SA mining company invests R290m in mobile shelving system

Scoring a world first CLIVE EMDON USING ROBOTICS, a South African racking and shelving company is planning the biggest automated mobile shelving system in the world – to carry 50 tons of fine picking, high value commodities for a South African mining company. Fred Albrecht, MD of APC Storage Solutions SA, says early estimates put the cost of the project at R290 million. Operating for the past two and a half years, APC has launched an Eastern Cape branch with its own drawing office, delivery vehicles and stock. “We already do business with various well-known companies and hope to be involved in the planning of Coega as a world-class port, particularly in providing storage solutions for cold storage facilities.” Interviewed at his head office in Aeroport, Spartan on the East Rand recently, he said: “As part of the biggest racking and shelving company in the world we bring four new key areas of competence into the market – high levels of quality, safety, technology and experience.” Albrecht says APC’s quality and safety levels are compliant with, and exceed, the top international codes. The international group uses the Spanish Mecalux racking and shelving systems, and also recently acquired the German Thyssen Krupp Automated Systems company, to offer projects on a turnkey basis. A major project undertaken by the local company is a mobile racking system for the Reserve Bank in Angola that can carry 14 900 tons of money.