The right advice in the right place

That an efficiently organized warehouse benefits your organization's operations as well as customer service is an open door. But how do you create an optimum logistics workflow in a garage environment? Michaël Mazuin approached SSI SCHAEFER with this question. Their consultants came up with the right solution for the car group. 

Michaël Mazuin is no stranger to the Belgian Namur and Hainaut car world. Founded in 1948, the car group today offers through a network of 4 local dealer brands from the Volkswagen Audi Seat Skoda CVI Group. This makes the family business one of the largest dealers in the region around Charleroi and Namur. To stay ahead, the group swears by quality service. A tight organization of its service points and a well-oiled workflow in the workshops is the key to success in this regard.

Following the construction of a brand new garage in Tarcienne in the Belgian province of Namur, the Mazuin Group turned to SSI SCHAEFER. "For the warehouse, we were looking for a professional, experienced and competent partner who could advise us on setting up and selecting the right equipment," says chief warehouse manager Clément Revillod. "We knew SSI SCHAEFER as a brand of quality storage equipment, but had never worked together before. Word of mouth and other partners convinced us to contact them." Frank Van Renterghem, Account Manager at SSI SCHÄFER: "A few years earlier, we had already designed a warehouse for a garage in Fleurus. It was later taken over by the Michaël Mazuin and that's how we came onto their radar. It's a small world." 

The challenge: small spaces, efficient workflow

The project in Tarcienne was rather modest in size. But just that brought a lot of challenges. "We wanted to get as much storage capacity as possible out of the limited warehouse space," says Revillod. Following discussions with SSI SCHAEFER, the right solution was found. "We have the experience to advise customers on this. We usually start from the architect's floor plan. This way we quickly get an idea of how much and which equipment we need," says Van Renterghem. "In this case, the warehouse was divided into a number of compact spaces. It required a lot of inventiveness to be able to realize everything the customer asked for. Flexibility too, because such a plan changes during the construction process. For example, we had to take into account numerous utility lines and ventilation shafts that were not originally planned." 

Fortunately, Van Renterghem has more than 30 years of experience in both the warehouse and automotive world. He knows how things work in a garage. So he was not surprised by the limited scale of the warehouse. "That is a general trend. Constructors now deliver several times a day, and sometimes even at night. Garages thus have to stock less and can save on space. That of course makes it extra challenging for us to still find solutions that guarantee an efficient workflow."   

The solution: a vertical warehouse elevator and fixed shelving

The solution recommended by SSI SCHAEFER was a combination of shelf racks in all possible different configurations and an SSI LOGIMAT vertical warehouse elevator (also known as a paternoster cabinet). "The study carried out by SSI SCHÄFER showed that we could achieve a lot of capacity gains in a small area with a Logimat elevator," says Revillod. "This elevator is around 5 meters high and has a footprint of just 13 m2. This is offset by a storage capacity of no less than 95 m2," says Van Renterghem. "For a warehouse of barely 50 m2, that's a serious space gain. An elevator is also more ergonomic working for a warehouse employee. The pieces come to him. He doesn't have to constantly walk around to get them from the racks. Thus, his job becomes less physically demanding. An additional advantage of a tower elevator is that everything is nicely closed off, so nothing can disappear unnoticed. Not unimportant in a garage." 

Choosing an SSI LOGIMAT left enough space to furnish the rest of the warehouse with about 40 m2 of platforms and shelving. "You always need those for popular pieces like filters. After all, fast-moving goods you want to have on hand quickly."

The result: a satisfied customer looking ahead

Whether the input was appreciated by Michaël Mazuin? "Certainly it was. With his personal experience, Van Renterghem knows what he is talking about. We never questioned his advice toward the choice of devices and placement and are very satisfied with the result. The elevator works perfectly" says Revillod.

"For customers, it is not only reassuring that we can advise them correctly," says Van Renterghem. "SSI SCHAEFER is not only a consultant but also a design engineer. We are not a reseller. We manufacture and install our own products and can therefore react quickly and flexibly to customer requirements. We are also on standby for after-sales service. If maintenance, repair or rearrangement is needed, our Flying Foxes are always on site immediately. That is also part of our service."

The future: on to the next garage

The garage in Tarcienne opened in January 2022. And it doesn't stop there. "I do not let go of the customer until he is satisfied," says Frank, and this is clearly bearing fruit. "The collaboration with SSI SCHAEFER was such a pleasant experience that we contacted them again for a second collaboration for our new, larger warehouse in Fosses-la-Ville," says Revillod. "There, the parent company's old garage is making way for a brand new complex, and that includes a state-of-the-art warehouse. Talks for this have since been completed and the order placed. We are confident that the result will once again meet our expectations."   

The numbers
Building area warehouse: 66 m2 (2 floors)
Shelving area: approximately 38 m2

Platform
Surface area: approx. 56 m2
Finish: wood natural top and white bottom
Load capacity: 350 kg/m2
1 stage

Fixed shelf racks
R3000 system with many accessories such as partitions, slides, doors and bins
H = 2278 mm and D = 400 mm
Ground floor: 23 sections (4 sections with slides (5x H 100 mm and 1x H 200 mm) and 1 section Vlarem rack).
Floor: 42 sections with 5 shelves per section

1 SSI LOGIMAT Vertical Warehouse Lift
Height: approx. 5 m
Occupied floor area: approx. 13 m2
Real storage area: 95 m2 (32 shelves
3625 x 815 mm), 500 kg / shelf
Goods height: 146 mm