We here at A1 Precision Solutions base all of our actions on sustainability principles in order to preserve our environment and future. Although we are committed to environmental sustainability, it’s not easy to do. Many construction materials, especially steel, aren’t as environmentally friendly as they could be, so we and our suppliers have a number of strategies and procedures in place to minimise the environmental impacts of the products we use. After all, we need to use certain materials like steel in order to supply quality pallet racking to our clients that’s fit for purpose and ensures they have a safe workplace, but it’s important that we balance requirements with sustainable practices in order to keep our environmental footprint to a minimum.

So how does A1 Precision Solutions’ racking business operate in a sustainable way? We have a number of strategies in place that not only help the environment, but are also cost effective for our clients while helping them get the best quality pallet racking products in a timely manner.

Prioritise Locally Sourced, Procured, And Manufactured Materials Wherever Possible

Our racking business has been built in partnership with Dematic’s Colby Storage Equipment Division. This has us supplying and installing both new and used Colby racking products. We like working with Colby products because they’re made from locally created Australian steel from Bluescope Steel in Woolongong, with coils delivered to Colby’s state of the art manufacturing facility in Belrose, New South Wales. Not only does this ensure an extremely high quality of steel, but locally sourced materials also don’t need to travel as far, which creates a lower environmental impact from the product.

Since the racking itself is also manufactured in Australia, it doesn’t have to travel very far to get to end customers, further reducing the carbon footprint of racking manufacturing and transport.

And not only is all of this good for the environment, it’s good for our clients as well. By keeping transport distances down, we’re able to get racking to our clients more quickly and at more competitive costs. It literally pays to be environmentally friendly.

Ship Products With Minimal Packaging To Reduce Waste

Regardless of the industry, product packaging can be very wasteful. That being said, some amount of product packaging is often needed in order to keep it protected during transit. As with many things environmental, we here at A1 Precision Solutions and our partners at Colby have been able to balance the need for product protection during shipping with the need to be environmentally friendly.

One way to keep this balance is keeping the packaging to an absolute minimum. For example, new Colby beams travel only with a small wrap of degradable plastic on each end of the beam in order to protect the powder coating. From there, the beams are strapped with steel for safety. Similarly, racking frames travel with only steel strapping to keep them together and for safety.

The other way to keep this balance is to ensure all packaging products are recyclable or degradable. This means recycling the steel straps and any cardboard or timber used.

Again, this is great for our customers because less packaging means less clean up at the end of pallet racking installation. Our team can get your new racking installed quickly and then leave the site without a lengthy clean up process, ensuring our customers get back to work easily.

Ensure Continuity Of Technical Specifications

Unlike other racking companies who will introduce various iterations of their product that may not be compatible with older product types, Colby racking has maintained the essence of their designs, making sure all revised racking models are compatible with older models. This allows pallet racking to be upgraded, reconfigured, or repurposed using existing racking stock, regardless of age. Not only is this cost effective for customers who don’t want to replace all of their pallet racking due to their specific model no longer being manufactured, it also ensures greater safety compliance since damaged portions of racking can be easily replacement.

This continuity of technical specifications is also friendly to the environment because it leads to less waste. As mentioned, if there’s damage to pallet racking, only the damaged portion needs to be replaced, not the whole rack. Furthermore, older racking can continually be used and recycled without risk of parts no longer being available, prolonging the life of the racking.

Reusing Second-Hand Racking

A significant proportion of our racking business has been built on the back of reusing racking. This means that we both buy second-hand racking from our customers, and we also supply second-hand racking to customers. This is only possible because the Bluescope Steel used in the manufacturing of ColbyRACK© ensures that the racking has an extremely long life meaning it can be reused again and again.

The used racking market makes materials are not wasted and are repurposed where possible, keeping waste down. Of course used racking is also a budget friendly option for a lot of businesses, so having it available also benefits our customers.

Being Environmentally Friendly Is Sensible

While keeping the environment in mind can take a few extra steps, ultimately it’s a sensible way of doing business, especially when you’re talking about pallet racking. By keeping our suppliers local, we’re cutting down on our carbon output while also ensuring the best possible product gets to our customers. By keeping product packaging down, we also make sure racking is installed quickly and easily so our customers are less impacted by installation times. Having continuity between different versions of racking products makes sure our customers can use their racking for longer. And offering used pallet racking helps a lot of our customers with a more budget friendly option.