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Benthack

Building materials retailer Henri Benthack opted for robust cantilever and pallet racking made of hot-rolled steel from OHRA for its new site in Neumünster. They offer higher load-bearing capacities, larger spans and are more resistant to impacts than comparable shelving made from sheet metal profiles. A total of 3,400 storage locations in pallet racking and 1,250 linear metres of storage space in cantilever racking were installed. Visualisation made planning easier. The new shelves increase storage capacity, optimise logistics and minimise material damage.

Hot-rolled lasts better.

When equipping the new site in Neumünster, building materials retailer Henri Benthack deliberately opted for cantilever and pallet racking made from hot-rolled steel profiles. Compared to shelving made from cold-rolled sheet metal profiles, they offer significantly higher load-bearing capacities and allow larger spans. They are also more robust in operation and retain their static capabilities even in the event of "bumps". OHRA supplied all the shelving required for the new location, from cantilever and pallet racking for indoor and outdoor installation to special long-span racking and vertical racking for the storage and presentation of mouldings.

Project data

Client
Henri Benthack GmbH & Co. KG
Location
Neumünster, Germany
Year of construction
2024
Advantage
Robustness, load-bearing capacity
Storage system
Cantilever racking, panel racking, wide span racking, strip racking
Stored goods
various building materials

Space for a larger range

Henri Benthack moved into it’s new branch in Neumünster in mid-2024 after the space at the old location was no longer sufficient for the specialist building materials retailer's extensive product range. The company can now offer its customers a significantly expanded portfolio in the more than 25,000 square metres of exhibition space in the new shop. The range comprises around 8,500 products - from floor coverings to articles from the tiling and landscaping sectors to roofing materials.

High loads

Following Benthack's experience at the old site with shelving constructed from sheet metal profiles, the company now opted for systems from OHRA. The company is one of the market leaders in heavy-duty shelving and only uses full-walled, hot-rolled steel profiles for its cantilever and pallet racking. This enables high load-bearing capacities with a slimline design. At Benthack, for example, the 7 metre high pallet racking can carry a shelf load of up to 3.9 tonnes - with a shelf width of 3 metres.

Robust against bumps

Hot-rolled profiles also offer advantages in terms of safety – with sheet metal profiles, a bump with the forks of a forklift truck can quickly damage a support or beam to such an extent that the component has to be replaced - or it fails without warning. Hot-rolled steel, on the other hand, is ductile and "tough" due to the manufacturing process. As a result, it’s kink resistance is significantly higher and it’s sensitivity to impacts considerably lower. In the event of a collision, hot-rolled profiles deform but retain their static properties (up to a certain extent).

Customised

The pallet racks, most of which are designed as double rack rows, offer a total of around 3,400 storage locations. The length of the cantilever racking storage levels adds up to over 1,250 metres, arranged in six storage levels. All racks for outdoor use are hot-dip galvanised, and some of the cantilever racks are also fitted with a roof. The height and usable depth of the vertical shelves have also been adapted to Benthack's

moulding portfolio. With the vertical shelves, the building materials dealer can present the various dimensions and versions of his mouldings in a customer-friendly way.

Visualisation supports planning

In order to maintain an overview of the large number of shelves, OHRA provided Benthack with a visualisation of the entire system for internal planning. In consultation with the architect, it was also possible to plan the floor slab, including the water channels required outside, without any errors. Thanks to this structured planning, it was possible to realise a clearly structured facility that offers more storage capacity compared to the old location, as well as simpler storage and fast order picking. In addition, damage to the material was significantly reduced with the shelving from OHRA.

About Henri Benthack:

Henri Benthack GmbH & Co KG is a traditional Hamburg-based building materials retailer with over 300 employees. Founded in 1930, the company operates its own fleet of lorries with around 30 vehicles and stocks a range of 8,500 products. From six locations in Hamburg, Lübeck, Grevesmühlen, Neumünster and Syke, the company is active in four northern German states.