Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., is a nationwide wholesaler that markets plumbing fixtures and supplies to the plumbing trade. The company boasts over 160 showrooms across the U.S, each of which offers a vast selection of faucets, fixtures, plumbing accessories, and a team of knowledgeable associates on hand to work with the customer. These branches range from 5,000 to 40,000 sq ft and receive their stock from several distribution centers located across the U.S. In early 1999, Ferguson "set out to build a new, larger distribution facility to service Ferguson's wholesale branches in the Northeast quadrant of the U.S.," Ron Turkaly, Ferguson's manager of material handling, explained. "We selected Clymer's Key-Lok Pallet Rack based on reputation and its past performance with us," Turkaly said. Clymer has supplied Ferguson's branches with racks since 1994.

Ferguson purchased a complete turnkey Key-Lok Pallet Rack System installation from Clymer for its recently built 400,000 sq ft facility, located in Front Royal, VA. This new facility distributes to Ferguson's 120 locations in the Northeastern quadrant of the U.S. to states including North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, and Maryland.

Purchasing the Clymer Key-Lok Pallet Rack System as a complete turnkey installation made it easier for Ferguson to control the completed system's design cost. This multi-aisle facility includes 40,000 pallet locations that, combined, hold more than 35,000 plumbing and fixture SKUs. Ferguson has divided the facility into two major areas -- low volume with larger products and high volume with smaller products. These areas are distinguishable by the arrangement of the racks: the high volume products are stored in the narrow aisle section and the low volume, bulky and larger products are in the very narrow aisle (VNA) section. "While the Key-Lok Pallet Rack System is divided equally between these two sections, the VNA area takes up only 30% of the overall system's footprint," Turkaly said.

The 24 200-ft long VNA aisles are distanced 5 1/2 ft (66 in.) apart, and measure 30 ft (360 in.) high. To improve productivity and minimize product damage, the order selection is performed on wire-guided vehicles. This allows the operator easier maneuverability through the aisles. In all, 13 wire-guided order pickers and two wire-guided turret trucks are assigned to this area. Ferguson stores larger items such as tubs, showers, and slow-moving items in this area. To make certain that operators have a secure storage area -- and due to the odd sizes of the items stored in this area -- the VNA configured rack includes both cascade wire decking and corrugated steel decking that has been perforated. This arrangement permits easy storage and retrieval of the merchandise and allows usage of a sprinkler system in case of a fire. The corrugated steel decking is placed inside the Key-Lok step beam and is Tek-screwed into position to avoid movement. To contribute to the uniform look in the warehouse, the Key-Lok rack has deep blue columns and bright orange beams, making it easier for the vehicle operators to focus on the products. Clymer provided an electrostatically painted rack to provide a smooth, hard, colorfast surface.

The narrow aisle area consists of 38 200-ft long aisles. These narrow aisles measure 28 ft (276 in.) high and are spaced at 9 1/2 ft (114 in.) between aisles. Since the plumbing industry does not use standard pallet sizes, this installation employs a waterfall wire mesh decking. The narrow aisle reach truck picks the order from the rack using a pantograph, and sets it on the floor level in selection position. This allows operators fast storage and retrieval of loads regardless of pallet size.

Both areas are constantly in operation during all shifts; the first shift performs the majority of the replenishing. The narrow aisle area uses 6 reach trucks with pantographs to store and retrieve loads. In addition, the narrow aisle area also uses 10 rider pallet trucks with 96-in. forks that simultaneously carry two pallets, allowing order selectors to fill either larger orders or 2 orders per trip. Eight counterbalanced trucks are constantly working on the overall storage areas. These trucks transport between staging areas and the receiving and shipping docks. Order selection is performed during both shifts, though only the LTL (less than truck load) orders are picked during the first shift because many of these can be shipped by UPS. The second shift deals with larger orders that allow Ferguson to use either their dedicated freight line or common carriers. While this is a fast paced environment, the employees have been very receptive to the facility. "The overall attitude of the order selectors has been positive in this new location," stated Turkaly.

A computer tracks the entire system. The system assigns a tag or license plate to all material when it first enters the system; the computer then internally tracks the order to the proper stocking location. The order selectors are electronically connected with Radio Frequency (RF) Terminals that direct them to the various picking locations. When selected orders are received, the system sends the information to the order selectors through the RF Terminals. This directs the order selector to the assigned location, then requires a scan of the product bar code for confirmation. The computer releases the quantity to pick; the order selector picks the order, enters the data and awaits the next pick command. For ease of operation, the order pickers, turret trucks, and counterbalanced trucks are equipped with vehicle-mounted RF Terminals. The rest of the vehicles have hand-mounted units. These order selectors prepare more than 1,000 orders consisting of 8,000 line items per day.

"This was a big project for Ferguson, and we're glad we went with Clymer. They have a good product at a good price. Clymer gave us a complete turnkey installation. From rack specifying to the installation of the rack, they provided Ferguson with great service. The project met all our requirements and Clymer came in on budget and on time. They took good care of us," stated Bruce Snead, purchasing coordinator for Ferguson.