Logismarket, the Industrial Directory.

Acting in a project management role SDIGreenstoneThe distribution centre (DC) comprises two warehouse chambers with much of the stock, palletised items as diverse as barbecues and Christmas trees, previously block-stacked on the floor.This arrangement did not offer the required storage capacity, and ease of pallet selection, that was needed to cope with the needs of Woolworths’ business.

In one of the warehouse chambers SDIGreenstone has created eleven additional aisles of 10 metre, six-bays high, racking. In the second chamber as well as building in six more aisles and adding an extra ‘step-out’ tier at the end of some aisles, increased storage capacity has been achieved by ‘bolting-on’ an additional level to the existing racking.The racking was sourced from SDIGreenstone’s preferred supplier Linpac Materials Handling, who contracted a specialist Spanish-based company to handle the complex job of installing the additional upper level.

SDIGreenstone has also re-engineered and expanded the warehouses’ sprinkler systems, so that fire protection now extends into every level of the racking.

Wincanton has now configured the warehouse to group fast-moving items in the centre of the racked areas, requiring shorter travel distances for the pallet putaway/retrieval and order picking operations.

SDIGreenstone won the contract in a competitive tender.Wincanton says it needed just one company to co-ordinate the whole project from concept to completion, and awarded the job to SDIGreenstone on the strength of the cost-effectiveness of the solution proposed, and the company’s proven ability to bring ‘turnkey’ projects home on time and within budget.

Although having to work round the existing operation, without impacting on the DC’s productivity, SDIGreenstone completed the entire installation in just 15 weeks – a week earlier than projected.