On Wednesday March 30th, 2011 CMHDS Members toured the Steels Industrial Products Distribution Centre in Surrey, BC.
Established in 1955 Steels provides insulation, roofing, masonry and log homes supplies, equipment and materials to contractors, developers and architects throughout their nine locations across BC & Alberta.
This facility boasts a number of unique features including:
- A Four-Way Forklift (yes it travels sideways as well as backwards and forwards)
- Serving as DC to 8 facing branches and in addition serves as a retail location that requires pick-on-demand orders.
- Due to product diversification Steels operates as four warehouses in one including Insulation, Roofing, Masonry & Tilt Up Construction Rentals.
- A Wet/Dry Sprinkler System (as it located outside the pipes are empty to prevent freezing and in case of a fire the system must pump to the farthest sprinkler head within 30 seconds. This results in Steels having the third largest fire pump in Surrey).
- Unique Racking Numbering System & use of Superbins
- DC wide use of an integrated WMS/Bar Code System
- Cantilever & Push Back Racking