Racking & Shelving
The manufacture of steel racking and shelving, often referred to by the abbreviation R&S, accounts for a substantial proportion of this tough alloy employed in various forms for industrial, commercial, and domestic purposes worldwide. Just as I-beams and metal cladding form components that are vital to the construction industry, the storage space provided by racks, shelves, and mezzanine structures are every bit as important in applications such as warehousing and the retail environment, to cite just the two most common examples.
Metal Shelves
Both in the examples given above and in general, these metal structures are designed to act as a storage facility. To be effective in this role may require differing properties, depending upon the precise nature of their purpose. Where steel racking and shelving may be required to store items of widely differing shapes and dimensions, for instance, one of the most important requirements is likely to be for a more flexible type of structure – one that can be reconfigured simply and quickly whenever such a need may arise.
Regardless of the particular application, however, the need for a structure that is both stable and strong is a given as, in the case of a warehouse especially, is the need to utilise whatever space may be available as fully as possible and acts to facilitate the prevailing operational practice. The use of strong cold-formed steel members to construct the racking and shelving used in warehouses makes it practical and safe to extend storage space vertically with the use of multiple levels.
Retail Shelving
On the supermarket or hypermarket floor, in the corner cafés, bottle stores, hardware stores, and pharmacies, the need for a product that is robust and easy to erect, disassemble, and reconfigure is, of course, no less important than in a warehouse. However, of equal importance to the owners of any self-service outlet will be the means to ensure that the items on display are clearly visible and readily accessible to their potential customers. In most cases, these requirements will be best met by the freestanding or wall-mounted steel structures known as gondola shelving, and the alternative of racking will generally not be a suitable option for most retail outlets.
Commercial Shelving
Not everything on show is necessarily for sale. In practice, these simple but versatile metal structures can play an equally necessary role in locations such as public libraries, government archives, and company offices. Time and changing needs have seen new and innovative storage products for use in multiple applications. To ensure the best possible quality, value for money, and the most appropriate steel shelving and racking for your purpose, consult an expert at Krost Shelving.
