Automated Warehouse Guarding Designed, Manufactured and Installed

Procter Machine Guarding has designed, manufactured and installed bespoke automated warehouse guarding for one of Europe's largest automated high-bay warehouses, situated in Spain, which is owned by a global fashion retailer. This work was undertaken in two phases: first, replacing some of the guards that the racking supplier had installed in 2009, as these were found not to comply with current machinery safety standards or the end user's requirements; second, when the warehouse was extended in 2010, Procter Machine Guarding was invited by the main contractor to supply more guarding.

Because of the limited space available and the need for the guards and gates to fit existing installations, modular guarding was unsuitable. In both phases of the project, therefore, Procter Machine Guarding had a designer on site to prepare drawings for custom guards, which were all constructed with steel frameworks and welded wire mesh infill, and finished with a tough polyester powder coat. Most of the automated warehouse guarding was 2.5m high, but there were also some tunnels 1.2m high to safeguard conveyors. As well as the fixed guarding, there were several hinged gates; for these, guard interlocks were free-issued for installation by Procter's fitters, in readiness for wiring by the main contractor's electricians.

Procter's installation team was on site for just two weeks during each phase of the work, with the fast installation aided significantly by the accurate drawings prepared by the designer. Not only did he ensure that the high-bay warehouse guarding met the requirements of the customer and all relevant machinery safety standards, but he also created designs that enabled the operators to interact with the guards in an ergonomic way - and without the guards hindering operation of the crane aisles.

This automated warehouse guarding project illustrates very well Procter Machine Guarding's capabilities in terms of designing and manufacturing high-quality custom guards that conform to standards and are user-friendly, and also the company's flexibility and willingness to send designers and installation teams to work abroad.

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