Mars Pet Care wanted to take advantage of global bulk pricing on meat products for their Columbus, Ohio pet food plant, but had no space within the existing facility. The solution was straightforward in concept and complex in execution: purchase the vacant building next door and convert it from ambient temperature to a freezer. Mars brought in their local material handling dealer, McCormick Equipment of Perrysburg, Ohio, who in turn brought in 3D Storage Systems to help design the layout.

The Challenge

The conversion needed to maximize storage density within 154,000 square feet while maintaining enough selectivity to rotate product on a FIFO basis.

The Challenge

The conversion needed to maximize storage density within 154,000 square feet while maintaining enough selectivity to rotate product on a FIFO basis.

The Solution

Mars purchased a vacant building next door and made plans to convert it from ambient temperature warehouse into a freezer. Mars asked their local material handling dealer, McCormick Equipment in Perrysburg, Ohio to assist them with a high-density storage layout and McCormick, in turn, contacted 3D Storage Systems to help out. Together 3D and McCormick came up with a plan that maximized storage while still ensuring enough selectivity to rotate product on a first-in-first-out basis. The new facility has just over 18,000 pallet positions of 2, 3 and 4 deep pushback situated in 154,000 square feet of a unique freezer within a building. The project was very cost-effective because it utilized pushback over double stacked floor storage, ensuring high density without having to pay for carts, rails, and beams on the bottom level.