases.

Colby’s superior phosphate cleaning and powder-coated finish provided satisfactory protection to reduce the effects of corrosion

Pallet support beams were specially sized to fit the requirements for this project, and the use of heavy-duty baseplates ensured the critical vertical alignment was achieved.

Lockable cages with sliding gates were also designed to enclose the racking where bonded or special hazardous chemicals are stored.

VNA (Turret) Racking

Very Narrow Aisle Selective Rack is best suited for a minimum of 1000 to 2000 pallets, with a moderate movement rate across a wide variety of product lines.

Specialised turret trucks and automatic stacker cranes (AS/RS) have been developed to operate in aisles not much wider than the load itself.

Although the capital cost of the storage and materials handling equipment typically increases with such systems, this is generally offset by savings in land and building costs.

Key features of VNA Storage Systems include:

• Height limited by building or operating constraints
• Aisle width of around 1400mm
• Immediate access to all pallets
• Turret trucks can be used for pallet and case picking

A very flat floor is necessary for the safe operation of turret trucks and automatic stacker cranes