Calgary Automotive Parts Warehouse Upgrades Facility with Custom Racking Solution

A global leader in the distribution, sales, and marketing of aftermarket parts for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, trailers, buses, and engines required a customized warehouse racking solution for its new Calgary, Alberta facility.

With an extensive range of automotive components, the customer needed an industrial storage system that would maximize available warehouse space while providing quick and direct access to thousands of individual SKUs.

To support the customer’s distribution operations, the NAS Group companies, North American Steel and North American Storage, collaborated to deliver a complete warehouse racking solution. The project combined Canadian-manufactured pallet racking with professional installation services to meet the customer’s accelerated timeline and facility requirements.

Challenges Faced

Accelerated Installation Timeline

With the Calgary warehouse facility ready for use, the customer required an expedited delivery and installation schedule to ensure the new space could become fully operational as quickly as possible.

Managing a Large and Diverse Automotive Inventory

A primary challenge was designing a warehouse storage system capable of accommodating a wide range of automotive parts and components with varying dimensions, weights, and storage requirements. The customer required a highly selective storage solution that would allow employees to quickly locate and retrieve individual SKUs without needing to move other products. Direct access to inventory was essential for supporting streamlined picking processes, inventory control, and distribution workflows.

Maximizing Warehouse Storage Capacity

Due to the variety of products being stored, the racking system required multiple frame depths and customized beam elevations throughout the facility. These configurations allowed products of different sizes and pallet heights to be stored safely while maximizing storage capacity within the 230,000 sq. ft. warehouse.

Solutions

Selective Pallet Racking System

To meet the customer’s need for flexibility, accessibility, and improved inventory control, a selective pallet racking system was designed and installed throughout the Calgary facility.

Selective pallet racking provides direct access to every pallet location, making it an ideal solution for warehouses managing a high number of SKUs. The system was customized with varying frame depths and beam elevations to accommodate different product profiles and optimize storage space.

Selective pallet racking specifications:

• 16,500 pallet positions
• 28 ft. tall racking system
• 3.2 km of racking installed
• 800,000 lbs. of steel used

Manufactured by: North American Steel
Installed by: North American Storage

Cantilever Racking System

To support handling requirements for longer and oversized automotive components, a custom cantilever racking system was incorporated into the warehouse layout.

The single-sided cantilever configuration provided controlled access while the heavy-duty design supported safe and organized storage of larger materials. The system was engineered with reinforced columns to provide additional load support while maximizing available storage space.

Cantilever racking specifications:

• 22 ft. tall structure
• 116 ft. system length
• 240 storage locations
• 10″ wide columns for enhanced load support

Manufactured and installed by: North American Storage

Results & Impact

The completed warehouse racking solution provided the Calgary automotive parts facility with a flexible, scalable system designed to support efficient distribution operations.

Through collaboration between North American Steel and North American Storage, the project was successfully delivered on an accelerated timeline while meeting the customer’s complex storage needs. In addition to design, manufacturing, and installation, the NAS Group provided permitting coordination and inspection services to help ensure the project met applicable safety and regulatory requirements.

The final solution:

• Maximized storage capacity within a 230,000 sq. ft. Calgary warehouse
• Provided direct access to 16,500 pallet positions
• Improved inventory organization and accessibility
• Accommodated a wide range of automotive parts and product sizes
• Supported optimized picking, retrieval, and distribution processes

Need a Custom Warehouse Racking Solution?

From initial design and engineering through manufacturing, installation, and project support services, the NAS Group provides complete storage solutions tailored to your operational needs. Contact our team today to discuss your next storage project.