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Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department Selects Montel’s High-Density Storage Systems

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Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department

Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department Selects Montel's High-Density Storage Systems

Opening/Challenges

If you break the law in Stanislaus, then the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department has room for you to serve your time. But, until recently, there wasn’t room as much room for the records, clothing and possessions of 1,500 inmates, not to mention the personal items of the local deputies and booking staff.

With 40 new inmates booked and 20 to 30 released during every 12-hour shift, these public safety officials needed smarter organization than filing cabinets and hooks to reduce their lost property claims. Good thing Montel and BMH Equipment Inc., an Authorized Montel Distributor, were there to provide some much-needed backup.

Solutions

For their strength, accessibility and customizable design, Mobilex mechanical-assist mobile storage systems were the obvious choice: one for general administration – including historical records, personnel belongings, confidential items and training materials – one for in-custody filing and another for inmates’ possessions. Complete with adjustable SmartShelves, Mobilex offered the sheriff’s office storage that met high capacity demands without sacrificing on square feet or versatility.

Features

Since as many as 20 team members or more would require access to the systems throughout a given day, the mobile storage installations had to open quickly and keep staff safe during operation. Each Mobilex storage system came equipped with SafeCrank ergonomic handles and push-button locking mechanisms designed to prevent closure while in use. Embedded rails underneath the Mobilex carriages also protected against tripping and allowed access for wheelchairs and carts.

Custom in-shelf features, such as clothing racks, ventilated lockers and numbered bins, gave sheriff’s office personnel the freedom to organize according to how they processed inmates, instead of having to create workarounds for static, inflexible shelving.

And for added safety, what storage system in Central Valley, California would be complete without anti-tipping technology capable of withstanding an earthquake? Montel, BMH Equipment and the sheriff’s department covered all the bases to ensure officers and office staff would be safe no matter when an emergency strikes.

Benefits

Thanks to high-density Mobilex storage systems, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department can book and release inmates comfortably, reduce its liability for lost property and provide its staff with safe, frictionless access to a dynamic library of records, resources and more.

Mobile shelving for off-site storage: What are your options?

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Originally posted by Montel, Inc. at: http://www.montel.com/blog/mobile-shelving-for-off-site-storage-what-are-your-options/

Storage is a universal need, as important to industrial manufacturers as it is to small-business retailers with limited inventory space or libraries with more books than staff members know what to do with.

But there comes a time when businesses and organizations must ask: What do I do if on-site storage isn’t enough?

Before you consider moving materials off-site to storage containers or investing in a whole new facility, we challenge you to ask yourself a different question: Why isn’t your on-site storage enough?

Off-site storage ought to be strategic, not reactive

No one spends incredible capital on off-site storage without good reason to. But jumping right to off-site storage as a solution to on-site storage issues fails to address the real problem: inefficient, inflexible shelving options.

Let’s use libraries and library storage as examples. One library, compelled by an evolving media environment, now has a greater need for computer labs and communal spaces than ever before. So after conducting resource analysis and developing a responsive archival/retrieval system, this library decides to move a large portion of its collection off premises, giving patrons new resources without depriving them of valuable information. In this way, off-site storage makes sense, right?

Well, that depends: Did decision-makers at that library first weigh the benefits of a high-density storage system for on-site operations?

Mobile shelving can reduce storage footprints by 50 percent, thus maximizing the space adopters already own and pay for. It’s entirely possible, even probable, that the one-time installation of a mobile shelving system would not cost nearly as much as constructing, maintaining and powering an entirely new off-site storage facility.

High-density HI-BAY MOBILE shelving from Montel

High-density HI-BAY MOBILE shelving from Montel

Challenges of off-site storage logistics

If storage users can help it, they’re far better off investing in smarter shelving solutions that keep their resources close by rather than at remote warehouses.

Off-site storage requires advanced cataloging and logistics networks designed to transport resources between facilities and central hubs. More importantly, these processes have to run like clockwork. Otherwise, retrieval or restocking problems will outweigh the value of freeing up space at the main headquarters.

If, for example, retail managers with off-site storage cannot check on off-site inventories or quickly truck in goods that are out of stock, they will miss opportunities to capitalize on hot trends and turn a profit. Without these frameworks in place, it’s better to optimize on-site storage with custom mobile shelving than to risk hurting your business or organization in the name of helping it. More efficient on-site storage keeps everything under one roof and limits the amount of change necessary to adapt.

Are storage containers worth it?

Of course, there are other options available for off-site storage. The question is whether they’re as beneficial as storage users need them to be.

One popular option – though we certainly don’t know why – is the storage container. One pricing study found that storage container rentals could cost anywhere between $50 and $500 per month or more, not including delivery and pickup costs, which vary according to the renter’s proximity to the rental company. Modifications, such as insulation or refrigeration, will drive up prices, and the best deals force renters into multiyear contracts. And for what? A big empty metal box that could run you hundreds of dollars every time you want to pull materials, merchandise or equipment from it?

Instead of throwing that money down a hole, organizations should put it toward custom on-site high-density mobile shelving they can use to store what they want as they want and access it whenever they want at no additional cost.

Support better off-site storage with high-capacity mobile shelving

Sometimes off-site storage is an unquestionable necessity. In those cases, storage users must be careful not to repeat history by investing in static, prefabricated L&T shelving and go mobile instead. Here’s why:

  • Mobile shelving scales sensibly: High-density mobile storage allows users to grow without wasting space, taking advantage of every cubic foot and upholding good organization.
  • Mobile shelving changes with you: Mobile shelving systems from Montel require no tools or technicians to adjust. When inventory needs evolve, so can storage with minimal effort.
  • Mobile shelving offers diversity: Installations can be customized to include cabinets, lockers, bins, dividers and virtually anything else users could need. Ask your local Authorized Montel Distributor about how you can build a mobile shelving system all your own.
  • Mobile shelving makes room for success: No off-site storage facility is 100 percent storage. By optimizing the off-site storage footprint at all times, mobile shelving users save space for other necessities like offices and meeting areas.

For more information on whether you need manual, mechanical-assist or powered mobile shelving for your off-site storage facility or high-density industrial mobile racking for your warehouse, or contact us today.