Making
It
Plumb

Plumbing World is the largest 100% New Zealand owned national plumbing merchant, with showrooms all around the country. Their new distribution centre supplies their showrooms and customers with everything from trade products to top fashion bathroom fittings for their homes.

Scope

Their distribution centre has a massive product range that encompasses all manor of shapes, sizes and weights from small hooks through to baths, fireplaces and the proverbial kitchen sink. As it services their nine New Zealand showrooms, as well as direct to customers and plumbers, an efficient and effective stock management and distribution centre is crucial.

Challenge

A vast array of products and pallet sizes required a large number of beam height variances and a carefully planned design and installation. A well thought out work flow and packing stations needed to be incorporated into the design. 

Solution

In order to design the most effective pallet racking plans our team considered a combination of beam levels, aisle sizes and racking heights. They paid close consideration to pallet weights, material handling equipment, concrete specs, soil class and the seismic zone. Plumbing World was consulted throughout the process to ensure the warehouse solution encompassed both their current and future needs. This process was done 10 months ahead of installation and ahead of the start of the building construction.

The final solution included reducing their aisle width from 3.5m at the previous site down to 2.5m at the new site in conjunction with new material handling equipment. Frame heights were also increased from 6m frames to 9.144m.

PRS handled the total consenting process with the council.

Products Used

Pallet Racking
Row protectors
Wire mesh for pick levels and walkthrough access
Workbenches
Stillages

“Last Year Plumbing World Ltd decided to expand its warehousing capacity. PRS won the tender for all racking in the warehouse. The job was completed on time with quality workmanship.”

Anwar Sahib, Purchasing & Distribution Manager