Case Study Contract Services
LJS Solutions specializes in providing high-quality contracted service professionals to take care of the tasks you need to get your operation up-and-running (and stay that way).
From site surveys and layout design to installations and tear-downs, to remodels and complete store setup, we have the experience, expertise, and flexibility to handle any project—no matter the size or scale. We even offer comprehensive safety inspections as well as repair and preventive maintenance services. Visit our Contract Services page [LINK > SERVICES > CONTRACT SERVICES PAGE] to see just some of the many services we provide.
LJS Solutions also offers a full range of warehousing and logistics services, including Custom Fabrication, Racking and Shelving Systems, and Building Construction.
The following success story is just one example of how the LJS Solutions team of experts serves our clientele’s contract service needs.
The Challenge
A regional distribution center for a nationwide chain of home improvement stores needed pallet racking and accessories for over 1,000 warehousing bays. LJS Solutions was contracted by the company’s senior industrial engineer and the facility’s maintenance manager to convert racking meant for another distribution center and install it in this different location instead.
The primary challenges for this project were three-fold. First, the client wanted us to use as much of the racking intended for the other facility as possible. This meant conducting a complete analysis of the new location’s space, and then creating a layout that not only utilized the racking, but also improved the distribution center’s workflow.
The second major challenge we faced was that the ceilings in the new location were lower than the facility for which the racking was designed, meaning that the new ceiling wouldn’t support the 31-ft. uprights of the original racking design. The third challenge was probably the most daunting: We had to complete the installation while the distribution center was operating, meaning our team needed to be minimally disruptive to the warehouse staff’s productivity.
The Solution
The LJS Solutions team started the work by coordinating with the client’s engineers and local management to create a racking layout for the distribution center that would best fit the facility’s operation and the space they had to work with. While the site layout was being designed, another team of LJS fabricators began cutting the taller steel uprights to fit the 25 ft. high warehouse ceilings. A total of 756 frames were cut prior to installation.
When the LJS contract service technicians began installing the modified racks, they worked to limit their presence on the client’s warehouse staff. They worked nights in the areas that could not be conveniently accessed during day shift hours, for example. While installation was occurring in one area of the distribution center, LJS stored the racking components for other areas of the facility at our warehouse until the client’s site had available space to receive them. When space was freed up, we then shipped the materials to the location for installation.
For this particular installation, our contract service technicians used more than 1,000 uprights, 8,000 beams, 14,000 pallet supports, and nearly 5,000 anchors, as well as wire decking, skid plates, and end-of-aisle protection. In addition to cutting down the steel uprights, we installed 96-in. wide beams capable of supporting over 5,000 lbs. per level. Anywhere the client had single-sided racking, we also installed netting for added safety.
Despite not having the exact layout in hand when our fabricators began their work, the LJS Solutions team worked closely with the client to finalize the details and provide exactly what they needed. Our team also completed the installation without disrupting the distribution center’s production staff.
The Results
The client was appreciative of LJS Solutions’ flexibility and guidance on this project since a lot of it was not planned until our crew had already started the installation—a process that lasted nearly a year from start to finish. Because of the relationship we were able to build with the client in working through this rather large and complicated installation, they continue to reach out to our contract services team for other projects in their facility.
We can’t define success any better than that.