Metal fabrication facilities do not order sheet storage racks from a catalog the way a distribution center orders pallet racking. Sheet dimensions vary by mill source, by material grade, and by the cutting bed capacities of the laser or plasma machines the sheets feed. A shop running a 4,000-by-2,000-millimeter laser table cannot efficiently use a rack designed around 3,000-by-1,500-millimeter sheet bays, regardless of how well that rack is built. Dimensional fit comes first, and dimensional fit means customization.

Herochu builds its heavy duty industrial manual metal plate storage rack to customer-specified sheet dimensions, drawer counts, clear space heights, and load ratings rather than shipping pre-configured units. The model number system—HC-B2513 through HC-B6020—identifies the sheet size envelope, but within each envelope the layer count, drawer spacing, crank gear ratio, and surface finish are all configurable. This approach ensures the rack integrates with the facility’s existing material flow rather than forcing the facility to reorganize around the rack.

Model Range and Dimensional Envelope

The Herochu HC-B series covers five standard sheet size envelopes. Model HC-B2513-63 handles sheets up to 2,500 by 1,300 millimeters with a per-layer capacity of 3,000 kilograms. HC-B3015-63 scales to 3,000 by 1,500 millimeters at the same 3-ton layer rating. HC-B4015-63 extends the length to 4,000 millimeters at 1,500-millimeter width. HC-B4020-65 widens the format to 2,000 millimeters and raises the per-layer capacity to 5,000 kilograms. At the top of the range, HC-B6020-65 accommodates 6,000 by 2,000 millimeter sheets at 5,000 kilograms per layer, with an optional heavy-duty variant that reaches 10,000 kilograms per layer for thick-gauge plate.

The “-63” and “-65” suffixes encode the frame column section: 63-millimeter flange width for the 3-ton models and 65-millimeter for the 5-ton and 10-ton variants. The wider flange increases the section modulus against bending in the plane of drawer extension, where the overturning moment from a fully extended loaded drawer is highest. This encoding lets Herochu’s engineering team verify frame adequacy by model number alone when a customer requests a non-standard drawer count that increases the overall rack height and therefore the overturning arm.

Drawer count is specified independently and does not appear in the model number. Most installations use four to six drawers per bay, but the frame can be extended to eight layers when ceiling height allows and the overturning analysis confirms stability with the specified anchor bolt pattern.

Factory Scale and Production Capability

Herochu operates from a 16,000-square-meter manufacturing plant that houses steel processing, welding, machining, surface treatment, and assembly under one roof. The plant is organized into production cells that flow raw steel from receiving through laser cutting, press brake forming, robotic welding, shot blasting, powder coating, and final assembly in a linear sequence that minimizes material handling between operations.

The laser cutting cell runs fiber laser systems that profile the beam webs, base plates, and stiffening ribs from Q235B plate stock with cut-edge quality that requires no secondary grinding before welding. Near-net-shape cutting reduces the weld-prep labor that dominates fabrication cost in shops still using oxy-fuel cutting or manual layout, and it eliminates the fit-up variability that causes weld defects when hand-cut parts do not align precisely at the joint.

Robotic welding stations handle the repetitive long-seam welds on beam assemblies and drawer frames, where consistency of penetration and travel speed directly affects fatigue life. Manual welding is reserved for complex joint geometries and final assembly stages where adaptive skill produces better results than pre-programmed paths. Every structural weld is visually inspected and a batch sample undergoes ultrasonic testing to verify internal soundness.

Quality Management System

The plant operates under ISO 9001 certification with documented procedures for incoming material verification, in-process inspection, and final acceptance testing. Steel certificates for every heat of Q235B are filed against the rack serial number, so a customer who needs to demonstrate material traceability for their own quality audit can request the mill certificates for the specific steel sections in their installed rack.

Final acceptance testing for every manual crank plate rack includes a full-cycle load test with the drawers loaded to 125 percent of rated capacity. Technicians measure rail deflection at the drawer face during full extension, crank handle torque throughout the extraction and retraction cycle, and lock pin engagement force at both the open and closed positions. These measurements are recorded on a test report that ships with the rack and serves as the baseline for future condition monitoring if the customer implements a preventive maintenance program.

The CE marking on Herochu racks indicates conformity with the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and applicable harmonized standards for storage equipment. For customers exporting installed racks to EU member states, the CE documentation package includes the risk assessment, technical construction file, and declaration of conformity required for customs clearance and workplace safety compliance.

Integrated Service Model: Design Through After-Sales

Herochu delivers a complete service chain from initial consultation through post-installation support rather than treating the rack as a commodity product that ends at the factory gate. The process starts with an application review where a Herochu engineer examines the customer’s sheet inventory data, facility layout drawing, and lifting equipment specifications. This review produces a rack configuration proposal with a dimensioned layout showing drawer positions, aisle clearances, crane approach paths, and anchor bolt locations.

Once the configuration is approved, Herochu’s in-house design team produces fabrication drawings and installation instructions specific to the customer’s order. Standard components are pulled from inventory while custom-dimensioned parts enter the production schedule. The typical lead time from order confirmation to ex-works readiness ranges from four to eight weeks depending on order complexity and current production loading.

Installation is performed by Herochu’s own crews, who travel to the customer site with the rack shipment. Using in-house installers rather than local rigging contractors ensures that the same weld inspectors and assembly technicians who built the rack also align and commission it. The installation team verifies floor flatness, drills and sets anchor bolts, erects the frame columns, installs the drawer assemblies, and cycles every drawer through full extension under gradually increasing load to confirm smooth operation. Operator training is conducted on-site with the customer’s warehouse and crane personnel before the installation is signed off.

After-sales support includes a recommended annual inspection checklist, replacement part availability from stock for wear components such as roller bearings and lock pin springs, and engineering support for rack reconfiguration if the customer’s sheet inventory changes. Herochu maintains design records for every rack shipped, identified by serial number, so a reconfiguration inquiry five years after installation can reference the original structural calculations and material certificates.

Certification and Compliance Documentation

Beyond ISO 9001 and CE marking, Herochu racks comply with relevant sections of FEM 10.2.04 for storage equipment structural design and EN 15635 for the safe use of static steel storage systems. Load rating plates are affixed to every rack bay showing the maximum per-layer capacity, total bay capacity, and the inspection date. These plates satisfy the statutory requirement in most jurisdictions for load capacity to be visibly displayed on storage equipment accessible to personnel.

For customers whose insurers require third-party structural review of storage equipment, Herochu provides the calculation package including load cases, material allowables, connection designs, and finite element analysis plots. Having this documentation available during the quotation phase avoids the delay that occurs when an insurer requests structural justification after the rack has already arrived on site.