New and Used Selective Rack + Rivet Shelving for Nationwide eCommerce Distribution

Solution at a Glance

A growing eCommerce company partnered with REB over several years to expand its distribution capabilities through rack installations, rack relocations, and storage system expansions across multiple states.

Concern: Expanding Distribution Operations While Maintaining Consistent Storage Practices

An eCommerce company needed to expand their distribution footprint over three years to account for increased demand.

Initially, they needed assistance with their storage capabilities at their 25,000 sq.ft. headquarter location. Subsequently, as they continued to see an increase in demand they had to scale their growth across multiple facilities.

The customer needed more than storage systems, they required a strategic systems integration partner capable of designing, procuring, relocating, and installing storage systems across multiple facilities while providing consistent project management throughout their expansion.

Solution: Multi-Facility Storage Expansion for Continued Growth

Standardized Selective Rack and Rivet Shelving Systems

REB’s first project with the customer was at the company’s 25,000 sq.ft. headquarters. REB contributed to their growth by supplying used selective pallet rack and used rivet shelving.

The selective pallet rack provides direct access to every pallet location, making it well suited for the fast-paced eCommerce environment. The company’s inventory requires a solution that allows for higher throughput, making this racking ideal.

Rivet shelving was included in REB’s design to provide organized storage for smaller inventory and hand-picked products.

As the company continued to grow over the next year, REB supplied additional pallet racking and rivet shelving that matched what they initially provided. This allowed the warehouse to expand while maintaining a consistent storage layout and order fulfillment processes.

Supporting Concurrent Expansion Across Multiple States

Two years later, the company expanded their distribution capabilities in Illinois and opened a new 100,000 sq.ft. facility.

REB designed and installed more than 300 bays of new selective pallet rack in the customer’s new distribution center. The larger facility provided additional space for reserve storage and further supported their continued inventory growth.

During this expansion, the company also purchased a new distribution center in New York. To cut down costs, REB disassembled the rivet shelving from the original Illinois location and relocated and reinstalled it in the customer’s New York distribution center.

By reusing the existing rivet shelving and installing a new rack system where additional capacity was required, REB helped the customer reduce their overall costs. This also allowed the customer to outfit multiple distribution centers with standardized storage systems that support their operations.

Multi-phased Expansion for a Distribution Center

The company also hired REB to assist them with the reconfiguration and expansion of the storage system at their existing California facility. This location required additional storage capacity and density, so they did not have to relocate to another facility.

To allow the company to continue operations, REB developed a phased expansion plan that would increase storage capacity and density over time by narrowing aisle widths to nine feet. This would allow for additional sections of racking to be installed while maintaining full access to the items stored on the rack.

During phase one of the project, Room B expanded from 114 sections of racking to 132 sections. This increase in the bays provides the customer with 230 beam levels of storage space.

Three years after the first phase, phase two of the project expanded Room A from 52 sections to 92 sections while also adding 20 new sections. This expansion added 576 more storage shelves.

Project Management

Managing operational expansion across multiple states requires careful coordination between the design, procurement, and installation of the systems.

Throughout the partnership, REB served as the customer’s sole turnkey project management resource by coordinating:

Having one partner oversee every aspect of each project creates consistent storage capabilities and solutions across facilities while keeping communication simple.

Outcome: Scalable Warehouse Storage Designed for Continued Growth

By working with REB across 23 projects, the customer was able to expand its distribution network while adapting its storage systems to the changing needs of each facility.

Expanded Distribution Capacity Across Multiple Facilities

REB supported the customer’s growth from its original 25,000 sq.ft. headquarters to multiple distribution facilities across Illinois, New York, and California. New rack installations, storage expansions, and equipment relocations allowed the company to add capacity as its distribution requirements increased.

Consistent Storage Practices Across Facilities

Using standardized selective pallet rack and rivet shelving systems across multiple locations gave the customer greater consistency as its distribution network expanded. This helped maintain familiar storage and fulfillment processes while allowing each facility to be configured around its specific space and operational requirements.

Increased Storage Capacity Within Existing Space

At the customer’s California facility, REB reconfigured the existing storage layout to increase the number of rack sections without requiring the company to move to a larger building. Room B increased from 114 to 132 sections, while Room A increased from 52 to 92 sections, adding hundreds of additional storage locations within the existing facility.

Reduced Equipment and Expansion Costs

REB combined new and used storage systems to help the customer control the cost of expansion. Existing rivet shelving from the Illinois facility was relocated and reinstalled in New York rather than replaced, while used shelving and rack provided a cost-effective solution during the customer’s initial expansion.

Simplified Expansion with One Project Partner

Working with REB gave the customer a single resource for storage system projects across multiple locations and states. Rather than coordinating separate storage providers for each facility, the customer could work with the same REB team for design, equipment procurement, relocations, and installation regardless of project location. This simplified communication and project coordination as the company continued expanding its distribution network.

Planning a Warehouse Expansion?

Whether you’re opening a new distribution center, expanding across multiple facilities, or reconfiguring an existing warehouse, REB Storage Systems provides the design, project management, and installation expertise to help you grow your operation efficiently.

Contact REB to discuss your expansion goals and to develop a storage solution that supports your inventory, fulfillment processes, and long-term growth strategy.

We’d appreciate the opportunity to help you further, whether that be more information or a quote. Fill out the contact form on this page or call us at (800) 252-5955 to get in touch with a REB representative.