Cold Link Africa January/February 2021 | Page 26

Sometimes considered a bit of a grudge purchase , racking is in fact the foundation to generate better efficiencies , expand capacity and grow revenue as facilities up their operations , literally .
FEATURE
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

Racking : An essential part of every cold store , warehouse or distribution centre

By Benjamin Brits

Sometimes considered a bit of a grudge purchase , racking is in fact the foundation to generate better efficiencies , expand capacity and grow revenue as facilities up their operations , literally .

The cold storage sector today is very

different to what it was 25 years ago .
Bulk facilities were the predominant solution in cold storage and many of these stores had no racking at all . Everything was either box-stacked inside the freezer or manually handled into simple steel frames . These were called converters and were typically able to be piled one on top of the other . This was , of course , a very labour-intensive process to pack , stack and store produce .
In cold storage in South Africa , it is said that uniquely compared to other countries around the world , the industry could be divided into two different types of stores – bulk stores catering to imports or exports , and distribution stores which are used by companies dealing in frozen or perishable goods , or logistics specialists as a distribution point . Here these companies get full palettes of produce , prepare orders and send these out in trucks to retail outlets or clients .
According to some historical information obtained , the cold storage industry really took off in the 2000s where prior to this the existing facilities had been established to cater more towards the affluent communities . At that time , largescale electrification was carried out in many of the low cost and informal areas ,
Cold Link Africa
The base of a racking system indicating the types of beams used .
followed naturally by everyone wanting
packaging configurations . Individual
to own a fridge or freezer . This caused
access racks are therefore the most
a boom in demand – having a direct
practical wide-scale option for produce
impact on cold stores and storage needs .
to be stored .
There has been a rising trend ever since
The types of racking then available
and cold storage capacity continued
include fixed selective – these are
to increase dramatically as what people
typically the bulk standard , narrow aisle
wanted to consume changed supply
racking which can be utilised by special
chain dynamics .
reach trucks or turret trucks , you also
Today , cold stores , warehouses and
have crane stores where you don ’ t have
distribution centres have very advanced
a truck or forklift but a crane on a rail
Cold Link Africa
A static racking system being installed at a pharmaceutical company ’ s warehouse .
methodologies and make use of various technology in their hardware and software setups . At the heart of their operations are the very racks that carry their business or services , and depending on the model in
system , and then mobile racking . High density racking also includes flow racking , drive in racking , shuttle racking which is where a shuttle or mole can be placed in any lane and at any level which has a
application , there is a racking solution to
machine on every level to brings pallets
fit – no matter if a small scale operation or
to an end of the store , and various levels
a multinational supply chain .
of autonomous solutions .
TYPES OF RACKING SYSTEMS AVAILABLE
Racking solutions come with a variety
of options . There are two main storage
types : racking that gives you individual
access to every palette immediately , and
high-density racking , which allows more
Local manufacturers offer solutions that are attuned to local needs and dynamics .
storage capacity , but without the access
Mobile racking is just like the fixed rack
to every palette .
solution , but instead of having multiple
Storage facilities over the years have
aisles , you put the racking on wheels and
tended to move from high density systems
they move back and forth . They typically
to the individual access systems . Why
need to have only one access aisle at a
Cold Link Africa
this has occurred is because today you
have to negotiate many different date
codes of the same products , you have
lots of different products within a brand
time rather than the conventional setup
as with the static racking option .
Different connecting designs , and there
are many out there on the market , are
An example of a racking system for storage of various products ( not palettes ).
range and the same products in different
another aspect that clients with existing

26 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • January / February 2021