Roadside Bombs - Dangers Abroad and at Home

PROFANITY ALERT! Although given the situation I certainly don't blame them, there is a bit of profanity in the above video.

IED's or Improvised Explosive Devices are just one of the many dangers our Armed Forces face everyday. Our troops were very lucky in this particular case as it appears the IED may have been planted too far below the surface of the road. Had it been properly placed, the outcome could have been quite different.

It is important we understand the peril our service men and women live through in the pursuit of freedom and the protection of the American ideal. They are in harms way for us, the citizens of the United States of American. It is our responsibility to support them at home. Not only is it imperative that we give emotional support to our troops and their families, we also need to give political support.

We the People need to ensure for our troops and their children that the Great Nation they are fighting for is still great when they return. We are tasked with protecting the rights of the American people at home while they are protecting us abroad. This is something to seriously ponder with major elections in the coming year. Are you politically active? Do you follow the platforms of the candidates or just vote party? Does you elected official properly represent you or do they represent themselves? I urge you to get informed. You have plently of time.

A Soldier's Christmas

This is a very special poem that should be read everyday of the year, but especially on Christmas. We as Americans must support our men and women that at best put their lives on hold at worst put their lives on the line in service of our great Nation. While most of you are at home with your families this holiday season please remember and be grateful to the ones who "guard your door". To all our servicemen and women past and present; Thank you for everything you do, God Bless and have a wonderful Christmas.

A special thank you to Michael Marks for writing this beautiful poem.


A Soldier's Christmas


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight;
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood; his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said, “It’s really all right,
I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night”

“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red white and blue… an American flag.

“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home,
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,
I can carry the weight of killing another
Or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To insure for all time that this flag will not fall.”

“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone;
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust.
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

©Copyright December 7, 2000 by Michael Marks

Lt. Col. Oliver North "Time to Give Thanks"

This video was released by the NRA right before Thanksgiving 2009. It is a portion of a speech given by Lt. Col. Oliver North at the 2009 NRA annual meeting. In his speech, Lt. Col. North reminds us that while we are home enjoying time spent with our families and friends this holiday season, we have thousands of men and women overseas representing us in a war. These American Heroes cannot be with their loved ones during the holidays and we need to be cognisant of their sacrifices and be thankful for their selfless love of country.

Lt. Col. North tells a story about a young Navy Corpsman who runs into a firefight to save the lives of several soldiers. This young man is a shining representation of what it means to be an American Soldier. We should all be both proud and thankful.

I was so moved by this video that I needed to include it as this week's blog post. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I have. God Bless America.

The Twitter Trend

Take Advantage of Social Media's Free Marketing Opportunities

Orginally published in the December 2009 edition of The MHEDA Edge.

By now most of you have heard of Twitter, the newest social media phenomenon that is sweeping the Web. It allows you to communicate with your pool of “followers” via 140-character posts or “tweets.” What you might not realize is that Twitter is a great marketing tool that’s becoming more and more useful every day. It allows you to proactively engage customers, whereas a standard Web site is generally reactive. At American Warehouse Systems (AWS), we use Twitter to drive traffic to our blog and then to our Web site. Since we began tweeting, Twitter has become the number one non-search-related driver of traffic to our site. It’s also the number one driver of traffic to the AWS blog. While usage hasn’t evolved to the point where you will be wheeling and dealing, selling equipment on the site, Twitter has become a valuable brand-building tool.
Developing a Following
When starting out on the site, the first thing you need to focus your efforts on is building a following. The idea is to build as large a community of followers (contacts) as you possibly can. However, simply adding anyone you come across isn’t a great strategy. The key is to develop a target audience and find ways to get its attention.
So how do you find the people in your target market? The first thing you should do is to start to follow others. Look for people who either fall into your target audience or people who your target audience might be interested in. For instance, we do a great deal of contracting with the federal government, so I follow a great deal of military-related people. Then, when one of the people I follow posts something that I find interesting, I can “retweet” or re-post what they said for the rest of my followers to see. I get a twofold benefit. My followers will recognize me as someone who knows about the things that matter to them and then, that person might return the favor sometime in the future.
How do you know who to follow? The Twitter search feature itself is useful, but not comprehensive. To fully maximize your Twitter potential, you should look at the array of third-party platforms out there. One such application that I recommend is Tweet Spinner. It allows you to search for a demographic based on keyword, company or zip code. The application also allows you to view follower “overlaps” with your competitors. It will also give you insight into the quality of each of your followers. The application’s configuration helps you bypass people who tweet too many URLS and who never @reply. Ultimately, all these tools are going to help you build a following that is not just big, but also targeted and high-quality.
Once you have found your target market on Twitter, the next, and perhaps most important, way to grow your following is to position yourself as a person that people in your target market need to follow. You have to be an authority. The most effective way to do this is by writing quality tweets. Many new Twitter users fall into the trap of only using the site to spam links to their Web page. That’s not a good idea. Twitter is a conversation. At its core, it is people interacting. You wouldn’t step into a conversation where people are talking about football and say “Hey, check out my pallet rack.” Don’t do it on Twitter either. As a rule of thumb, I try to make sure only one in every five tweets that I send out are links back to the AWS Web site.
Instead, look for things that your target audience will be interested in. Read an interesting article? Link to it. Hear a good joke or a funny story? Share it. Stumble across a piece of breaking news? Let your followers know about it. If you write valuable tweets, your followers will pay attention to what you’re saying. Then, when you do slip your company link in at a strategic time, your followers are much more likely to click on it.
When you see one of your followers starting a discussion, don’t be afraid to get involved. That’s what Twitter is for. If someone asks a question or makes a comment, respond to it. It will make your followers feel more involved with your company and they will pay more attention to its tweets.

Social Media Policy Social Media Policy
Any company who hopes to dive into the social media world should seriously consider developing a social media policy. There are plenty of examples out there for you to use as a guideline when developing a policy. For those of you looking for a starting point, Kodak has published their social media policy for all to read. To view it, visit this page.

The Future is Now
As I mentioned previously, Twitter isn’t necessarily a foolproof sales tool yet. I can’t off the top of my head say that we have received a PO specifically because of Twitter. What I can quantify is the effect Twitter has had on building our brand and sending people to our Web sites. Twitter is the number one non-search-engine referrer to the AWS Web site and the overall number one referrer to the AWS blog.
I know some people are still skeptical about Twitter and other social media ventures, but it’s getting to the point where you can’t afford to be. Every company should at the very least have a corporate account. Larger companies may even want to consider an account for every department. The social media train is at the station and it’s time for you to get onboard. Especially in trying times like these, you can’t afford to let any opportunity pass you by. Marketing through social media is the future and the future is now.

Again Thank you to my good friends at MHEDA Edge for publishing this article. You can see the original here. You can also follow MHEDA Edge on Twitter @MatHandlingEdge.

LinkedIn LinkedMinnesota Holiday Extravaganza

American Warehouse Systems is participating in the first ever LinkedMinnesota Holiday Networking Extravaganza, held at the Harrington Mansion in Minneapolis on Dec. 14. This is the largest event to date with the Minnesota Group through the LinkedIn Social website.

The show floor will open for attendees at 10:00 AM with a fabulous Italian lunch buffet featuring two types of lasagna and side dishes from Noon to 1:00 PM. There are approximately 50 Minnesota based vendors registered to display information about their products and services.

- Enter to win more than $13,000 in prizes! (12:30pm)

- Make new connections and find new clients during 10 rounds of Speed Networking (1-1:30pm)

TICKETS ARE LIMITED so sign up now to secure your spot: $15.95 for the entire day including tradeshow, speed networking, prize drawing and lunch; $10 for access to the tradeshow and speed networking only (1-3pm).

SIGN UP AT: http://bit.ly/2Y3LmK . Enter your contact information and use Membership # 08770. Scroll down to the LinkedMN event section.

If you are in town, please stop by the event and visit with us.

New Technology in High Density Pallet Storage

I usually try to blog every Wednesday. I'm a day late this week but with good reason. I was in sunny California finalizing the details of a partnership with Power Automation Systems, a manufacturer that produces the next generation in high density pallet storage. PAS manufactures the PowerStor system. PowerStor is a close cousin to the fixed-aisle automated storage and retrieval systems with several important differences. PowerStor is denser storage, has considerably lower operating costs, utility costs as low as $.01/move, higher throughput than their cousin and did I mention for most layouts the cost is significantly less than the typical crane system!

PowerStor can be easily configured to fit in existing buildings as the aisle lengths and widths are not determined by a crane system. PowerStor was originally designed for the food industry so it operates in refrigerator and freezer facilities without issue. The whole system is made in the USA so if something should ever go wrong replacement parts are easily available, in addition, every pallet is easily accessible via a catwalk system which is impossible with the old fixed aisle systems. What is the downside to the PowerStor system? Well we've spent the last six months looking for it and we can't see one. If you would like literature on this exciting new product offering from American Warehouse Systems, please contact us at info@aw-systems.com or visit us at http://www.aw-systems.com/.

MPS AA-12 Urban Combat Shotgun

This is a great video of the MPS AA-12 military grade fully automatic 12ga shotgun. Originally designed in the 1972 as a selective fire combat shotgun, it was recently redesigned by Jerry Baber into what it is today. This fantastic weapon was designed to support our troops during urban combat and as the video shows, can fire up to 300 shells per minute and has many different speciality rounds available including HE grenade rounds! Originally aired on the Discovery Channel. Thank you Discovery for the fantastic footage of this devastating weapon.

If you have any other great military related videos or images, let us know we'd be glad to post them here. Have a great Veterans Day!

Can You See the Social Media Storm from Your Office?

Recently we have been feverishly working to get up to speed with social media. Why? After many months of research we have finally come to the conclusion social media is here to stay. In addition we strongly believe industry is rapidly adopting social media as a sales and marketing tool. We aren't sure exactly what the marketing landscape will look like in 5 to 10 years but we are fairly certain it will contain social media as a way to do business.
I know, I know, the material handling industry is still trying to figure out this Internet thing. How can we possibly make such a leap? Well I'm here to tell you that while you are sitting in your safe office waiting for your customers to call, your competitors are eating your lunch. Several material handling companies have already figured this Internet thing out and are making millions of dollars a year as a direct result of their online presence. They are closing deals thousands of miles from their office and three miles from yours because they have embraced this "New Media" and virtually went were the money was. A very small minority of material handling suppliers have found Web 2.0 and are beginning to investigate how to capitalize on it. You should to.
The start of your investigation should be to look into a company blog. Keep in mind that there are many benefits to a blog even if it seems like no one is listening (I'm still not sure if anyone reads mine). In today's marketplace every company should have a blog to distribute information and drive traffic to your website. Look into ways to get your blog out to the public, like Technorati, Buzzlogic and the like. Secondly there should be someone out there on the micro blogs (Twitter, etc.) driving traffic to your blog. You'd be amazed at the free lead generation you can create with a little time.
You should be utilizing an email blast tool like Constant Contact to keep in touch with your customers and to drive traffic to your blog and website.
Each and every employee should at least have a profile on LinkedIn. The profile should be professional with links back to your website and blog. If you're really willing to get out there check out Biznik and Fast Pitch also. These sites are money generators for salespeople. They take prospecting and customer service to a whole new level. On a future blog I will go further into these powerful sales tools.
What is the cost of all this marketing power? Would you be surprised if I said less than $1000 per year? Calculate the ROI on that!
Don't let the social media storm pass you by. It is not a fad, it's not just for kids and if you don't get on, your competitors certainly will.

Minneapolis, MN Business Professional Elected to Serve on Board of National Trade Association

Mark C. Juelich, Executive Director of Toyota-Lift of Minnesota dba American Warehouse Systems located in Minneapolis, MN has been elected to serve on the board of directors of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA). Toyota-Lift of Minnesota Inc has been a leader in local material handling solutions since 1978. With the addition of American Warehouse Systems in 2003, Toyota-Lift of Minnesota has earned international recognition as a full service systems integrator.

Juelich, who earned a B.A. from the University of Minnesota, has been involved in the material handling industry since 1996. During his tenure Juelich has been an innovator in the industry, utilizing the internet and other cutting edge marketing strategies to modernize material handling equipment commerce. In November 2003 Juelich and the rest of American Warehouse Systems joined Toyota-Lift of Minnesota Inc. This union was resoundingly beneficial for both parties, resulting in explosive growth and an international reach for the already efficacious Minnesota Corporation.

“I believe the material handling distributor plays an integral and irreplaceable role in world commerce. Our role as supply chain consultants to manufacturing and distribution empowers us to have a substantial impact on the global economy. As such, it is our responsibility as elected members of MHEDA to provide the knowledge base and tools necessary to help our members succeed. Through their success we will see more effective warehouse and distribution systems, lower operating costs and higher profits for industry as a whole.”

The Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) is the only national trade association dedicated solely to improving the proficiency of the independent material handling distributor. MHEDA represents over 600 companies in the material handling equipment business. Located in suburban Chicago, the association provides services to companies seeking to improve their business through education, networking, benchmarking and best practices. For more information, visit www.mheda.org.

American Warehouse Systems is a full service material handling systems integrator specializing in US Federal Government storage aid systems, military mobility storage systems and defense distribution centers.

Mezzanine Systems Designed Specifically for Military Applications

American Warehouse Systems designs, manufactures, and sells the number one mezzanine system to the Department of Defense; American Mezzanine Systems. Our mezzanines are designed to withstand the rigors of any military application. We use structural steel I-beams and/or open web bar joists with additional reinforcement for maximum strength. Our columns are constructed from ASTM A500 square tubing to minimize deflection and continue past the mezzanine floor to act as an extremely secure attachment point for our all welded three rail handrail. Our stairways are also all welded one piece construction to avoid any loosening effects commonly seen in bolt together designs. American Mezzanine Systems are also backed by our industry exclusive, hassle free, Lifetime Warranty.

American Warehouse Systems has manufactured thousands of mezzanine systems for the U.S. Federal Government and commercial clients worldwide. We are capable of implementing complete systems including the mezzanine structure, lighting systems, fire suppression, material lifts, conveyor, modular offices, wire enclosures and much more.
American Warehouse Systems is also a GSA Contract Holder supplying almost 10,000 material handling products and services to our U.S. Federal Government Customers. We can implement complete turn-key warehouse systems including all engineering and construction on GSA contract.
Please visit our website for more information on American Mezzanine Systems or American Warehouse Systems.

MN Company Receives a 50% Discount on New Conveyor!

When American Warehouse Systems began the campaign to promote Safety Grant Money available through MN Workplace Safety Council, the acceptance of the program was slow, followed by a rapid series of improvement stories. One such story comes from Central Container Company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The production line at Central Container had issues with scrap materials accumulating on the floor and creating a hazard. In order to remove the hazard Central Container employees had to take extra time to move the materials off the floor to a nearby dumpster.
With the assistance of seasoned sales representative Paul Brandes from American Warehouse Systems, the solution came in the form of powered conveyor designed to continually remove the scraps. Scraps are now moved from the floor via the conveyor, deposited into the dumpster and then recycled. The price tag of this conveyor system was cut in half using the safety grant program. A representative from Central Container Company expressed how easy it was to receive the funds. Central Container Company simply joined the program, completed the necessary paperwork to the MN Workplace Safety Council and submitted a paid invoice ensuring the project was complete.
In tough economic times like today, programs like this allow extreme discounts to companies focused on safety. For more information on how your company can participate in the program email us at info@aw-systems.com or visit us at www.aw-systems.com.

Grant Money for Safety Improvements

This past year American Warehouse Systems has been working closely with MN Workplace Safety Council to promote their Safety Products Grant Program. The program allows companies to apply for FREE money for the purchase, maintenance or education that improves the employee’s safety.
Our local allied sales representative, Paul Brandes worked closely with Brian Knapp, from Capital Safety to apply for the grant and to design new wire decks for their pallet rack system. Wire decking installed properly will prevent loose products from falling off open pallets stored in the system, in turn protecting the employees from falling objects. The $10,000 in matching funds was reimbursed to Capital Safety once the product was received and the proper documents were submitted. Mr. Knapp found the process simple and looks forward to more free money when his company becomes eligible again.
Contact American Warehouse Systems for more information on the program info@aw-systems.com or http://www.aw-systems.com/.

MHEDA Board of Directors Meeting

Last night I returned home from the MHEDA Board of Directors meeting. MHEDA is the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association. It is the only national trade association dedicated solely to improving the proficiency of the independent material handling equipment distributor. MHEDA represents all segments of the industry and offers resources such as education, networking opportunities, industry specific information, statistical and trend analysis and all other information specific to the material handling industry.

The Board of Directors meeting was held last week in Chicago IL. The MHEDA staff and Board members spent three solid days in meetings starting at 7:30 am planning for the future of the association. I'm very happy to report there are many exciting things in the works for MHEDA members and members to be in the coming year.

2010 will be a great year for MHEDA members with many timely educational opportunities. The number of webinars offered has been expanded and the content shaken up a bit to bring quite a few fresh ideas to the table. The educational line-up at convention is fantastic! I'm very excited to see all the offerings this year at Marco Island FL. I'm sure that it will be a big success.

For more information on everything MHEDA has to offer, visit them at http://www.mheda.org/.

Safety is NOT an Expense

U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA establishes alliance with Minneapolis-based American Warehouse Systems

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -- The Eau Claire Area Office of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American Warehouse Systems in Minneapolis, a registered contractor with the federal government, will take steps to reduce and prevent injuries and illnesses in the warehouse industry through an alliance signed today.

"This alliance seeks to reach employees and employers at all levels, and provide them with the knowledge and ability to anticipate, identify and eliminate work-related hazards in warehousing," said Mark Hysell, OSHA's area director in Eau Claire.

The alliance partners will work together to develop and distribute safety and health training materials for warehousing to enable employers and employees to implement and follow best practice standards and guidelines. OSHA and American Warehouse Systems will promote these materials at conferences, meetings and other local events as well as through their individual Web sites and other media.

OSHA has improved workplace safety and health over the past 38 years. This success is reflected in the latest data (2007) showing the lowest national injury and illness incidence rate that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ever recorded. OSHA continues to work diligently to focus its resources where they will have the most impact in assuring that every working man and woman returns home safely every day.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health.

For more information please contact American Warehouse Systems at 877-677-9066 or visit our website at www.aw-systems.com.

OSHA and Warehouse Pallet Rack Safety

How many times have you questioned the stability or capacity of the racking in your warehouse? Is the load too heavy for the beams? Does the forklift operator know how to properly place the pallet in the rack? Can the uprights withstand a collision with a forklift? These are common and very reasonable questions. Every company should focus on internal safety and have or create an internal safety committee to address these concerns.
Following OSHA guidelines to the letter is still not enough to keep your employees safe. OSHA does not have regulations in place today for pallet racking, but you don’t have to go far to hear about a terrible accident that occurred with warehouse rack. Pallet rack safety is a crucial part of overall company safety and must be attended to. Employers should require pallet rack safety along with forklift training for every warehouse employee and manager.
Start by contacting a reputable material handling distributor, preferably one with an OSHA Alliance already in place. The distributor will be able to assist with the proper rack configuration, design specifications and the equipment to move the materials. They should also be able to do a repair or replacement survey of your existing pallet rack and submit a proposal to implement the plan.
A qualified contractor will ensure your uprights are plumb, beams are level and connections are secure. Each upright must be properly anchored into the concrete floor according to industry standards. All beams should have a safety lock. Whether it is a nut and bolt or integral fastener, the safety lock will help prevent accidental dislodgement of the beams. It is strongly recommended that each beam and upright is properly labeled with the capacity of the component. Each beam’s capacity is labeled per pair and an upright’s capacity is for one assembly. Keep in mind; moving beam levels after the design is complete could affect the capacities and you should check with your distributor before making these changes.
Palletized loads should be made stable before being placed in the racking system. Move the load onto a quality pallet, stretch wrap the loose product, and / or use wire decking on the beams to prevent falling materials. Wire decking is designed to hold evenly distributed loads on the surface area of the deck, which would require the pallet to be placed on the beams as well. Your standard wire deck is NOT designed for point loading or concentrated loading. Have your distributor explain the difference and provide you with solutions to your special applications.
Never climb the pallet racking, maintain proper lighting and practice good housekeeping. Make inspections, routine maintenance and training part of your safety program. Inspections will turn up damaged uprights, beams and wire decks. Have a qualified contractor repair or replace damaged components immediately. Do not attempt to repair pallet rack internally, not only is this extremely dangerous to attempt, you will void your warranty and most likely be held liable if a failure should occur. For additional safety you should add post protectors to the pallet rack uprights and guardrails at the ends of the aisles to keep warehouse vehicles from contacting the rack. You should also use rack back guards to prevent pallets from accidentally being pushed through the back side of the system.
For more information on warehouse safety please contact American Warehouse Systems at 877-677-9066 or http://www.aw-systems.com/.

Misconceptions Regarding Wire Decking

There is a common misconception that WIRE DECKS can be used to support the weight of stored pallets. This is not the intended use. Pallet Supports should be used for supporting the weight of a pallet or tote that does not reach, or can not be supported by, the entire top surface of both the front and back pallet rack beams. Wire decks do have a capacity rating, however, in accordance with ANSI standard MH26.2 the wire deck design must support the manufacturer’s rated capacity for a uniformly distributed static load over the entire surface of the deck – and this includes the surface of the deck over the racking load beams. Loads should never be pushed onto, or dropped onto a wire deck. Wire decks are not intended to be used as a platform or walkway, nor do they have any rating for Point Load.
Wire decks are designed to stop small boxes or other potentially loose material stacked on a pallet from falling through the racking and damaging inventory or injuring people below. They also offer a measure of security for pallets not placed squarely in the racking by stabilizing those loads, provided that both the front and back of the pallet are both resting across the racking load beams.
Pallet supports are in fact specifically designed to support pallets or totes that are short and do not reach from the front beam edge to beyond the back beam. Pallet supports are ideal for stabilizing small or irregular point load applications, but they offer no protection against loose material falling through the racking, so when this is a concern the customer should use both pallet supports and wire decks or specially designed decks for point loads.
Years ago when steel was much less expensive, wire deck manufacturers routinely used 4 Ga. wire in a 2” x 4” mesh pattern. As costs rose and imports created new price competition manufactures first increased the mesh to 2.5” x 4” and eventually reduced the thickness of the wire to 5 and even 6 Ga. The older, heavier decks were often misused as pallet supports because they didn't show fatigue as readily as wire decks do now – yet those heavier gauge decks with the tighter mesh were given the same capacity rating as decks currently being produced. Customers with these older decks may expect that new decks purchased now will fit and function as the old decks have. It therefore becomes important that we caution them against the continued misuse and misapplication of this seemingly generic product. In fact, simply because today’s decks do show fatigue more readily and more pronounced, misuse becomes evident immediately. Over time this should eliminate the misuse of this product and lead to fewer accidents or injuries.

For more information, you can contact us at 877-677-9066 or visit our website at http://www.aw-systems.com/.

Pallet Rack Repair

I have been asked many times over, "What is the savings of using a rack repair kit over upright replacement". There are several advantages that come into play with pallet rack upright repair. A rack repair kit is usually the best alternative when the damage to the pallet rack upright is low, which it usually is (rack damage is often caused by forklifts or other warehouse vehicles). The repair kit can be installed without disassembling the rack. This means that you do not have to take down the beams or decks or remove in rack sprinklers to make your rack safe again. Often the pallets can be unloaded "as you go" so you don't need to pay for off site storage of your pallets. The kit and installation is usually a bit less expensinve than replacement but the true cost difference is in the "extras" that are often overlooked.
The most important factor in researching pallet rack repair is to make certain that whomever you use uses RMI compliant engineered repair kits and they can give that to you in writing. If you don't your racking system could end up being less structurally sound than it was before the repairs began.
Visit our pallet rack repair page at www.aw-systems.com/pallet-rack-repair.htm

Number One Supplier to the Department of Defense

American Warehouse Systems has always supported our military every way possible. We are very fortunate to be the number one supplier of mezzanine systems to the US Department of Defense. Our goal is to supply the highest quality product at reasonable prices to achieve the best value for our US Federal Government Customers. For more information on our mezzanine systems visit us at www.aw-systems.com/mezzanine-systems.htm.

Welcome to Our Blog

American Warehouse Systems is a full service material handling equipment supplier specializing in US Federal Government defense distribution centers and storage aid systems. Visit us at www.aw-systems.com for more information.