Our customer, in this case, a company with storage facilities nationwide, had just made a significant investment in a new and sizeable distribution center. The vast section they were looking to protect was filled with 10 x 10 HSS steel columns. Although the structural columns were painted yellow for better visibility, they knew that a solid prevention strategy against warehouse infrastructure damage was necessary.
The customer and his engineers needed to protect the building columns of this new DC against forklift damage specifically, from experience in locations where such damage had been difficult and expensive to repair. His team was not contented with the flimsy plastic or rubber options found on the market, and could not find a solution that was at once sturdy, and did not take up valuable floor space. They were also looking for a guard that, while protecting the column, would not come into contact with it. With these considerations in mind, they reached out to a Damotech Dealer, experienced in protecting valuable warehouse assets.
The Damotech dealer decided to take this opportunity to introduce them to the DAMO SHIELD. They loved the patented design and the robustness of the unit. Initially, 20 units were ordered and installed as a trial. Before the end of the installation, they knew they had found a solution and ordered many more to protect other columns in the facility!
The customer and his team were impressed with the results but did have a concern about protecting the columns against damage from forklift drivers traveling with forks higher than 8” off the ground…How could they prevent forks from piercing through the columns?
The dealer quickly turned to Damotech’s Engineering Department for an answer to his client’s concern. Within a few weeks, Damotech had created and shipped a custom accessory fittingly called the “Fork Blocker” that could be retrofitted on any DAMO SHIELD. The “Fork Blocker” was designed to prevent the lift’s fork blades from reaching the column while the DAMO SHIELD protects the building columns from all the other parts of the lift.
Since the initial trial, additional DAMO SHIELD units were installed in the new facility as well as in multiple other distribution centers owned by this client. Today, several other customers also benefit from the Fork Blocker as it has been fully productized and is available as an add-on to the DAMO SHIELD.
Want to know more about the DAMO SHIELD, schedule a protection assessment, or get a quote?
