Freezer store

AJ - legends in cold storage

South African Cold Storage Legends

cold store, Freezer store, General Interest, Uncategorized, Warehousing /

So who wants to marry a cold store manager who lives in the cold continuously?… (with apologies to the song I want to marry a lighthouse keeper) seriously, apart from those in the cold chain Industry, who knows how a cold store manager occupies his days? How many realize that without cold store managers, large conurbations could not exist? As long as their stores function and don’t burn down or let off ammonia gas, cold store managers are of little interest to the general public, when as guardians of our collective food supply, they definitely should be.   To rectify this social injustice, our newsletter intends to publish monthly profiles of such hardy individuals who have quietly managed our food supply for years in sub-zero conditions.   Ajay Kalan After completing a management course, doing rep work for a short period Ajay joined County Fair Chickens in Epping, Cape Town as a cold store receiving clerk back in 1991, and worked up the ranks. First as receiving clerk, invoice clerk, Department Head and then Cold Store Manager. His current position is that of Logistics Efficiencies Manager for the Astral Commercial Division. In this position Ajay has the added responsibilities of the Festive and Goldi facilities in Mpumalanga and Gauteng to ensure best practices are implemented and standardization is applied across warehouses. Ajay has taken part in the Astral Pinnacle studies which was started by Astral CEO MR Chris Schutte and successfully completed Potchefstroom University’s NQF 6 and 7 management qualifications. Ajay believes in setting standards and applying best practices to his operations, and, like all business leaders, is always up for a new challenge.   When he is not busy at work, Ajay enjoys spending quality time with his close knit and hugely supportive family. Ajay enjoys gardening and keeps both koi and marine reef fish.   If you know a cold store manager, who deserves similar recognition, please let Danielle at our Cape Town office know on 021 552 9190 or email her on danielle@barpro.co.za

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The Inside Scoop on Ranger

cold store, General Interest, Pallet Racking, palletised goods, Pallets, Ranger shuttle, Uncategorized, Warehousing /

As everyone who reads our newsletter will know, we at Barpro SA have taken the decision to add Storax/Ramada’s very successful Ranger radio shuttle system to our high-density storage solutions as a fast and efficient alternative to more traditional systems such as drive-in, gravity, push-back, and even, in some cases, mobiles.   Because of our relative inexperience with this technologically sophisticated system, I, as Barpro’s resident ‘racking expert’, was despatched on a week-long fact-finding/information- gathering/training mission to Europe towards the end of June this year.   Storax’s main production facility of this equipment for the whole European market is situated a few miles outside Liege, on the eastern, French speaking, side of Belgium; but while my limited French was of some occasional value, it was mostly just a cause for amusement amongst the locals – nearly all of whom speak pretty good English. I was graciously hosted, along with other delegates from UK, France, and Portugal, by Storax management and team, all of whom take great pride in their product, and its success.   At the factory I was able to observe the Ranger being manufactured, assembled, and tested; and received valuable insight regarding the technological advances Storax have made that put this machine ahead most others previously available on the market. I also received intensive training in the context of the hardware, software, controls, etc. that make this such a potentially versatile and effective solution.   An important part of the induction program was the visiting of customer sites where the Ranger has been successfully installed and is fully operational, and these visits were real eye-openers – from huge frozen vegetable stores (25,000+ pallets, largely chips, which the Belgians call ‘frites’ and serve traditionally with mussels) to agricultural chemicals, to mechanical and electronic components and finished goods. I was greatly impressed by seeing the system actually in operation by highly-satisfied customers who often seem to wonder how they managed before.   One site I visited, across the border in the Netherlands (where the language Is uncannily similar to Afrikaans), I spent some hours in a huge freezer, still under construction, where a new Ranger system was in the process of installation. I was able to observe the construction techniques of the specialised racking required to accommodate the Ranger, work with the highly-skilled installation teams, and even observe the commissioning of a Ranger through to its testing and ‘initialisation’ – a process whereby the machine ‘learns’ the parameters of the system into which it has been placed.   As a measure of Ranger’s success, there are already several hundred units in use across Europe, and Storax employ no fewer than 14 full-time skilled and experienced installation teams to keep pace with the demand.     At the end of the visit I came away thoroughly impressed, and equipped with the greater knowledge needed to offer our customers an even more comprehensive level of advice on their various storage requirements.   For more information contact us today! [gravityform id=”10″ title=”true” description=”true”]

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Increasing your pallet load? Read this first

Increasing your pallet load? Read this first

cold store, Freezer store, General Interest, Maintenance, Mobile Racking, News, pallet rack collapse, Pallet Racking, palletised goods, Pallets, Rack Safety, Safety, Static Racking, Tips /

Twenty years ago one of the deciduous fruit packing giants in the Western Cape was the first in their industry to realise the advantages of mobile racking, and commissioned a Barpro Storax mobile system into their new holding store. This chill room was approx. 1360 sq. metres, and accommodated over 2500 pallet loads – nearly double what would have been achieved with conventional racking. The load specifications at that time called for 1000kg per pallet.   However, with success in the export market ever improving, the use of Hi-Cube pallets became the norm, and these now weighed 1200kg – even more for some fruits, such as pears. So as their needs expanded, some 10 years later they constructed another, adjacent, holding room, and specified mobile racking again; this time the design requirement increased to 1200kg. The system was engineered accordingly and this store was duly installed and put into full use.     Initially the new store was used for export product, while the earlier installation was dedicated mainly to local markets. However, it gradually became apparent that more and more export pallets were being placed into the ‘old’ store, and management realised with commendable diligence that the system should be checked for suitability for the increased loadings. The original rack supplier was called in, and on inspection declared, as suspected, that the rack was being dangerously overloaded by the new 1200kg loads. The entire rack system was accordingly re-configured using heavier-duty frames reinforced for the additional load.   However, continuing the justifiable concern and again exercising initiative and being admirably proactive, the customer this year approached Barpro with the information about the changes in usage, querying whether the actual mobile base units were of sufficient strength for the changed usage.   Always concerned with customer support, Barpro promptly sent Alan Moule, their in-house rack specialist, to inspect and check the system. He found that the racking was now, after re-configuration, very capable of carrying the heavier loading, but the mobile bases were perhaps a different story. When a mobile base is designed, it is purpose-engineered according to the loads – in this case 1000kg per pallet – and this is reflected in size and number of wheels, height of base, number of drive-motors, etc. Barpro had checked the original design with their engineers in Europe and confirmed that 1200kg pallets would, technically, be now over-loading the bases. However, Alan’s visual inspection revealed no noticeable signs of deflection or distortion of the structures, and the customer assured him, and demonstrated, that the bases displayed no problem in movement or operation under full load.   The customer was advised that although the system was being technically over-loaded, as long as the system continued to function adequately it should not be necessary to re-build or replace the bases (a very costly exercise) and that the system could carry on in use. It was advised however, that inspections should occur more frequently, and any sign of deterioration should be reported immediately.   Users of any racking system are always advised never to change or adjust loads, beam levels, or any other criteria without consulting the original supplier, since this can at best affect the operation of the system, and at worst can lead to catastrophic collapse.     It was gratifying to Barpro that a customer had the presence of mind to take this advice seriously. Contact us if you have mobile racking and plan on increasing your pallet weights [gravityform id=”6″ title=”true” description=”true”]

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