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SSI Schaefer was established by Fritz Schaefer in Germany in 1937. The early years of the business revolved around the manufacture of steel products and the business enjoyed rapid growth before the four Schaefer brothers took over management and drove further expansion through the 1950s.

Still a family-owned business, the company is now the UK and world’s leading provider of automated materials handling equipment and integrated storage solutions, with products ranging from plastic totes to high bay pallet warehouses. The organisation offers expertise in the design, build, installation and maintenance of major, and often bespoke, production and distribution centre operations across a broad spectrum of commercial and industrial sectors. The company is constantly evolving and remains at the forefront of innovation in both new product development and the provision of unique intralogistics solutions.

Schaefer’s customer base ranges from every day high street names, such as Sainsbury’s, to less well known – but no less important – small business operations handling a multitude of products in locations across the UK and the globe.

Phil West, Health & Safety Manager, SSI Schaefer Limited spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.

Warehouse & Logistics News – First of all, what does your role involve day to day?

My role varies from day to day depending upon the needs of the business. Currently my time is divided between Health and Safety surveillance of new installation sites, resident maintenance sites and working towards OHSAS18001 certification in early 2016. As the Health and Safety Manager for SSI Schaefer Ltd I am involved in risk assessing new equipment installed in the UK as well as working on continuous improvement initiatives to further enhance some of the products we produce e.g. High efficiency Storage and Retrieval Machines that provide up to 25% reduction in energy consumption.

WLN – The theme of this year’s SEMA Conference is Asset Safety in the storage industry. Are you directly involved in working with customers to help them protect their assets during storage?

Yes, I am involved in working with our customers to ensure their assets are safeguarded. Our customers have a wide range of assets, from their employees through to rack systems and fully automated storage and retrieval systems. I am involved with customers at the design stage of projects to ensure the safety of their employees is maintained and work with them to establish suitable means of protecting racking and automated systems from damage. Once work begins on a project, I work with customers to ensure that safe systems of work are developed and that all appropriate testing and inspection is undertaken in accordance with local and EU standards.

WLN – Who else in your company is specifically involved with asset storage safety?

The SSI Schaefer Engineering Manager and Site managers on the construction phase are involved in ensuring customers assets are protected. Resident Maintenance site managers are involved in ensuring that this continues through the life of the asset. All site-based operations staff are fully trained in all aspects of health and safety. We also hold regular meetings to discuss new and current safety issues, to identify any points of weakness and to undertake risk assessment to future-proof both on- and off-site operations.

WLN – What are your core products and services: what are you best known for providing? How is asset protection ‘built in’ to them?

We have been supplying storage systems which have been developed and have evolved over a period spanning more than 75 years. The solutions we supply can be generic or specifically tailored to the storage of unique products. Although our core products are storage-based and include pallet racking, shelving and metal and plastic containers we have also, over the past 15 years, supplied solutions which automate the storage and retrieval of products within these systems – specifically conveyors, pallet and miniload cranes and automatic picking. Our product portfolio has also been extended to include warehouse management and control software and integration of other system-related products.

Asset protection is built in at the design stage. This operates on two levels: firstly, the product itself is designed in all instances to be ‘fit for purpose’ and a process of exhaustive testing is in place – backed up by rigorous quality assurance procedures – in all of our manufacturing plants. Secondly, the design of the system which incorporates the product is of paramount importance. A layout design will undergo scrutiny by a qualified structural engineer and environmental and building conditions are also assessed by appropriately qualified personnel, which enables us to determine if a proposed installation can proceed or if the site needs to be modified in any way beforehand. This means that blanket safety coverage of all assets – both the stored product and the storage system itself – is effective at all levels.

WLN – Have you launched any new products and services in the past year? Again, how do they help enhance asset safety?

We have launched the ‘Weasel’, a collision-free AGV which transports product between storage media and offers a high level of personal safety without the need for complex sensor technology.

WLN – Which industry sectors are your customers in? Can you name some of your major customers and tell us about the work you do for them?

As indicated above, SSI Schaefer services a vast range of industry sectors. Prominent in our customer portfolio are pharma distribution, the automotive aftermarket, temperature-controlled warehouses and retail – the latter including general merchandise as well as food and drink. Projects in these sectors all involve the installation of pallet racking, some of which is serviced by automated storage and retrieval machines (or pallet and miniload cranes), and there are also elements of shelving, carton live storage ,conveyors and controls with integrated auxiliary equipment, which ranges from printers and label applicators to carton erectors and tote stacking/destacking machines.

WLN – What makes you the first choice supplier in your area of expertise?

Our reputation for quality of both products and service, along with innovation is solutions design, is well known. This is steeped in years of experience. The stability and longevity of a multi-generation family business is also regarded as a ‘big plus’ by our customers.

WLN – How important is asset safety to you as a business?

The warehouse is an environment in which personal safety is of prime importance. We are bound by legislation to supply equipment which can be used safely and operated without causing death or injury, although we exceed this basic requirement by designing and providing systems with smart ergonomics to make the human interface a better and more efficient experience.

WLN – What is your key message about safety for the warehouse industry?

It doesn’t matter how safe your equipment is when initially installed by the supplier, as day to day operations within the warehouse or distribution centre will result in wear and tear, which may ultimately render it unserviceable or unsafe for employees and as well as raising the potential for damage to stored products. For even basic static storage systems, inspecting racking and shelving on a regular basis is important and also a legal requirement.

WLN – What is your company’s involvement at the 2015 SEMA Safety Conference – what are you doing on the day?

We intend to be represented at the conference, although we are not presenting any papers.

WLN – How does your involvement in SEMA help you as a company?

Being a SEMA member enables us to share experiences, exchange valuable industry information and advocate new policies and standards. It also acts as an ‘accreditation’ and makes us more attractive to a potential customer.

WLN – How does it benefit your customers knowing you are SEMA members?

Customers know we adhere to strict policy on safety and quality which, together, gives them confidence in their decision to choose Schaefer as a supplier.

WLN – What specific safety standards do your products and services comply with?

SSI equipment is designed and constructed to comply with all relevant safety standards and regulations including BS EN 15629:2008 Steel static storage systems, Specification of storage equipment. BS EN 15095:2007+A1:2008 Power-operated mobile racking and shelving, carousels and storage lifts, Safety requirements. BS EN 528:2008 Rail dependent storage and retrieval equipment, Safety requirements. LOLER 1998, PUWER 1998 and SEMA codes of practice.

WLN – How frequently does the equipment you supply need to be inspected to make sure it is safe? Do you offer an independent safety inspection service to make sure it is in good order?

The frequency of equipment inspections varies dependent on the level of risk, amount of use and/or the equipment type. Certain regulations such as LOLER for instance, require that lifting equipment is inspected every 12 months unless it is used for lifting people where the frequency is altered to every 6 months. We offer a racking safety inspection service which is designed also to educate. Inspecting racking and shelving on a regular basis is required under current Health and Safety legislation and the ultimate responsibility for rack safety lies with the employer and carries significant legal liabilities in the event of an accident. Our SEMA approved Racking Inspectors are specialists trained to identify the less obvious structural weaknesses and irregularities, such as damaged baseplates, broken safety locks and ill-fitting beam connectors. We offer inspection reports, in an easy to understand format as well as being professional and unbiased. Upon receipt of instructions to proceed, SSI Schaefer will subsequently project manage and effect any repairs necessary, replacing damaged components and ensuring full Health & Safety and PUWER compliance.

WLN – What safety training do you offer your customers? Do you offer on-site training at customers’ premises?

We offer our customers working at height and rescue at height training if this is required and this can be delivered at the customers premises. We also provide product training for all SSI Schaefer equipment which includes a strong safety element.

WLN – Do you publish customer case studies on how your products and services help make warehouses safer generally?

We have a specific publication relating to racking safety, designed to raise awareness within user installations. Where specific product features designed to increase safety are built in then these are highlighted. For example, in installations which include our pallet shuttle, ‘Orbiter’, we highlight the increased safety aspect associated with its built-in laser, which detects objects (including humans) in its travel path and causes it to stop moving well before impact.

WLN – Do you have any pilot sites where people can see your products in action?

Our latest technology is installed in a host of sites globally, while key sites in the UK range from large retail organisations, such as Sainsbury’s and Holland & Barrett to niche suppliers like Office Depot, Teva and wholesale growers, such as Bowmans Chilled Stores and AJ & CI Snell, who store their products in temperature-controlled environments.

WLN – What do you see as the most common threats to warehouse safety, and what can be done about them?

There are numerous safety pitfalls which we encounter at all points from the install period through to ongoing operational activity. Top of the list is poor or incorrect training, followed by poor or lack of equipment maintenance, lack of implementation of inspection regimes and a failure to understand safety features of products. These represent the most common threats to warehouse safety. Ignoring racking damage or implementing low cost, unproven repairs to racking or other storage media harbours potential for accidents and damage to stored products.  Instigating a program of education and safety awareness, across the board from warehouse operative to senior management, should be mandatory in all warehouse operations, while the replacement of operatives with automated systems can reduce accident potential and should also be considered.

WLN – What do you think the warehouse industry should do to raise awareness of asset protection, moving forwards?

We have always believed that trade bodies representing the industry, such as SEMA, AMHSA and others, should play a role in raising and promoting safety standards through programs of education and awareness for all who are actively engaged in the materials storage and handling sector.

Ultimately it is the responsibility of employers to significantly raise the levels of awareness and implement training, ideally backed by industry trade bodies.

WLN – Are you promoting your safety message at any other trade events coming up?

We will be featuring safety as part of our product, services and solutions portfolio at the next IMHX exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham in September 2016.

WLN – Where do you see your company going from here in terms of product development and attention to safety concerns?

More technology-based safety features will be an inevitable, and necessary inclusion, within the design of both new product and the future upgrades of existing equipment. However operator awareness, not only of the safe use of an asset but also of the risk potential associated with its use, is still paramount and we see education and training as playing a hugely significant role in the prevention of accidents and asset damage in the warehouse.

SSI Schaefer Ltd

Tel: 01264 386600

email: solutions@ssi-schaefer.co.uk

www.ssi-schaefer.co.uk