Storage/Staging: Fabric distributor solves storage crisis

Trivantage, a fabric distributor, had 50,000 fabric rolls and no idea how to store their huge product supply in a way that allowed for rapid turnover. By installing a customized racking solution, the company improved product accessibility and visibility while boosting storage density.

Most carpet and fabric distributors store rolls on carousels or in pyramids. Over time, the pyramid storage method leaves rolls frayed or dented from all the tugging and replacing. Trivantage wanted to do something different. “Those storage methods weren’t going to work with our volume,” says Lee Whitney, the company’s vice president of finance administration.

The company sought the help of consultants and rack companies to come up with a solution, but found many customized approaches cost-prohibitive. Most of the other rejected rack designs involved $500 metal pallets that did little to protect the product and were financially infeasible. Cardboard tubes, while less expensive at $10 to $15 each, pose a fire hazard and need replacing over time.

The ideal scenario would allow access to each individual roll whenever it was needed, and the ability to track each roll’s location. As Whitney says, “It’s a distribution center. Our main goal is to move items, not just store them.”

The final design was one of the simplest. Wooden decks are now nestled between the beams of the steel rack. These decks feature long rectangular dividers—sometimes called cleats—creating about a foot of space for the fabric to rest without rolling to either side.

The result is a shelving system with three times the shelves of a normal bay and five times the pallet positions. The system is built for maximum density, while maintaining the most efficient method of locating specific fabrics.

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