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What is Mobile Shelving / Roller Racking?

Mobile shelving and roller racking are high-density storage systems where shelving units are mounted on wheeled carriages that glide along tracks, allowing users to eliminate fixed aisles and maximise available floor space. By compacting shelves together and opening only a single access aisle where needed, these systems can double storage capacity within the same footprint, improve organisation, enhance efficiency, and provide secure, adaptable storage for everything from office files to industrial inventory. Mobile shelving is often installed alongside steel partitions or mesh security cages to create fully optimised, secure storage environments.

Maximise Space, Double Storage Capacity With Mobile Shelving Solutions.

For over 40 years, Storwell Systems has been at the forefront of designing and installing mobile shelving solutions across the UK, providing organisations with the storage systems they need to optimise their storage space, double their storage capacity, and enhance accessibility.

With a proven track record of successfully serving leading organisations like the NHS Trusts and hospitals, the BBC, ITV, and other top UK organisations, Storwell’s mobile shelving systems offer a practical, cost-effective solution when space is limited.

Newly installed mobile shelving system with drive wheels visible in front

How Roller Racking Systems Work

Mobile shelving systems with rotary wheels and a mobile base make storage both efficient and flexible. With a simple turn of the wheel, shelves glide along tracks, saving space while giving easy access to items.

Watch as the system in action quickly transforms how you organize and retrieve your belongings!

As the video demonstrates, the simple yet effective design of the rotary wheel and mobile base makes accessing items quick and easy while keeping the area organized.

What Are The Ten Key Benefits of Mobile Shelving ?

Heres how Storwell’s mobile shelving systems help

1. Maximising Space Efficiency

  • In many organisations, space is at a premium.

Whether it’s a hospital needing room for medical records, stores or surgical equipment, a media company like the BBC or ITV requiring efficient storage for archives, or any other business managing valuable stock or records, making the best use of available space is crucial.

Traditional shelving systems require aisles between storage units for access, leading to wasted space. Mobile shelving, however, eliminates the need for multiple static aisles by mounting shelving units onto on movable tracks.

This allows entire rows of shelving to be compressed together, creating a dense, compact storage area that maximises the available floor space.

Storwell’s mobile shelving systems are designed to fit specific space constraints, allowing organisations to reclaim previously unused or underutilised areas.

This approach can free up valuable square footage for other purposes, such as expanding work areas or accommodating additional storage requirements without the need for costly building expansions or off-site storage rentals.

2. Doubling Storage Capacity

One of the most significant benefits of mobile shelving systems is the ability to double the storage capacity within the same footprint.

By eliminating fixed aisles, the system can increase the amount of shelving and storage units in the same physical space.

For instance, a room that previously could only accommodate 10 shelving units with fixed aisles can now store 20 or more units by consolidating the aisles into a single movable aisle that can be dynamically created as needed.

For institutions like NHS hospitals, where storage requirements for medical records, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment are constantly growing, Storwell’s mobile shelving systems allow them to double their storage capacity without the need for costly physical expansion.

This capability is just as valuable for media organisations like the BBC and ITV, where archive storage for tapes, films, and technical equipment often takes up a significant portion of the available space.

Storwell’s systems enable these organisations to store more materials in less space while keeping their collections organised and easily accessible.

3. Easy Access to Stored Items

Efficient storage is only one part of the equation—easy access to the stored items is just as important. Storwell’s mobile shelving systems provide seamless access by allowing users to open up aisles and if electrically operated then at the touch of a button, or even automatically, depending on the configuration.

This reduces the time and effort required to locate and retrieve materials, improving workflow efficiency and reducing downtime.

In environments such as NHS hospitals, where time is critical, mobile shelving ensures that medical records, pharmaceuticals, and equipment are always within easy reach, and the right items can be accessed quickly when needed.For the BBC and ITV, where fast access to archival materials, tapes, and digital media is essential, Storwell’s mobile shelving systems provide quick, organised retrieval, preventing bottlenecks and streamlining operations.

Moreover, mobile shelving systems can be tailored with features such as locking mechanisms, safety rails, and access control, ensuring that sensitive materials or equipment are securely stored but still easily accessible to authorized personnel.

4. Tailored Custom Solutions

Storwell’s 40 years of experience in the design and installation of mobile shelving systems mean we understand the unique requirements of each organisation.

Storwell doesn’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions but instead tailors their systems to meet the precise needs of their clients, whether that’s for the secure storage of medical records in NHS hospitals or the efficient organisation of stores and archives such as at ITV and the BBC.

Storwell’s team works closely with each client to assess their space, workflow, and storage needs, ensuring that the mobile shelving system is not only space-efficient but also enhances the day-to-day operation of the organisation.

Our experience means we can design systems that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, providing solutions that are easy to use, safe, and scalable for future growth.

6. Proven Success with Leading UK Organizations

Storwell Systems has been the trusted partner of choice for some of the UK’s most well-known institutions, including Bristol University, BBC and many other leading organizations.

These clients rely on Storwell’s expertise to optimize storage, improve operational efficiency, and ensure that valuable materials are stored securely and easily accessible.

NHS Hospitals: Storwell’s mobile shelving systems are ideal for storing medical records, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and patient files in a space-efficient manner.

By increasing storage capacity and improving access, NHS trusts can provide better services while reducing costs associated with additional storage space.

BBC and ITV: Media organizations like the BBC and ITV require highly organised and accessible storage for valuable media archives, tapes, and technical equipment.

Storwell’s mobile shelving solutions help these organizations preserve their collections while maximising their storage space and improving access to materials for production, research, and archival purposes.

Close-up of a mobile shelving system designed to store medical records.

How Storwell Systems Can Help You

Storwell’s mobile shelving systems are the perfect solution for organizations looking to make the most of their available space, double their storage capacity, and enhance access to stored items.

With 40 years of experience, Storwell has successfully designed and installed mobile shelving systems for some of the UK’s leading organizations, including NHS hospitals, the BBC, ITV, and many others.

Our tailored, cost-effective solutions help businesses optimise their storage, streamline workflows, and ensure that their operations remain efficient and scalable in the long term.

Whether for retail, healthcare, media, or any other industry, Storwell’s mobile shelving systems provide a proven way to make better use of space and boost overall organisational efficiency.

“Act now and see how we can create and free up space or double existing storage capacity. Call us for a free consultation and quotation for your planned project.”

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    Roller Racking FAQs

    What is roller racking?

    Roller racking, also called mobile shelving or mobile racking, is a high-density storage system where shelving bays sit on wheeled carriages that move along floor-mounted tracks. Instead of a fixed aisle between every bay (as with static shelving), a single aisle is created on demand by rolling adjacent units apart – letting you store up to twice as much in the same footprint. Roller racking is widely used in archives, offices, museums, libraries, stockrooms and warehouses where floor space is limited and storage density matters.

    How does mobile shelving save space?

    Mobile shelving saves space by eliminating the fixed aisles that static shelving requires. A conventional static layout loses roughly half its floor area to permanent walkways between each bay. Mobile shelving replaces those multiple aisles with one shared aisle that moves to wherever it’s needed – delivering typical space savings of 40-50% and often doubling the effective storage capacity of the same room. In practice this means keeping all existing storage in half the floor area, or fitting twice as much into the same room without expanding.

    What weight can mobile racking hold?

    Load capacity depends on the operating system:

    * Hand-operated (push-pull) systems typically support up to around 500kg per bay – suitable for office files, archive boxes, and light stock.
    * Mechanically-assisted systems handle 1,000-2,000kg per bay – ideal for heavier archives, library shelving, and medium stock.
    * Electrically-operated systems can manage 5,000kg+ per bay and total system loads of 30+ tonnes – used for heavy industrial storage, museum artefacts, and dense warehouse racking.

    Every Storwell installation is specified against the actual load to be stored, with safety factors built in to meet UK standards.

    Do you install mobile shelving?

    Yes. Storwell Systems provides a full design, supply and installation service across the United Kingdom. Each project includes a free site survey, CAD layouts, a detailed quotation, manufacture, delivery and on-site installation by our own trained engineers. We also handle removal of any existing shelving and can coordinate installation around your operating hours to minimise disruption.

    What maintenance does mobile shelving need?

    Mobile shelving requires minimal day-to-day maintenance, but UK workplaces must comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), which require periodic inspection of mechanical systems. Storwell offers annual PUWER mobile shelving inspections along with necessary servicing, lubrication of tracks and carriages, and repair of damaged components. Regular inspections extend system life, keep operation smooth, and ensure you meet your legal safety obligations.

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