Troax’s industrial wire mesh partitioning system, Caelum, has been used to create a secure storage facility for Imperial Tobacco. The enclosure is used to store high-value cigarettes and tobacco products at the company’s premises in a shared-user warehouse in Barking which is managed on their behalf by DHL Exel.

Merchandise is stored at the site on behalf of Imperial Tobacco, whose brands include Superkings, Embassy and Lambert and Butler, prior to distribution to retail outlets by DHL Exel.

This is one of several secure enclosures that have been built for retailers using the warehouse by Integrated Storage Systems using Troax partitioning. A number of leading retailers use the warehouse as a regional distribution centre where stock can be split into smaller consignments for delivery to local outlets.

Integrated Storage Systems used Troax’s Caelum modular partitioning to construct two 12m high dividing walls which reach right up into the roof void to create a completely secure area in one section of the warehouse. The 25 x 25mm mesh aperture size makes it impossible for a hand to reach through so cigarette packets cannot be passed out. A single pedestrian door and double doors which allow forklift access have been fitted into the industrial wall.

For this type of shared-user warehouse, occupied by a variety of retailers with varying and regularly changing storage requirements, the modular design of Troax’s systems is a definite advantage as Ian Clay of Integrated Storage Systems explains: “We’ve always found Troax’s modular partitioning to be ideal for this type of application where flexibility is really important. We’re able to demount and reconfigure the panels easily when a retailer expands or changes their requirements in any way. In fact, we’ve used the same panels a number of times to alter or extend storage areas.”

As well as its versatility, Caelum offers additional benefits as its wire mesh design creates a translucent and fully visible storage environment yet offers complete security at all times. The partitioning is often specified by insurance companies as the mesh design also allows smoke and heat to filter through to trigger smoke detection systems and allow the penetration of sprinkler systems in the event of a fire.

The panels are constructed from steel mesh, welded to a tubular frame to give optimum strength between wire and tube. Enclosures built using Caelum are exceptionally strong and sturdy, aided by the fact that the panels incorporate specially designed horizontal tubes that give them additional strength while reinforcing and straightening the mesh.

Integrated Storage Systems also installed Troax’s Musca anti-collapse pallet rack safety screens along a 22m long of pallet racking to protect staff working in the warehouse from injury, preventing items falling from the overhead racking.