National Guard Uses Mobilized High Density Storage to Issue Clothing & Equipment

National Guard Uses High Density Storage

A National Guard’s Central Issue Facility (CIF) needed a better way to issue clothing and equipment to 11,000 individual soldiers per year. These items needed to be ready to be mobilized at any time. Equipment and clothing also needed to be exchanged easily and securely. The National Guard decided to use mobilized high density storage systems to issue clothing and equipment to soldiers quickly.

the mobilized storage solution

The Guard needed enough space to maintain inventory, store it properly, and have easy access to it at all times. The storage system would have to be able to be adaptable because of the diverse duties of the National Guardsmen and their varying roles. More and more equipment and the changing role of the CIF required them to store almost twice as many items than it did when their original pallet racking was installed. Despite increased space demands, a facility expansion was too expensive and unrealistic. On top of that, an expansion would take much more time than they could afford to lose.

The Guard decided to install a mobilized high density storage system where rows of pallet racking is mounted on carriage and mobilized. The carriages travel on wheels mounted to a rail system that is recessed into the floor. By moving row of pallet racks from side to side, the system compacts stored materials into a much smaller footprint than traditional stationary racking while still providing 100% access. This eliminates open aisles and wasted floor space. Operators use forklift remote controls to open an aisle so they can access stored materials while the remaining aisles stay closed.

The mobilized, electric powered high density storage system was designed around the existing space in the CIF to allow quick and easy access. It features five mobilized carriages. Four of the carriages are 74’ long with a fifth carriage at 93’ long. Each carriage is double-sided and book-ended by stationary carriages that give the system a total of 15 carriages with four levels of varying heights of storage space. Nearly all of the carriages were built using the CIF’s existing pallet racking, which helped them save on additional costs. More than 40 vertical file cabinets were also replaced with a mobile storage system configured with lockable file drawers that secures 11,000 records, but occupies only a fraction of the space used before. Users access files by rotating an ergonomically designed three-spoke handle to open an aisle.

the results – More Storage In Less Space

Thanks to the mobilized high density storage system, the CIF was able to gain back 47% more capacity for storage in the same footprint as stationary pallet racking. The system doesn’t need any offloading and reloading of the pallets that aren’t needed like with pushback racks. The system also makes use of otherwise dead aisle space and stores most frequently accessed items closer to the counter where soldiers line up to be issued their equipment. The whole system was installed with only minor modifications to the CIF facility, which was a major advantage. Now the CIF will be able to handle storage and management for years to come.

contact us for mobilized high density storage

Southwest Solutions Group® provides design and installation services for mobilized high density storage systems for a wide variety of facilities and applications. We will even provide you with a free consultation to determine your facility’s exact space and storage needs before the design process begins. To learn more or to speak with a specialist, call us at 1-800-803-3083 or send us a message today.