Welcome to the 15 November Warehouse & Logistics News. As autumn’s gloom sets in, we shine a light on the workings of the busy warehouse. In this issue we have scheduled features on three subjects high on warehouse managers’ to do lists – Buildings/Facilities, The Loading Bay and Power Sources. Buildings/Facilities looks at main structures and key equipment, including temporary structures. The Loading Bay takes in doors, dock levelers and dock lifts, and Power Sources covers all aspects of motive power in the warehouse and logistics environment, including batteries, LPG and engines.

chazAs a highlight of our Loading Bay feature we have an exclusive interview with Dock Solutions, the fast growing British company based near Gloucester, who are specialist UK-based manufacturers, installers, repairers and refurbishers of loading bay equipment and industrial doors, and one of the few UK companies offering a nationwide British-made solution from a single source for this crucial part of the warehouse.

Incorporated in 2004, Dock Solutions’ turnover has grown 35% in just the last year, and they are increasingly being called in to carry out major installations and refurb projects for well-known industry names. Among these assignments they recently carried out supply and install contracts for Yodel and Nutrica, and a massive refurbishment for Eddie Stobart, involving upgrading 56 dock levellers.

Retailers’ investment in their warehouse operations continues to make news headlines, as our front cover story highlights. TJ Morris, trading as Home Bargains, one of the UK’s fastest growing discount retailers with over 290 stores, has just awarded a major order to Swisslog to act as general contractor for the materials handling elements of a new distribution center. The order strengthens Swisslog’s position as a leading provider of automated intralogistics solutions for retail. It comprises pallet and light goods cranes and conveyors, including software, and racking. At the solution’s heart is Swisslog’s CaddyPick semi-automated case order-picking system, which is set to revolutionise TJ Morris’s working environment, offering picking simplicity and a clean, quiet atmosphere. Integration on-site starts in mid-2014.

And finally, there’s no escaping the fact that lighting is crucial to the atmosphere and productivity of a warehouse, especially this time of year. By replacing old inefficient schemes with modern alternatives, you can slash energy bills and reduce CO2 emissions while providing people-centred lighting. That’s the message at LuxLive 2013, the UK’s biggest lighting exhibition, coming to Earls Court, London on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st November. Packed with big name exhibitors and product demos, LuxLive is free to attend. W&LN are media partners to the event, and you’ll find us at the show on stand G48. See you there!

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