The UK’s leading floor marking contractor, ASG Services have recently completed their largest line marking project to date.  11,000 metres of line marking, 788 characters & digits, 112 floor embedded labels and several hatched blocks have been created at a new distribution centre.

The principal contractor consulted ASG Services to supply the most durable striping and floor label system available, along with complete installation management for a successful end result.  The request was to provide the best solution available for their client whose operations demand the highest levels of durability from their products, to withstand the strain of a market leaders distribution centre.

A project on this scale is extremely complex when we consider the number of other contractors on site, working simultaneously.  Meetings identified time periods where ASG’s striping teams would have the necessary access required to prepare and install sections without external contamination or intrusion.  Large areas of the building’s floor were cordoned off and under the control of ASG’s installation teams were never hindered making the project run as clockwork.

The floor marking system chosen is the most advanced available, with preparation from ASG Services’ specially developed machinery and epoxy resin systems, designed specifically for warehouse striping.  The technique of line marking and installation methods are extremely durable which helps to improve the markings visibility throughout its lifetime. Previous customers have contacted us to request a maintenance visit where we clean and re-paint the lines which in many cases were installed 3 - 4 years ago.

Colour selection is an important factor for both Health & Safety reasons as well as practical reasons.  Two colours were chosen - green to identify areas of pedestrian use, while yellow would be used for block stacking areas and marshalling lanes since it is also used in road traffic marking as a colour associated with warnings and offers the greatest contrast on concrete floor surfaces.

The facilities 120 temporary pallet-holding bays in ‘goods-in’ and ‘goods-out’, are now identified by bay lanes and numbers, separating them clearly into individual areas to improve the control and movement of stock.  These areas are the busiest areas in the new facility and must be tightly controlled to maintain efficiency so the best identification system was a must.

Areas throughout the facility, where fork-lift trucks and personnel operate in close proximity, required a floor marking design as a constant reminder of the dangers present and the need to keep the areas clear at all times.

Hatching in bright yellow provides an intense display of floor identification which is more commonly seen in use as road markings for controlled zones.  The design is in place where fork-lift trucks and pedestrians use the same areas and doorways.  “They are recognised, not only by road users but also by pedestrians, as controlled areas where caution must be taken,” Tony said, “so it makes sense to incorporate a similar practice in the working environment.”

In addition, zebra-crossings are used to identify pedestrians and fork-lift trucks cross paths creating a powerful point of reference seen at distance and helps bring order to the movement of both.

A new technique of bay numbering, developed to improve identification at a greater distance is also utilised.  The new system enables fork-lift truck operators to identify bay locations more quickly which helps increase productivity.  Walking man characters for pedestrian lanes were also applied using the new method which in many ways is more important for Health & Safety surveys.

ASG Services' unique floor embedded barcode system is the chosen method of floor location ID, extensively used on site, the floor labels are applied using specialist machinery, to all block storage locations, where conventional forms of identification was not possible and durability is paramount.  The method of location identification requires a very specialist form of installation and does not come at a budget price, it is however amongst the most durable available and capable of withstanding the daily assault of fork trucks and pallets.  Aluminium plate’s form the location label complete with barcode and eye readable data, which uphold high scan verification rates if maintained.