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Longspan Shelving

Name: Longspan Shelving
Brand: AR Racking

Longspan Shelving (AR LS) is a versatile medium-duty system designed for the manual storage of small and medium-sized unit loads.

Adaptable to a wide variety of load types and dimensions, it provides immediate and direct access to every stored reference, improving picking efficiency across industrial, retail and commercial warehouse and distribution environments.

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Description

Longspan shelving systems consist of modular structures with several storage levels.

Its easy assembly and the option to incorporate accessories, such as platforms, make it possible for this racking to increase in height without compromising performance. The design, manufacture and assembly can be customized to suit client requirements and their professional sector.

The Longspan Shelving is a selective system, enabling all unit loads and SKUs stored to be immediately accessed.

Manual loads

Fast deliverytimes

5 yearswarranty

Longspan Shelving - AR LS

The Longspan Shelving picking system is the ideal solution for manually storing small to medium-sized non-palletised products.

The range of accessories and possible configurations allow the system to be modulated and tailored to any type of goods.

Products or unit loads are placed on the racking in an organised way to facilitate manual and direct access by warehouse operators.

The load or manual picking selection process means that operators remove the products from the racking according to warehouse operational needs. This picking action can be done by hand or with the help of machines such as forklifts or picking shuttles.

Although Longspan Shelving is a manually loaded system, it utilises the full height of the facility, with higher levels accessed using mechanical means (S/R cranes or order-picking trucks) or through walkways located inside the shelving system.

Advantages of the Longspan Shelving storage system:

The main advantages of this system are its accessibility, versatility and cost compared to other more complex or automated types of racking.

Strong: It is the most robust picking system in the market, enabling mezzanines and multi-tiers to be dimensioned on the shelving system itself.
High load capacity picking system
Agile: Longspan Shelving is easy to assemble and to replace/add components.
Adaptable: Wide range of bays and shelf depths.
Direct access to all unit loads stored and visualisation of all products.
Easy adjustment of beam levels every 50 mm.
Steel or chipboard shelf panels.
A variety of accessories to suit any storage needs: dividers, garment hanging rails, wire mesh shelves, and more.
To maximise both floor and height space, miniload and narrow aisle installations aided by order-picking machines can be implemented.
It is a more economical storage solution compared to more complex or automated storage systems and offers a quick return on investment.

Main applications of Longspan Shelving Solutions:

Since it is the most conventional and versatile medium or light loads system, it is also the most widely used among companies.

Listed below are the main types of warehouses and companies for which the AR LS longspan shelving system would be interesting to use:

Warehouses and distribution centres of e-commerce companies.
Manufacturing industry for storage of semi-finished components and products.
Warehouses of food and beverage supermarkets and companies, generally in the final stages of their supply chain.
Warehouses of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies for storage of medical supplies.
Retail outlet for storage of products in warehouses close to the sales space.
Warehouses for spare parts, car parts, paints, etc.
Warehouses and distribution centres for industrial and electrical supplies and hardware shops.
Warehouses of any company with medium or light product loads, since it is the most versatile option.

Racking components for AR LS Longspan Shelving

Longspan shelving solutions consist of several essential components, each of which fulfils a specific function to facilitate efficient product storage and access.

The main components and accessories of these solutions are:

Frames for Longspan Shelving System

Frames are one of the standard components of manual picking racks.

Frame

The frames are the main vertical components of AR LS longspan shelving.

These frames consist of 2 uprights, their corresponding diagonal braces, upright bases and different fixing elements such as bolts and nuts.

AR Racking has a wide range of racking configurations to meet the storage needs of any company, from lighter loads to heavier loads.

Upright

This is the main component of the frame, providing support and stability to the structure.

The uprights are located at regular intervals along the racking to keep it vertical and withstand the load that it supports. Their design will depend on the load capacity to be supported by the racking.

In AR Racking we have a wide range of uprights of different lengths and widths to adapt to any type of longspan shelving load.

Reinforced frame spacer

The reinforced frame spacer is an accessory that is added to some longspan shelving units to serve as a connection or assembly between frames.

It is an extra reinforcement to the conventional frame spacer for storage systems that have to support heavy loads, with the structure therefore requiring greater strength and stability.

Together, these components create a versatile and efficient storage system that allows companies to effectively access, organise and retrieve products in a longspan shelving environment. The choice and arrangement of these components depends on the specific storage needs of each installation.

Spacer

This is the component used to connect and secure the racking frames to each other, thus forming a solid and stable structure.

These spacers are inserted into the drilled holes in the uprights and then secured to create a solid and secure spacer between the frames.

Anchor and shim

The anchoring elements are responsible for securing the frame supports to the floor.

The shim is a component located under the frame support in direct contact with the floor if it is uneven, to ensure the correct levelling of the entire structure.

This ensures that the racking is perfectly levelled and balanced, which is essential for its safe operation.

Frame support

It is the racking structure component that is located at the base and provides support and stability to the unit.

The frame supports are essential to ensure that the racking stays upright securely and balanced, and are responsible for distributing the weight of the racking and its load on the floor.

The frame supports may include holes or anchor points that allow the racking to be secured to the floor for added stability.

Beams and cross beams for Longspan Shelving System

Beam

Beams are one of the main structural components of the racking.

They are the horizontal elements that connect to the uprights and act as support for racks or trays on which the unit loads are placed.

They are manufactured in different lengths and widths according to the load capacity required and are adjusted between the uprights to define the horizontal distance between the racks and trays.

They are also responsible for distributing the weight of the loads evenly.

Hanger rod

The hanger rod is a specific component designed for warehouses that require the storage of clothing or textiles.

It is designed to hang clothing instead of placing it on solid racks.

The hanger rod for clothing consists of a horizontal bar installed on the structure joined to the uprights. This bar is height adjustable to adapt to clothes of different lengths, such as coats, dresses or trousers.

Different hooks or brackets designed specifically to hang hangers and prevent them from sliding or falling can be placed along the horizontal bar.

Support bar

They fulfil the same function as the chipboard supports, but are made of steel, being more widely used because of their greater strength and durability.

Chipboard support

These types of additional support bars are installed transversely on the existing beams and are designed to strengthen the structure of the racking by providing additional support between the beams.

This helps distribute the load more evenly and prevents the racks from warping or buckling under the weight of the stored unit loads.

Chipboard supports also provide greater stability and load capacity to the longspan shelving.

Other components of Longspan Shelving System

Wooden rack

Wooden or chipboard racks are a storage platform that is placed on the metal racking structure for the suitable placement of products or materials.

Wooden racks are mainly made of plywood or chipboard planks or medium-density fibreboard, so they are durable and resistant to a variety of loads.

Wooden racks can be fitted to existing metal support bars or rods, enabling their simple installation and adjustment to the racking.

It is a versatile accessory as it can store a wide range of products, from small components, cartons and containers to larger or bulkier items.

Retainer

Metal racking retainers are metal pieces that are fixed to the horizontal beams of the racking.

It is a component designed to keep racks or trays more stable and prevent them and the products they store from sliding or falling.

Galvanised tray

Galvanised trays are made of galvanised steel to protect against corrosion and wear. These trays provide a flat, sturdy surface where unit loads are efficiently placed.

Galvanised trays are designed to distribute weight evenly and support different unit loads without deforming.

In addition, the surface of these trays is easy to clean and maintain, especially important in warehouses with food or health products.

Longspan shelving systems comply with the strictest international safety standards, and also come with AR Racking’s quality and innovation guarantee.

5-year Quality Guarantee

Our confidence in picking solutions for light and medium loads allows us to provide a 5-year quality guarantee against any type of manufacturing or hidden defect in the components of the main structure.

Component Traceability System

Since 2016, a significant part of our racking components has included a traceability system.

This system gives an identifying marker to the different components, which means we can know and document the origin of each component. This allows us to identify the component, its design and the raw material used in its manufacture.

Fully Automated Manufacture

The production of our industrial racking is fully automated. We use the latest generation profiling machines with continuous cutting process and laser measurement control, welding centres, painting and packaging processes, all fully automated, to guarantee the highest quality standards.

Designs in the R&D&I Centre

The design of the structures of our storage systems is carried out at our technology centre exclusively dedicated to R&D&I activities. We have an advanced engineering development area from which to offer suitable responses to the most demanding logistical requirements.

Tests at Research and Testing Laboratory

With the creation of our Research and Testing Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Mondragón, our technical team carries out continuous testing and analyses of products and materials to improve our racking. We use specialist software to simulate, calculate and research the efficacy of the geometries, and we perform exhaustive structural calculations on the behaviour of the systems already installed in different situations.

Quality certificates of our picking solutions

ISO 9001: 2008
ISO 18001: 2004
OSHAS 18001: 2007
Welding certificate: UNE EN ISO 3834-2: 2006
Resistance of galvanised steel certificate: UNE-EN ISO 14713-1
Reaction to fire of galvanised steel: EN 13501-1: 2007

Longspan Shelving with low-emission steel

Longspan Shelving can incorporate AR Racking D-CARB to reduce the carbon footprint linked to the steel used in manual storage solutions for small and medium-sized, non-palletised goods. This is the name used by AR Racking UK for its medium-duty manual picking solution.

The shelving retains its modular design, load capacity, accessibility and technical performance when the low-emission steel option is selected.

Each project includes supporting documentation identifying the tonnes of low-emission steel supplied and the CO₂ reduction achieved compared with conventional steel.

Contact us to discuss D-CARB for your Longspan Shelving installation.

Frequently Asked Questions about our Longspan Shelvings

The AR LS medium-duty shelving system is a manual picking shelving solution designed to store products of medium weight, bulky items, or non-palletised goods. Its modular structure provides direct access to each SKU and supports agile, organised, and flexible warehouse operations.

It is particularly well suited to spare parts warehouses, industrial supplies, e-commerce, retail, and distribution centres handling a wide variety of products with manual order preparation.

Compared with light-duty shelving, AR LS offers greater robustness, higher load capacity, and greater versatility for storing heavier and bulkier products. The design allows modules to be built to dimensions comparable to those of a conventional pallet racking bay, with bay lengths typically reaching up to 2.7 m depending on the project.

As a modular and adjustable system, it makes it straightforward to adapt shelf levels and accessories to the characteristics of the goods being stored, optimising the available space and improving warehouse organisation without the need for more complex solutions.

Yes. Shelf levels on the AR LS medium-duty shelving system are adjustable at 50 mm increments, allowing the height of each level to be fine-tuned to suit the dimensions and volume of the goods stored. This flexibility makes it easy to reconfigure the shelving as product ranges change over time without the need to replace structural components.

The AR LS system supports a wide range of personalisation through different shelf types and accessories, including metal mesh shelves, chipboard shelves, perforated shelves, dividers, label holders, and additional safety accessories. This flexibility allows the shelving to be tailored to specific product characteristics — for example, mesh shelves for improved visibility, or dividers to separate multiple references within a single shelf level.

Hanging garment configurations can be explored on a project-specific basis using dedicated accessories such as garment rails, but this is not the primary application for the system. For high-volume garment hanging operations, specialist solutions are likely to be more appropriate. AR Racking can assess the feasibility for individual projects on request.

AR LS medium-duty shelving is designed and manufactured using automated processes, with quality controls in place throughout production to ensure consistent dimensional accuracy and structural performance. All shelving is supplied with a load notice indicating the maximum permitted loads per shelf and per bay.

Shelf locking clips and safety pins are incorporated as standard to prevent accidental dislodgement of shelves during normal operation.

Wooden shelves are an economical and versatile option, well suited to standard loads and products that do not require specific hygiene conditions or chemical resistance. They provide a flat, stable surface for a wide range of goods and are easy to replace.

Metal shelves — whether solid, perforated, or mesh — offer greater durability, are easier to clean, and are better suited to environments with humidity, temperature variation, or chemical exposure. Metal options are also preferable for heavier loads where the structural integrity of the shelf surface needs to be maximised.

Medium-duty shelving is recommended in warehouses holding loose, non-palletised goods across many references with low to medium volume per SKU. Typical applications include spare parts and industrial supplies, e-commerce and omnichannel fulfilment, retail stock rooms, small parts and components stores, and any operation that requires organised manual order picking with direct access to a large number of product lines.

Medium-duty shelving offers a high-return solution for manual operations handling non-palletised goods. The capital cost per storage position is significantly lower than that of automated or semi-automated systems, and the modular design allows phased investment as the operation grows.

For operations that do not justify the cost of automation but need organised, high-density manual picking with good space utilisation, AR LS shelving delivers strong value for money relative to both lighter and heavier alternatives.

With over 26,000 storage projects completed in more than 60 countries, we are leaders in industrial racking solutions. We are proud to have collaborated in the optimisation of warehouses with picking solutions for international companies from diverse sectors.

Some notable projects include: