Since 1963, Lipari Foodshas been a wholesale distributor of dry, refrigerated and frozen foods, as it now serves 14 states across the Midwest. Headquartered in Warren, Mich., Lipari recently completed the development of a new 260,000-square-foot warehouse to support its rapid growth.

Upon taking on a significant project like this, Lipari wanted to ensure its business decisions—about the warehouse design, racking and materials handling equipment needs for its operation—were as effective as possible.

In the past, Lipari had never adopted an engineered standard for its racking system, simply adding uprights and rails on an as-needed basis. Additionally, the company experienced frequent damage to its racks, thereby requiring the replacement of at least one rack every week on an ongoing basis. Although the wholesale distributor’s new warehouse provided an opportunity to be more efficient, Lipari Foods still wanted to seek the advice of a trusted supplier to ensure it made the right business decisions.

“With the number of employees that we have, they tend to bump into the racks quite a bit. We replaced probably a rack a week,” says Al Moy, director of warehouse operations, Lipari Foods. “[The manufacturer] brought us to a whole new level. We’ve been in the facility here a little over a year, and we haven’t had to replace one upright yet.”

Lipari sought assistance from a manufacturer of materials handling equipment, lift trucks and technology as it strived to develop a complete solution—from the layout and the racking to the materials handling equipment deployed throughout the facility. The manufacturer’s experts became embedded in the project, as they worked through every new challenge and design iteration, helping Lipari adopt an engineered standard for all of its racking, along with a select robust structural rack that would meet its demands.

To reduce rack damage, Lipari also wanted to implement process changes to prevent reach truck operators from traveling while raising and lowering the forks, but had previously hesitated, as it would reduce overall productivity. However, the RM Series reach trucks’ Xpress Lowerfeature eliminated the concern, enabling the wholesale distributor to make the change, while maintaining its high level of productivity.

The manufacturer’s thorough understanding of business processes and project goals helped ensure Lipari’s warehouse would be completed on schedule, as it adapted to new requirements along the way.

In addition, dependable forklifts and responsive service helped the wholesale distributor pursue its goal of 100% uptime. And, finally, the RM Series’ Xpress Lower feature, along with the adoption of process changes, robust structural racking and an engineered standard, enabled Lipari to retain high efficiency, while also completely eliminating rack damage.