One rack solves one bottleneck; a system solves the whole storage flow. When a plant stores 6-, 9-, and 12-meter pipes in the same hall, the storage decision is no longer about a single unit but about a racking system that covers the full inventory, fits the handling equipment, and leaves room to grow. This article maps the Herochu HC-G series, explains how the load classes are chosen, and shows what the system delivers over a multi-year cost picture.

The HC-G family at a glance

The Herochu HC-G series covers the practical span of long material storage in four models. The HC-G6053S and HC-G6053 take pipes up to 6,000 mm at 3,000 kg per level over five layers; the HC-G9065 takes 9,000 mm pipes at 5,000 kg per level over six layers; and the HC-G12065 takes 12,000 mm pipes at 5,000 kg per level over six layers. Layer counts are customizable across the range. Every model shares the same structural core: a Q235B high-strength steel frame, dual-beam crossbars, independent compartments on both sides, a 600 mm clear space that can be customized, and dual-side mechanical discharge. What changes between models is length, load class, and height, which is how one family covers everything from a six-meter tube shop to a twelve-meter rail yard.

Choosing the load class: 3,000 kg or 5,000 kg per level

The first decision in system design is the load class. The 3,000 kg level rating suits standard tube and profile bundles, where a full strap of medium-wall round or square tube lands close to that figure. The 5,000 kg rating covers heavy-wall pipe, solid bar, and bundles that arrive two-strapped or over-packed. The rule is simple: the rating must exceed the heaviest bundle that will be stored, with margin for the way the bundle is set down. A crane that drops a load fast puts more force into the arms than a controlled placement, and the dual-beam crossbar is designed to absorb exactly that kind of uneven loading. Herochu engineers confirm the load class during the layout review, using the actual strap weights from the site rather than a nominal bundle size.

Building the system bay by bay

The system does not have to arrive complete. A plant starting with 6-meter inventory can install a bay of Herochu HC-G6053 units, then add 9-meter bays as longer stock appears, keeping the same crank operation and the same compartment logic across all of them. Mixed-length layouts are common: a 6-meter zone near the cutting line, a 12-meter zone near the receiving door, with the same aisle serving both. Because the family shares one operating principle, operators trained on one bay can work any bay, and spare parts and maintenance routines stay common across the whole installation.

Working with the equipment already in the hall

A Herochu telescopic cantilever pipe racking system is designed to work with the handling equipment a plant already owns. Overhead cranes lift the bundle and set it on the extended arms; forklifts do the same at floor level; the dual-side discharge means the receiving side and the production side of a bay can be different. The compartment structure also plugs into inventory control: each compartment becomes a location code, so a WMS or ERP system can track material to a specific level and side, and cycle counts follow the aisle in sequence instead of wandering through a floor pile.

Customization points

The customization points that matter in system design are the same ones that show up on the shop floor every day. Layer count sets the height of the rack and the volume per footprint. Clear space, 600 mm by default, sets the opening for slings and the visibility into each level. Compartment width sets how many distinct sizes a tier can hold. Discharge side sets which aisles need to stay clear. The S variant in the 6-meter class exists because layouts differ: the same inventory can be served more efficiently from one side than the other, and the rack should match the building, not the other way around. Each of these parameters is fixed at specification and recorded on the layout drawing, so the installed rack matches the approved plan exactly.

The cost picture across five years

The honest comparison for long material storage is not rack versus no rack, but racking versus floor stacking over a five-year period. Floor stacking costs floor area, and floor area in a production hall is rarely free: every square meter occupied by stored pipe is a square meter not available for machines or work in process. Racking adds retrieval speed, and every retrieval minute saved repeats hundreds of times a week. It also reduces damage, and damage in long steel is measured in whole lengths rather than small parts. When those three lines are added up, the Herochu telescopic system usually pays for itself well inside the period, even before counting the safety and housekeeping benefits.

Project flow with Herochu

A system project follows a fixed sequence. The material list and the handling equipment go to the Herochu engineers, who return a layout drawing with model selection, layer counts, and compartment layout documented against the actual bundle weights. Fabrication starts from that drawing, and installation is scheduled around production so the changeover does not stop the line. After commissioning, the racking is documented with its rated loads per level, which makes safety records and audits straightforward. The same drawing that justified the investment becomes the maintenance reference for the life of the system.

Storage that grows with the operation

Long material storage rarely shrinks; it grows as product ranges widen and order sizes change. A telescopic cantilever pipe racking system is built to grow in the same direction: the same crank principle, the same compartment logic, and the same structural standards extend from a single 6-meter bay to a full mixed-length installation. For a plant that stores steel tube, profile, or bar today and will store more of it next year, the system is the storage plan that does not need to be replaced.