What are you storing in the cooler?
What is stored and how it’s stored is critical information to consider when choosing which storage products are needed inside a walk-in cooler. Are you storing prepped food in plastic food storage containers? If so, what size are they? If using large sized (18×26) Lexan containers for prepped veggie and salad or if you are using large boxes, you’ll need deep shelving such as our Adjustable or Quick-Change Cantilever Heavy Duty (HD) Shelving. These styles are designed for heavier and larger loads and is recommended to be placed at the bottom of shelving units.
Are you storing small boxes of specialty herbs and cheeses or housing small plastic containers of prepped food? If so, you must allow room in the cooler for shelving with smaller spacing between the runners. Our T-Bar and Solid styles of Adjustable and Quick-Change Cantilever Shelving are ideal solutions for this.
Are you storing steamtable pans or sheet pans of prepped food on a mobile rack? You’ll need to leave space inside the cooler for these racks to be rolled in and out. Make sure to consider the height of these racks as well. Some people use standard Bun Pan Racks loaded up with sheet pans to hold steamtable pans on top of them at every other runner. Using one of our Steamtable Pan Racks takes up less space than this and is designed specifically to hold steamtable pans.
Are you storing large boxes of produce? These boxes can be stored on dunnage racks that hold thousands of pounds. Maximize vertical storage space by using a dunnage rack with shelving above it for smaller items.
How heavy are the products being stored?
Again, those large Lexan containers used to store vegetables will need a heavy-duty (HD) shelf near the floor. To prevent injuries, employees shouldn’t lift heavy items from the floor to higher shelves. Lightweight items should be placed on the second, third, or fourth shelf of your shelving. This allows you to use a lighter weight capacity shelf for higher shelves, while sticking with a heavy duty (HD) option or dunnage rack for the bottom shelving run.
Are you storing any specialty products that should be secured?
If you have beer in your cooler, you should layout shelving that is designed for beer, keg, or bottle storage. This is the most effective way to use the space. Do you store meats, seafood, liquor, or other high-priced items that need to be secured against theft? If so, you should consider purchasing a Security Cage or Security Fence. New Age Industrial’s Aluminum Security Fence will never rust or corrode and can be installed in a new or existing cooler. It has options available for a hinged or sliding door. This fence allows you to lock up products while maintaining correct temperatures for storage.
What are the local health codes that should be followed?
Always check your local health codes to be certain that you are storing products at the correct temperatures, the correct height off the floor, and meeting all safety requirements. At New Age Industrial, we can help you efficiently layout your storage in any walk-in cooler, beer cooler, freezer, or dry storage space.
New Age Industrial designs and manufactures heavy duty, yet lightweight aluminum products to meet your exact needs, working with various industries including foodservice, supermarket, and material handling. For more information, visit www.newageindustrial.com
