FAQ's

Barpro offers the ability to respond timeously whether via telephone calls to our all-hours technical department service number. If onsite assistance is required we have a dedicated and qualified team of Supervisors able to respond to call-outs. We have a workshop based in Cape Town able to turn out a number of spares at relatively short notice. Should spares be required urgently Barpro would be able to supply those but at a surcharge. We strongly advise keeping a set of spares on site, so that any downtime can be minimised.

Yes, as part of the contract when purchasing a Barpro mobile racking system Barpro includes training to all operators & supervisors of the system. Barpro also offers annual refresher training as well as when staff changes occur; at a nominal fee. All you have to do is make contact with our office and we’ll make the necessary arrangements. The training courses will teach you how to maintain your mobiles by proper housekeeping and changing certain components yourself; as well as keeping the system safe.

Also newly developed is our Rack Safety training workshops which highlights the need for rack users to conduct weekly inspection and to keep records of damage.

In a freezer store Barpro mobiles can be fitted with automatic light switching so that the lights only come on in the open aisles. When compared to a freezer store where the lights are left on, this feature can save up to 70% of the total lighting cost.
Installing Barpro mobiles in a freezer store increases capacity over fixed racking by approximately 75%. So long as the number of access doors is not increased, and the additional pallets arrive on temperature, the energy required to keep the product at an acceptable core temperature should not increase. Hence the energy cost per pallet stored is significantly reduced.

Yes. Barpro has a workshop in Cape Town and either has stock of, or can manufacture any base component within 48 hours of order.

Unique Barpro rails are laid in the warehouse floor, either when the warehouse is built or as a retrofit. Electrically powered bases are fitted onto the rails which support the back to back fixed racking. The mobile bases move either at the touch of a button, or via remote control. Each base can carry a maximum of 360 tons.
“A warehouse using normal fixed racking.” Fixed racking gives individual access to each pallet location, but requires substantial “open” space in the form of access aisles.
“A warehouse using Barpro Mobile Racking.” The number of pallets stored is the same as in EXAMPLE 1, but the warehouse is half the size. Each pallet is immediately accessible.
“A warehouse the same size as EXAMPLE 1.” Using Barpro Mobile Racking, the storage capacity has been doubled. Each pallet is immediately accessible.

Barpro Mobile Racking requires fewer access aisles, therefore substantially increasing the number of pallets that can be stored in an existing warehouse. Mobile racking also allows immediate access to each pallet, which is critical where there are many product lines and/or batches.
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We’ve been asked this question by prospective clients when their current storage capacity has reached a maximum and they are faced with the prospect of either relocating or storing more in their current premises. Yes, mobiles can be retrofitted into existing cold stores/warehouses. The existing subfloor would need to be checked to make sure it can take the increase in the loading of the main slab. Then a new floor screed has to be laid to support the rails. Mobile bases are installed on top of the rails. This reinforced screed tends to be around 150mms thick. At this height it is a relatively simple matter to design ramps which allow materials handling equipment to move into and out of the mobile area.

There is no limitation as to what can be stored efficiently on mobile bases. Each system is custom designed to your specific need. We have installed systems throughout the country where clients have stored chicken, fish, meat, paper, drums of juice, and wait for it, motor vehicles. The first Barpro system, for example, was designed to carry lengths of steel.

Yes we have successfully relocated systems around South Africa. Unfortunately you cannot take the rails as they are embedded into the floor, but all other components can be dismantled and reused so long as they are in good working order.

Barpro can source racking superstructure as part of a mobile project if requested to do so by a customer. However Barpro itself does not manufacture racking. Barpro’s speciality is in supplying the rails that are embedded into the floor and the mobile bases.

No, we supply Barpro mobile racking to warehouses who store things.

The maximum permissible length of a mobile base is determined by the width of the base, measured between wheel centres. However, it is possible to run 2 or more Barpro bases one behind each other. The minimum Barpro base length is around 7500mms. Longer mobile bases are generally cheaper per pallet position than shorter ones.

Traditionally mobiles have been used in the cold storage industry, but we are seeing a growing interest in the ambient sector. The system is custom made to suit your product so theoretically any store could have a need for mobile racking.

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is where Barpro Storage agrees to inspect a client’s mobile racking system, normally twice a year. A report is issued after both visits. We will supply graphic illustrations documenting the damage found on each mobile, thus you will have a complete service history record at your fingertips. A quote for any repairs that may be necessary will also be sent to the client. While the inspection will concentrate on the mobile bases, any obvious racking damage will also be noted. Other checks can include floor surveys and overloading checks using a sample of pallet weights. Clients can also get telephonic after hours support to resolve problems.

It is up to the client whether or not to do the repairs. However, over the years we have noted that clients who have put off doing repairs have had to do them later at a far higher cost and greater disruption to their daily operation. Regular reports showing good levels of maintenance should assist clients with insurers and health and safety authorities and provide an independent assessment of the system as a whole.