Although it had three distribution centers, Great American Knitting Mills was finding that distribution of its Gold Toe socks and other hosiery products was not as efficient as it could be. As a result, this Burlington, N.C. company consolidated its operations into one centralized facility.

A storage system that would permit more efficient order processing was a must for the new building. The company deals with an ever-changing mix of thousands of stockkeeping units (SKUs). Items need to be quickly located and made easily accessible to workers in order to create the desired efficiencies. The company also needed to keep its product as clean as possible, so they were looking to store items in a dust-free rack environment.

Great American chose a storage solution that includes racks and wire decking designed to hold both pallet loads and case goods. Each storage rack unit is 20-feet high, 10-feet wide and 48-inches deep. Beams are 10-feet long with a 3-inch face to keep a low profile and to allow nine shelf levels per bay. The racks are arranged to provide uniform shelf levels.

The facility's wire decks measure 58 inches wide by 28 inches deep. The decking is designed to hold the weight of cartons without deflection. The wire decks also permit excellent sprinkler system coverage for the company's sock products.

Boxes are placed back-to-back within the racks to provide very dense storage. Because of the uniform shelf levels, employees are able to pick from either side of the racks. Each storage location also contains a space for a bar code label.

The decking additionally provides the clean racking environment Great American sought, while also making product easy to view.