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The racking structure is made up of two main elements;

1. Beams – comprising beam section, end connectors and safely locks
2. Frames – comprising uprights, bracing and baseplates

Each item should be inspected according to AS4084 and FEM standards which come with recommended inspection intervals.

They are:

Daily inspections

• Conducted by the operator of the system.
• Implementing inspections on a daily basis ensure:
• No damages occurred due to incorrect application and use of MHE
• Safe working loads are adhered to
• Damaged pallets are not loaded onto the racking system

Weekly inspections

• Visual inspection from the ground level, carried out by the Safety Officer based on a prepared checklist. This is a good practice to ensure that any faults or issues are found and dealt with immediately.

Monthly inspections

• Includes emptying random bays to carry out a more detailed inspection of the components.

The scope would also ensure:

• Safe working load signages and safety signs are in place
• Any components with damages identified as ‘Very Serious’ or ‘Hazardous’ have been isolated and actions have been taken to rectify those risks.

Six to Twelve Month Inspections

• This is a comprehensive inspection and includes checking that no modifications of the structure have taken place. A copy of the load application and configuration drawings is retained and referred to during the inspection.
• This inspection is conducted by a technically competent officer who is experienced in identifying and categorising rack damage.

When it comes to damages to racking systems, it is recommended that parts or components are replaced, not repaired.  Not placing emphasis on this could result in severe consequences to the safety of the team, and to the business.

The team at Dexion is experienced in carrying out racking inspections and maintenance works.

Get in touch to schedule your racking inspections!

Dexion’s investment includes the purchase of a 6-acre land in the heart of Shah Alam, strategically situated amidst a cluster of multi-national companies.  It is an established location with well-developed infrastructure and connectivity to Port Klang, Malaysia’s main logistics hub, which facilitates access to Dexion’s key export markets.

Dexion, with a legacy of being a pioneer of the racking industry, will be investing USD20 million into the new development.  The sleek, modern structure features a steel and glass facade and will house a world-class manufacturing facility and regional APAC Sales Office.

“Malaysia is at the crossroads between East and West and enjoys ease of trading across borders which will benefit our growing APAC customer base. This facility will achieve greater efficiency in manufacturing processes and greatly enhance our business operations.  Our 30-year presence in Malaysia has enabled us to build strong partnerships with many key customers and we would be proud to deliver even more top-notch solutions to them,” explains Damian Cross, Regional General Manager, Southeast Asia for Dexion Asia Pacific.

Construction is scheduled to commence in December 2020, and the site is expected to “go live” by of end 2021. The purpose-built facility is designed to produce best-in-class intralogistics storage solutions that will cater to export markets mainly Australia, Southeast Asia and India while continuing to serve a strong domestic demand.  The company is also investing into new machinery to achieve high quality, high-volume production that delivers superior systems and service to customers in the region.

The new facility will also function as Dexion’s regional Design and Engineering Centre.  It will also house an Innovation Centre for R&D purposes and an interactive showroom to showcase Dexion’s growing range of solutions.

The generation of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z and Millennials had never experienced such disruption from our daily lives and are coming to terms on what the impact it brings to work, school, exercise routines, social lives and family time.

A crucial part of being confined to our homes is the ability to get food and daily supplies without stepping out of the house.  With most retails shops closed for the time being and supermarkets shelves left empty after being swarmed by panic buyers, the calm that followed the storm came in the form of online shopping, the ideal way to practice social distancing and avoid crowds.

With the sudden spike in demand for these items, are manufacturers, distributors and retailers able to meet market needs?

Traditional retailers and e-commerce businesses may want to push ahead to upgrade and improve their storage and warehousing facilities to continuously supply to market demands.  The key is to expand quickly, in the most cost-effective manner with minimum construction effort.

Dexion MezzClad

With the Dexion Mezzclad, companies can quickly assemble a stable, reliable structure to meet their immediate business needs.  It is an innovative free-standing system built using pre-galvanised high strength steel that provides an effective way to boost storage capacity for companies.

Benefits of the system are;

1. Maximise space by making full use of the building footprint
   Unlike traditional warehouses that requires support pillars, side walls and roofing, a MezzClad structure can fully occupy the whole warehouse space.  Wall claddings and roofing are attached directly on the mezzanine structure.
2. Height optimisation
   The building could go up to any height depending on the regulations set by the local authorities. In this case, the uprights can climb 60 metres high.  The greater the height of the system, the more profitable it becomes for the user.
3. Quick and easy installation
   Once the floor slab has been completed, the mezzanine structure and cladding can be progressively and concurrently installed.  The Dexion 808 system is assembled using the block-stack installation method providing safety to workers.   The warehouse can be completed much quicker than the time it takes to construct a traditional warehouse.
4. Minimal civil works
   Installing the MezzClad is time efficient, it reduces labourer and construction costs.  The structure sits on the slab with a uniform distribution of the forces on the foundation, eliminating a concentration of load on certain points thus making construction simpler.Integrating steel staircase, handrails, goods lifts, water sprinklers and lighting complete the warehouse and make it ready for operations.
5. Flexible and modular system
   The components can be dismantled and reassembled according to the business’s needs.  The allows the system to be expanded, relocated or shifted to another location if required.
6. Sturdy and safe
   The system is designed as a whole and engineers ensure that it meets design criteria such as wind and rain loads, crane forces, soil types and robustness factors.  Warehouses located in seismic zones can be reinforced with safety features.

Applications

1. Manual fulfilment
   1. For small- to medium-sized items in light to medium weight.
      When combined with multi-tier shelving system, it makes a versatile system.  A wide range of accessories such as tote bins, dividers and mesh panels keep items organised for manual picking activities.
      Besides e-commerce, other industries like electronic manufacturing, automotive industry and retailers would also find this system highly useful.
      
   2. For bulky items in medium to heavy weight and slow-moving items.
      Besides storage of electrical items and furniture, this system is highly suitable for the records management industry.
      
2. Automated fulfilment
   E-comm platforms that promise speedy deliveries have turned to sophisticated robots to process items – from storing, to picking, and sorting stocks for same-day delivery to customers.   These robots provide accuracy and are quick to deploy orders to be packed and shipped off.This sortation technology requires super-flat picking platforms to ensure smooth and seamless operations built using mezzanine structures. Autonomous warehouses using robots are for ideal for dispatch of most items, including groceries and fresh foods.Dexion 808
    
   Dexion’s mezzanine systems are designed and built using the Dexion 808, an innovative product that can be configured in various ways to produce a mezzanine floor structure to meet a customer’s weight load, span and head room requirements.

   This is a fully bolted structure with selectively punched holes to assure optimum upright capacity.  This system is light in weight and able to withstand heavy loads.  The system has undergone actual load & safety testing beyond computations for the added safety factor. 

   Companies that are quick to respond can be prepared to achieve greater efficiency and fulfil orders quickly – this is the opportunity that companies can leverage on to capture a larger piece of the pie and gain consumer loyalty for the long term.

   More on Dexion 808:

If you are looking to enhance your storage capacity quickly and be prepared for e-commerce opportunities, drop us a line at [email protected] for a consultation!

In December 2019, it was predicted that there would be 2.05 billion global digital buyers in 2020. This is 25% of the world’s population making up 15.5% of retail sales worldwide.

The number was expected to rise to 2.14 billion people in 2021 with retail sales rising up to 17.5% globally.

E-commerce was already expanding rapidly and becoming an integral part of consumers’ behaviour patterns.  The convenience of purchasing items at the click of a button from the comfort of the home and waiting for deliveries to arrive was no longer a novelty, but a norm, or way of life for most people.

From small size items like fashion accessories to large bulky items like furniture, whatever the price, e-comm had it covered.  Consumers had peace of mind when shopping with established brands directly or when using platforms like Lazada and Shopee.  Consumers are even comfortable purchasing big ticket luxury items like designer bags and watches, and trust that it would get to them safety.

A survey conducted by KPMG in year 2017 found that online shoppers were motivated by these factors; round the clock availability, convenience, price point, ease of selection and as the only option to obtain something that was not available in their own country.  The motivations are shown in the graph below:

Product category trends

In the same survey, KPMG found that in most countries, the most purchased items online are books & music, electronics and apparel.

Since the global outbreak of Covid-19, a new pattern of behaviour has emerged, shifting the product category demands drastically.  Nielsen’s recent report found that consumers are stockpiling supplies in preparation of lockdowns or restricted movements and coined the term “pandemic pantries”.

Their investigation observed six consumer behaviour threshold levels that signal the spending patterns of people across multiple markets:

• Proactive health minded buying (purchasing preventative health and wellness products)
  
• Reactive health management (purchasing protective gear like masks and hand sanitisers)
  In Malaysia, sales of hand sanitisers touched RM1millon in the last week of January, 800% above the weekly average.  Whilst store shelves in Taiwan, China and Japan were sold out on bleach, hand sanitizer, toilet paper and cleaning pads.
  

• Pantry preparation (stockpiling groceries and household essentials)
  In Vietnam, 45% of surveyed consumers say they’ve increased what they’re stocking at home, and 25% are buying more items online. In Taiwan, instant noodles have become a rarity in supermarkets.
  In the US, the sale of packaged goods with stable shelf life such as oat milk has boomed over 300% in dollar value, and items like fruit snacks, pet medicine and dried beans has risen over 10% in a matter of weeks.

• Quarantine prep (experiencing shortages in stores, making fewer store visits)
  An increase in online shopping as consumers prefer to stay away from stores, avoiding crowds and to keep their social distance.

• Restricted living (making much fewer shopping trips, limited online fulfilment)
  As more people are home-bound, the demand for online shopping on essential items increases.  This puts a strain on fulfilment capabilities especially when retailers are unprepared with limited stock in storage and cannot meet market demands.
  

• A new normal (return to daily routines, permanently altered supply chain)
  People start to return to daily routines but there is heightened consciousness about health and hygiene.  There is a long-term impact in supply chain and consumers’ shopping behaviours.

As consumers’ habits and buying patterns shift, business owners who are prepared have the opportunity to meet market demands, gain foothold over a bigger piece of the pie and earn customer loyalty along the way.

This trend is not limited to fulfilling daily essentials like fresh food and groceries.  Physical store retailers will need to rethink their future business model once shopping habits of consumers shift when evaluating their purchase decisions.  This could mean intensifying focus into e-comm infrastructure and enhancing customer experience through quick, transparent and trustworthy supply chain systems.

“People are gradually moving from offline shopping to online and the habit won’t disappear when the epidemic is over. This will have a very positive impact on the whole eCommerce industry,” Says Zhong Zhenshan, Vice-president of emerging technology research, IDC.

It’s time to get your business ready for the new normal and embrace new realities that will emerge for consumers post-pandemic season.

In Part 2 of this story, we look at solutions ideal for for E-commerce application.

References:

KPMG International (2017). The Truth About Online Consumers: 2017 Global Online Consumer Report https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2017/01/the-truth-about-online-consumers.html

Law, T. (2019) 19 Powerful Statistics That Will Guide Your Strategy in 2020 https://www.oberlo.com/blog/ecommerce-statistics-guide-your-strategy

Meyer, S. (2020) Understanding the Covid-19 Effect on Online Shopping Behaviour https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/covid-19-ecommerce/#changes-in-revenue-across-ecommerce

Nielsen Investigation: “Pandemic Pantries” Pressure Supply Chain Amid Covid-19 Fears https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/nielsen-investigation-pandemic-pantries-pressure-supply-chain-amidst-covid-19-fears/

The next “Big One” at a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale is predicted to take place along the 100-kilometer West Valley Fault that runs through six cities in Metro Manila.

Companies that are prepared for seismic activity such as this can greatly reduce the impact to their business when it happens.   To equip customers adequately, Dexion Philippines organised a talk on the importance of installing earthquake-resistant racking in warehouses.

Dexion’s Regional Engineering Manager shared about key differences between seismic-performance racking versus normal racking.  This includes technical complexity in calculating earthquake forces and testing structural components to ensure they withstand seismic and gravitational forces.

Participants took away key learning’s about racking configuration, load resistance, racking components, and even site factors like soil type, when it comes to ensuring they have a structurally solid racking system.

During the event, the team took the opportunity to introduce a newly appointed Dexion Service Centre, Intralog Pro Industries Inc as its local representative to service the Filipino market.  This partnership complements Dexion’s direct presence in the market.

If you would like to meet the team and attend future talks in the region, send your Name, Designation, Company & Contact details to [email protected]

The Hilti VIP programme was launched simultaneously across the globe across all countries in alignment with Hilti’s core purpose to create enthusiastic customers and build a better future together.

Hilti VIP customers are selected based on meeting certain requirements set such as a healthy credit rating and payment history as well as a customer’s buying history and trade activities.

Mr. Gary Tse, General Manager of Hilti Malaysia conveyed his commitment to Dexion Asia, “We want to become your number one construction business partner and help your business to grow.”

The company aims to wow VIP customers with value-added, world-class service and tailor-made solutions.

The award, an initiative to value and recognize customers, was presented to Damian Cross, Regional General Manager Asia at the Dexion office in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

Hilti Malaysia representatives are Alex Ho, Area Sales Manager (Mechanical and Electrical) and Ir Ng Beng Hooi (Head of Engineering).

There have probably been millions, if not billions, of inventions since the dawn of time. It might have started with tools to kill animals for food, and moved on to equipment to construct buildings and machines for travel. Today, we are privileged to live in a world where many of the derivatives of these initial inventions help us in our daily lives.

Necessity really has been the mother of invention, whether it was the compass by the Chinese of the Han Dynasty for direction, the light bulb by Thomas Alva Edison who wanted to create an incandescent lamp, or the Dexion Slotted Angle by Demetrius Comino who wanted a smarter shelving system. Each invention was born of a need to make life better and improve on contemporary conditions. The great ones have even been disruptive.

When businessman, engineer, inventor and philanthropist Comino needed a better way to store paper and other consumables in 1939, he designed the slotted angle with holes punched along the length of the angled steel. It was named the Dexion Slotted Angle, after the company he founded in 1937.

Moved by the plight of the many who were displaced by an earthquake, he donated 20,000 feet of those Dexion Slotted Angles to the Ionian Islands in Greece in 1953. The Dexion product was used to build makeshift houses.

Disruptive technology? Yes, indeed. Along the way, Comino built a whole new industry which today caters to the logistics storage needs of clients and consumers.

But, let’s be candid here. A good invention isn’t just something that will benefit the people of today and tomorrow, but one that can be improved upon with each generation for better solutions to suit the needs of each new era.

Comino didn’t just start a company in 1937; he started a whole new industry with a great hunger for cutting-edge innovations.

Dexion’s inventions have taken to whole new levels over the past 80 years, with many solutions being used globally today. They have also become templates for how storage and supply chain systems need to be built.

Storage units are no longer just cabinets of shelves. Today, racking systems are robust and offer high scalability, increased velocity of pallet retrieval and seismic engineering which maximise storage capacity.

Carton-picking is no longer done manually using pieces of paper. There are voice-operated carton-picking systems which are accurate, offer better batch control, and promise a safer work environment.

Storage solution systems can now be scaled up to thousands of shelving bays.

The elementary conveyor belt supply chain has developed into a full-scale intelligent system that flows around a factory, much like a complex multi-level highway with various interchanges.

From key-based lockers, there are now secure, weather-resistant, digital lockers for the mobile workforce.

Mezzanine floors no longer need to be built brick by brick. There are now mezzanine flooring solutions that are durable, can handle heavy loads and are easy to erect within existing buildings.

The humble shelving units have now transformed into mammoth storage machines which are easy to integrate into a company’s warehouse management system and are computer-controlled for easy storage and picking. They are also built vertically or horizontally to maximise storage space.

There are also intelligent machines for small parts handling and long goods storage and retrieval.

And, of course, to meet the requirements of businesses today, these inventions come with analysis and simulation tools.

These are only a scant number of inventions that were born out of necessity and can trace their roots to the humble Dexion Slotted Angle.

Beyond these inventions, the father of Dexion, Demetrius Comino left behind a more important legacy: a new way of thinking to problem-solve for achievements. His greatest contribution was really ‘Smarter Thinking’.

Triple Eight Race Engineering, Australia’s leading national Supercars motor racing team, has collected seven drivers’ championships, eight team’s championships, six Bathurst wins and over 150 race wins over the last decade. Success is not only contagious, it’s demanded.

Expanding from two to three cars for the 2016 Supercars championship, the team faced numerous challenges including the storage of 80 tyres per car in the temperature controlled tyre room which was already at maximum capacity.

“An innovative storage solution was paramount to maintaining the winning edge”, said Triple Eight owner Roland Dane. Dexion’s history of delivering storage solutions to Triple Eight meant they were one of the first calls we made.

Dexion’s response maximised the use of Triple Eight’s existing workshop space while also overcoming issues surrounding tyre access, workplace health and operator safety issues.

The Dexion Mekdrive 3 Compactus mechanically assisted mobile storage system using Dexion’s Longspan shelving created space for all 240 tyres while minimising disruption to the existing workshop layout. The Mekdrive 3’s unique stylised hand wheel with integrated spinner handle also greatly reduces strain on the operator’s shoulders and elbows when moving the carriages.

“The time saved in accessing and putting away tyres has freed me up to do more productive tasks in the workshop,” explained Triple Eight truck driver and tyre handler Warick “Wazza” Beames. The innovative patented pivoting safety ramps also allow Warick to easily bring trolleys in and out of the Mekdrive 3 Compactus.

The main beneficiaries are the drivers. “Dexion has been a long-time supporter of mine and it’s great to see their capacity to provide an innovative storage solution is as strong as ever,” said Craig Lowndes, six times Bathurst winner and three times Supercars drivers’ championship winner.

“The Dexion Mekdrive 3 Compactus ensures we will continue to remain a step ahead in our super competitive championship,” beamed six time drivers’ champion Jamie Whincup.

New team addition Shane van Gisbergen commented, “The importance of high quality tyres to our racing success can’t be overstated. The Dexion Mekdrive 3 Compactus will help ensure our tyres last longer and allow me to hopefully overtake Craig and Jamie more often!”

“For the team, the installation of the Dexion Mekdrive 3 Compactus ensures tyre handling and tyre storage is no longer a concern,” commented Triple Eight race team manager Mark Dutton. “The safety and operator handling features of the Dexion Mekdrive 3 Compactus are outstanding and offer the business great comfort to ensure our staff work in the safest possible environment. The 10 year warranty is a real bonus!”

“Dexion’s ability to professionally project manage the installation process from order placement to final installation was world class ““ a fantastic result,” said Triple Eight’s Commercial Operations Manager Tom Wilson.

By understanding Triple Eight’s storage problem and identifying and implementing solutions that accommodate the design restrictions, Dexion is playing a key role in supporting the team’s future race and championship glory.