Sydney-Based IT Company

Client: IT Company
Location: Sydney's North Shore

The Opportunity

Space constraints threaten operational efficiency and drive up costs

Our client's Sydney North Shore location serves as a critical hub for the company's technical operations, storing computer components including modems and hard drives that technicians’ access daily for customer repairs. The facility also houses infrastructure supporting their cloud storage solutions, creating an interesting juxtaposition of physical storage needs for a digital storage business.

Their team faced a pressing challenge: they were running out of space. They had been leasing overflow storage in an adjacent building - an interim solution that was becoming increasingly costly and operationally inefficient. With the lease term approaching its end, the company needed to consolidate all inventory into their main building, but the existing storage infrastructure simply couldn’t accommodate the additional stock.

The situation was further complicated by space constraints in two distinct areas within the main building:

• The plant room, which needed to absorb inventory from the closing overflow warehouse

• The mezzanine level, where existing static shelving was at capacity, but physical space remained limited

Time was of the essence. They needed a solution that would maximise storage capacity within their existing footprint, eliminate the need for external warehouse space, and be implemented before their overflow lease expired, all while maintaining operational continuity for their technical teams who depend on quick access to components.

The Solution

Engineering Innovation: Adapting mobile technology to existing infrastructure

APC approached the challenge with a two-stage solution designed to maximise space efficiency while working within our client's operational and timeline constraints. The partnership would ultimately showcase APC's engineering capabilities and willingness to innovate beyond standard product offerings.

Stage 1: Plant Room Mobile Shelving Installation

The first phase focused on the plant room, where our client needed immediate capacity to accommodate inventory from the closing overflow warehouse. This stage required precise coordination between APC's installation timeline and our client's lease termination date. There was no buffer for delay.

APC's team began with a comprehensive site assessment, identifying critical requirements and constraints:

• GPO power location requirements for the electric mobile system.
• Height restrictions requiring relocation of alarm and fire systems.
• Access challenges including narrow entryways that necessitated hand-moving equipment from the loading dock.
• Operational continuity requirements, as the client's teams needed to maintain normal operations during installation.

The solution involved installing APC's TouchDrive electric Aislesaver system, a compactus-style mobile shelving unit that dramatically increases storage density by eliminating unnecessary aisle space. The installation process included floor preparation, timber flooring and steel track installation, mounting of bases, chains and shelving, and complete electrical wiring and commissioning.

Stage 2: Engineering First-of-its-Kind Hybrid Solution

The mezzanine level presented a unique engineering challenge. Our client had existing Schaefer Regal 3000 static shelving that was functionally sound but inefficiently using their available space. Rather than replace the entire system, they asked if APC could adapt their mobile base technology to work with their existing non-APC shelving - a configuration APC had never attempted before.

This request sparked an engineering initiative led by APC's GM Ian MacDonald, who oversaw the design and engineering required to make APC's TouchDrive electric mobile bases compatible with Schaefer's shelving system. The challenge was significant: different manufacturers use different mounting specifications, load distributions and structural requirements. APC's engineering team needed to ensure the hybrid system would maintain safety standards while achieving the desired storage density improvements.

The final solution delivered remarkable results. By converting the static shelving to mobile bases, APC enabled our client to:

• Reduce required walkway aisles from three to one
• Increase storage rows from seven to eleven
• Add multiple additional shelving levels within the same footprint
• Maintain existing stock location logic, minimising operational disruption

The implementation required meticulous planning. APC's team carefully dismantled the existing shelves, stored them and existing inventory safely during conversion, prepared the floor, installed timber flooring and steel tracks, mounted the mobile bases and then reinstalled the Schaefer shelving in its exact configuration to preserve the established inventory organisation.

The Impact

Operational consolidation drives efficiency and cost savings

The transformation delivered immediate and measurable benefits across multiple dimensions of our client's operations. Most significantly, the company successfully eliminated its dependency on overflow warehouse space, consolidating 100% of its inventory into the main North Shore facility. This consolidation immediately removed ongoing lease costs and reduced the operational complexity of managing inventory across multiple locations.

The storage density improvements were substantial. In the mezzanine area alone, the client achieved a 57% increase in storage rows (from 7 to 11) while reducing required aisle space by 67% (from three aisles to one). This wasn't simply about fitting more items into the same space. It represented a fundamental transformation in how they could organise and access their inventory.

For their technical teams, the impact extends beyond raw storage numbers. Technicians now have all necessary components in a single centralised location, reducing time spent locating parts and eliminating trips to the former overflow warehouse. The TouchDrive Aislesaver electric mobile shelving provides easy access while maintaining the high-density storage that makes the space savings possible.

The engineering breakthrough achieved in Stage 2 has created value beyond this single project. APC's successful integration of their mobile base technology with Schaefer shelving has established a new capability that can serve other clients facing similar constraints - organisations with functional existing shelving who need better space utilisation but want to avoid the cost and disruption of complete system replacement.

Looking forward, our client has the storage infrastructure to support business growth without requiring additional real estate. The modular nature of the mobile shelving systems provides flexibility to reconfigure as inventory needs evolve, and the successful partnership has established a foundation for future collaboration as our client's storage requirements continue to develop.