Spreading Warehouse Hazard Prevention to New Markets
Situation
Dozens of racking styles can be found throughout the warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers around the country. Much of the racking in the U.S. has the teardrop-style holes 
in the pallet rack uprights. When Adrian’s initially began producing our line of pallet rack safety products, we designed a T-shaped connector to fit perfectly in this style of upright as well as other popular styles.
Challenge
As we expanded our market into Canada and further into U.S. facilities, demand increased for rack safety products that fit structural styles and Redi-Rack. We did not originally design our standard hardware on our pallet rack safety products to fit these types of uprights.
“Before the development of the new J-Hook hardware, we were really limited to who we could help with these products,” said Peter Pelletier, General Manager of King Materials Handling.
Solution
Based on this need, we began designing and producing our products with a different style of hardware: the J-hook connector. We’ve seen the most demand for this style of safety solution hardware in the Canadian market. In Canada, 75-80% of the warehouses use the Redi-Rack style of pallet racking. This type of racking has rectangular slot openings on the upright beams for which our standard T-connector is too large.
The first authorized Canadian dealer for Adrian’s products was King Materials Handling, with locations in Toronto and both London and Windsor, Ontario. King was instrumental in helping us beta test the pre-production J-hook products. They assisted in making sure our straps and nets worked effectively for their customers’ style of racking.
“At King, we always prefer to be on site when working with our customers. This allows us to see how a solution will affect other areas of operation. When assessing a project, safety is always the first concern, we then work our way through the feasibility, reliability and economics of a project. Finally, we always put an emphasis on after sales service, as this is the lasting image that stays with our customers.“
“Adrian’s warehouse safety products really do stand out in all areas. Our customers see the safety element from the start, and they understand the feasibility of the time savings for install. When the quality and cost savings are compared to traditional methods, it’s not hard to see why companies jump on board. Working with Adrian’s, we’ve been able to expand our offerings to truly serve the Canadian market,” said Pelletier.
King Materials Handling customer, Emblem Logistics, installed Adrian’s Rack Safety Straps in 2018-2019. Director of Operations Roger Santos appreciated the increased level of safety to their facility at Emblem Logistics as well.
“We sincerely take safety as a top priority,” said Santos. “Minimizing the risk of an accidental move that could cause serious injury or death is a decision we couldn’t ignore.”
Currently, Adrian’s has stock of many of the standard sizes in each of the pallet rack safety products with the J-hook connector hardware, and will be adding more over the next few months. Contact your sales rep regarding specific part numbers and for stock information.
About King Materials Handling
From humble beginnings in a Windsor basement in 1975 King Materials Handling has grown to service the storage and material handling needs of all of Southern Ontario. We pride ourselves on service and quality and have made a reputation of bringing new and innovative products to the automotive and manufacturing industries. To learn more about King or contact a representative or visit our website: www.kingmaterialshandling.com
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