Cantilever racking for prefabricated house manufacturer Marles
- The Slovenian manufacturer of prefabricated timber houses Marles has installed around 442 metres of cantilever racking from OHRA in the outdoor area. This enables the company to reliably supply its production with construction timber. Compared to the previous storage on concrete blocks, the company was able to significantly increase its storage capacity. The company premises in the Bacher Mountains posed special challenges: Floor gradients of up to three per cent, large amounts of snow and strong winds had to be taken into account when planning the racking system. Nevertheless, the racks were realised in just three months.
Houses ex works
- Marles is one of the leading suppliers of prefabricated timber buildings in Europe. As the largest Slovenian manufacturer, it stands for modernity and excellence. Our innovative engineering solutions contribute to progress in the industry and promote sustainable living with the development of climate-positive and energy-efficient buildings. The detached houses, apartment blocks and commercial buildings combine a high level of sustainability, energy efficiency and short construction times. All prefabricated elements are manufactured in the company's own production facilities, including the Lovrenc site in the Bacher Mountains. The structural timber required for production was previously stored outside in the form of bundles between 2.5 and 13 metres long on concrete blocks - protected from the weather by a removable roof. However, this form of storage took up a lot of space and made it difficult to access individual elements quickly. In addition, the timbers were repeatedly damaged.
Ten cantilever racks for more capacity
Marles therefore decided to replace the existing warehouse with ten rows of cantilever racking from OHRA. The racks with a stand height of 6,080 millimetres allow the timber packages to be stored on four levels and therefore offer significantly more storage capacity in the same space. Direct access to each article is also possible. An integrated, 1.5 metre deep roof protects the stored wood from the weather, while the racks themselves are hot-dip galvanised.
Wind load, snow load and floor gradient
- The biggest challenge in the design was the statics: The racks not only had to withstand the high loads caused by the weather, which can occur in the Bacher Mountains, but also had to be adapted to the three per cent floor gradient of the terrain. The OHRA and Marles teams shared the structural calculations: While OHRA designed the statics of the steel structure for the required load-bearing, wind and snow loads, the prefabricated house experts from Marles designed and built suitable concrete foundations.
Positive experience
Overall, Marles was very impressed by OHRA's flexibility in the project. Even during the production phase, changes could still be made to the racking system without postponing the commissioning date. The entire project took just three months from contract award to completion. Marles was informed daily about the progress of the project. "The entire customer experience with OHRA, from initial contact to realisation, was seamless and left a lasting impression of professionalism and care," concludes Mr Škorjanc at Marles.
Watch the video HERE.
About OHRA:
- OHRA has been a European market leader in heavy-load storage technology for over 40 years. A specialist in the storage for particularly long, heavy and unwieldy goods, the OHRA cantilever and pallet racks have proven themselves on the storage technology market. They are characterised by a particularly high load-bearing capacity, robustness and durability. The portfolio ranges from simple racking solutions, through complete racking halls, to complex, fully automated storage and order picking systems for all sizes of company and diverse sectors. All OHRA products are produced at the company’s own factory in Kerpen (Germany). Today, OHRA is represented by its own sales offices in 14 European countries, and in 14 other countries by its trading partners.
