WAREHOUSE SYSTEMS LIMITED TRANSFORMS DISTRIBUTION OPERATION FOR AMERICAN WETSUIT MANUFACTURER

 Warehouse Systems Limited (WSL), one of the UK’s largest independent storage solution providers, has recently finished installing a complete garment racking, handling and distribution system for O’Neill
the famous American wetsuit manufacturer.
O’Neill’s distribution system requires the storage of 30,000 garments with a weekly turnaround of up to 4000 garments plus the provision of carton shelved storage for 2250 units.
The original layout of the company’s National Distribution Centre, located in Midhurst, West Sussex, comprised four separate adjacent areas each covering 3000 ft ² . However, access to these areas was severely limited and the WSL design team opted for the opening up of the four areas to create a single unrestricted operational space. Next, the addition of a mezzanine floor virtually doubled the available space, providing a total working area in excess of 20,000 ft ².

The new upper floor has been fitted out with a series of cantilever hanging systems which include single, double and triple cantilever arrangements. Two reversible trolley conveyors provide a direct link between the upper floor and the ground floor with the capability to carry goods in either direction, thereby shortening work cycles and picking times.

On the ground floor, single cantilever racking accommodates 10,000 garments and carton shelving capable of storing 2250 units, together with a holding area for a further 3500 garments. An overhead monorail system services the cantilever racking and a three-metre traverse loading boom has significantly increased the speed of vehicle loading and unloading. The loading bay is also served by a gravity conveyor fed by a series of three work stations.

WSL also undertook extensive electrical installations throughout the building including lighting and emergency lighting throughout both floors, plus a sophisticated smoke detection system complete with alarm and security protection facility.

Commenting on the recent installation, WSL’s Managing Director, Neville Proctor, says, “This kind of design, build and install contract is bread and butter to us. We completed all the necessary construction and installation within just eight weeks. Now fully operational, the throughput and overall efficiency of the warehouse is meeting, if not exceeding, the client’s expectations.”