360° Project Review | Power brands | Maximizing warehouse capacity

MAXIMIZING STORAGE CAPACITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND PRODUCT FLOW WITH A SMART MULTI-SYSTEM WAREHOUSE SOLUTION BY STAMH GROUP

Client: Power Brands is a Bulgarian company operating in the fast-moving consumer goods sector and a subsidiary of VP Brands International. The company is active in the distribution and brand management of FMCG products, including beverages. STAMH Group has delivered storage solutions for Power Brands, including Live Storage Gravity Pallet Racking Systems in several of the company's warehouses.

Location: Bulgaria

The Challenge: As warehouse operations grow, the challenge is not simply to store more pallets. The warehouse must simultaneously provide:

• High storage capacity within the available footprint;
• Efficient use of every square metre;
• Convenient access to different categories of stock;
• Smooth product flow and replenishment;
• Flexibility for different storage and handling requirements;
• Safe and reliable operation;
• Ability to accommodate future business growth;

For Power Brands, STAMH Group approached the warehouse as an integrated logistics environment rather than a collection of individual storage areas. The result was a combination of Mobile Racking, Conventional Pallet Racking, and Live Storage Systems, with each technology performing a specific role within the overall warehouse operation.

KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEW STORAGE SOLUTION ENGINEERED BY STAMH GROUP

• High storage density;
• Maximize the number of pallet positions available within the existing warehouse footprint, reducing the amount of floor space consumed by permanent aisles;
• Flexible pallet storage;
• Provide different storage configurations for products with different movement characteristics, while maintaining straightforward access for warehouse operations;
• Efficient product flow;
• Use gravity-based Live Storage where appropriate to support organized replenishment and product movement;
• Operational accessibility;
• Combine high-density storage with Conventional Pallets positions to ensure that products requiring more direct or frequent access can be handled efficiently;
• Safety and reliability;
• Ensure that the movement of heavy storage structures and palletized loads takes place within a controlled and professionally engineered environment;
• Future-oriented design;
• Create a storage infrastructure that can support the evolution of Power Brands' warehouse operations rather than being limited to today's requirements;

THE SOLUTION: THREE STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES WORKING AS ONE

Rather than relying on a single Racking Technology, STAMH Group engineered a multi-system storage solution for Power Brands. The concept combines - Mobile Racking Systems, Conventional Pallet Racking, and Live Storage Systems;

This allows the warehouse to balance three critical requirements: capacity, accessibility and product flow.

MOBILE RACKING - MORE PALLETS ON THE SAME FOOTPRINT

The central element of the project is the Mobile Racking System. Instead of maintaining a permanent operating aisle between every rack row, the racks are installed on mobile bases and move along rails. When access is required, the necessary aisle is opened exactly where the warehouse operation needs it. When the aisle is no longer required, the mobile bases close the space again. This simple change in warehouse geometry creates a significant advantage: space that would traditionally be occupied by permanent aisles can instead be used for storage. The result is a substantially higher storage density without automatically requiring additional building area;

CONVENTIONAL PALLET RACKING - FLEXIBILITY AND DIRECT ACCESS

High-density storage is not the answer for every pallet. For products that require more direct accessibility or different handling patterns, STAMH Group incorporated a Conventional Pallet Racking area. This Conventional configuration complements the Mobile Racking System by creating a separate storage environment where pallets can be accessed directly. The combination gives Power Brands the flexibility to organize inventory according to its actual operational characteristics rather than forcing every product into the same storage model;

• High-density storage where density matters;
• Direct access where accessibility matters;

LIVE STORAGE - LET GRAVITY WORK FOR THE WAREHOUSE

The third element of the solution is Live Storage Gravity Flow Racking. In a Live Storage System, pallets are loaded from one side and move along inclined roller tracks towards the picking or retrieval side. When the front pallet is removed, the next pallet automatically advances into position. The result is a controlled, continuous product flow with no additional drive system required for the pallet movement itself.

For Power Brands, this technology adds another operational dimension to the warehouse ecosystem:

• organized product flow;
• faster replenishment;
• reduced forklift travel;
• better utilization of storage space;
• and the possibility of applying FIFO stock rotation where the product characteristics require it;

ONE WAREHOUSE. THREE DIFFERENT STORAGE LOGICS

The strength of the Power Brands project is not any individual racking technology. It is the way the technologies work together.

This combination allows Power Brands to match the storage method to the operational requirement.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS AND BENEFITS OF THE NEW STORAGE SOLUTION

• Maximized Storage Density;

• The Mobile Racking Configuration eliminates the need for permanent aisles between every rack row, allowing more pallet positions to be created within the available footprint;

• Flexible storage capacity;

• Smarter product flow;

• Live Storage uses gravity to move pallets towards the picking/retrieval face, supporting continuous replenishment and efficient stock rotation;

• Better use of warehouse space;

• By combining high-density Mobile Storage with Conventional and Gravity-flow zones, the available warehouse volume can be allocated according to the actual operational needs of the inventory

• Reduced unnecessary forklift travel;

• The combination of Mobile and Live Storage technologies can reduce unnecessary movement within storage areas, contributing to more efficient warehouse workflows;

• Operational flexibility;

Different storage technologies provide Power Brands with different levels of accessibility, density and product flow within the same warehouse environment.

SAFETY IS PART OF THE SYSTEM - NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT

Mobile Racking introduces an important engineering requirement: large storage structures carrying heavy palletized loads must move safely and precisely. For this reason, the Power Brands Mobile Racking solution incorporates dedicated safety and control features.

These include:

• photocell sensors;
• protective safety devices;
• light and sound signalling;
• remote control of the mobile bases;

These elements work together to provide controlled movement of the mobile structures and help protect both warehouse personnel and equipment. Safety therefore becomes an integral part of the warehouse design rather than an additional feature added after installation.

ENGINEERED FOR TODAY - PREPARED FOR TOMORROW

One of the most important characteristics of the Power Brands project is its consideration of future expansion. STAMH Group has supplied and installed rails intended for the future installation of additional mobile bases in the front section of the warehouse, according to the project design. This means that the warehouse infrastructure is prepared for a future increase in Mobile Storage capacity without requiring the entire storage concept to be redesigned. The principle is simple - build today's warehouse with tomorrow's growth already in mind!