With a longstanding relationship spanning over five years, our team collaborated with Dubai Imports, a company specialising in handling dignitaries’ needs upon their arrival in the UK. The challenge arose when Dubai Imports moved to a new facility in Southall, London, with a 25 x 45 meter mezzanine that needed efficient racking. Furthermore, this racking needed to store items of varying sizes weights, and value. This included fine dining kitchen equipment, high-value items requiring secure partitioning, mattresses of different sizes, furniture, pots and pans, Christmas items, and even florist supplies.
Dubai Imports initially requested racking for the mezzanine, but this presented unique challenges. The client’s original request clashed with the existing lighting, necessitating a reconsideration of the racking direction. This provided more efficient storage and better lighting for the entire facility.
The diverse range of items also required careful consideration, and the unusual building layout with many small spaces demanded different rack types to be used side-by-side. Additionally, weight distribution had to be managed on the mezzanine, and beam heights were crucial for holding furniture with additional storage above.
Our team fulfilled the brief by meticulously planning the project, considering various factors such as item types, mezzanine constraints, and client preferences. The revisions provided ensured an efficient layout matching many different types of racking that were needed.
The small footprint of the building meant our team also had to move items already stored at the facility, install one section of racking, and then repopulate the items to make space for the next install.
The project faced access challenges as the mezzanine was only accessible via a small elevator and spiral staircase. Smaller items could be transported up to the mezzanine via the lift, but longer items needed to be manoeuvred up the staircase.
The job faced a hurdle when it was identified the manufacturer had not supplied the warehouse with all the items it needed in its inventory. These missing items could have delayed the racking process. However, our team had a pre-existing relationship with the manufacturer and were able to use this to expedite the delivery from 8 weeks down to 3.
The project’s uniqueness lay in the diverse range of items stored at the warehouse, including wine racks, fine dining kitchen supplies, Christmas items and florist supplies. Our team’s ability to accommodate such variety showcased their adaptability and expertise.
The planning for the project commenced in June 2022, with meetings from Dubai Imports in April 2023. The project was completed in December 2023.
UK Market Leading Solutions
West Pennine Storage Equipment are proud to be a Tier One design and installation partner for Link 51 and Apex Linvar. Our relationship with Link 51 and Apex allows us to design, deliver and install the highest quality, UK-manufactured racking at competitive prices. As we are a highly recognised distributor of all storage facilities, we are also able to supply all other major brands of Pallet Racking, Industrial Shelving and other Storage Systems.
