Warehouse - United Kingdom Warehousing Association

28 Energy ManagementRETURNSThe ecology of returnsGiven that up to 85% of all returned products can be refurbished andremarketed rather than sent to landfill, a division set up by UKWA memberiForce to do just that has a very positive role to play in retail sustainabilityRetail has sharpened its focus on returnsin part because of legislative factors,such as the WEEE directive, and theneed to lessen what’s sent to landfill. Aspart of its returns processing serviceiForce refurbishes and remarkets clients’returned products into saleable items,with the same standard of operationalquality that they had when manufactured.Although consumer electronics arethe predominant sector, the service canequally be applied to any high-techproduct.Returns requiring refurbishment arriveon pallets and leave the refurbishmentline boxed ‘as new’ ready for remarketing.The refurbishment technicians followa quality process for each product toensure it is as good as new when itleaves. Any product that can’t berepaired will have all its useable partsrecovered and the rest will be scrappedin accordance with the WEEE Directiveand the recovered credits for preciousmetals returned.In 60% of cases when returned productsare inspected, no fault is found. Inmany cases the only problem is with thepackaging. Keeping returned packagingthat is in good condition when the productinside is not, helps build up a stockof packaging for reuse, which alsoreduces waste. Furthermore, many manufacturerswill over order their packag-ENVIRONMENTKeep cool with new range of warehouse fansPickerings Lifts Loading Systems has announced the addition of a range ofmarket leading High Volume Low Speed (HVLS) fans to its product range. Createdusing complex aerodynamic principles, HVLS fans are designed to provide energyefficient cooling and heating solutions for warehouse, storage and distribution facilitiesby creating a constantly circulating, slow moving air mass in large spaces. TheHVLS fan range is now available throughout the UK and Europe.The HVLS fans also contribute towards BREEAM excellence ratings and can delivera return on investment within 18 months of installation.Marcus Clissold, Business Development Manager at Pickerings Lifts LoadingSystems, said: "We're delighted to introduce the HVLS fans to the UK and Europeanmarkets. The fans offer a number of key benefits for facilities including delivering asignificant saving on energy bills by reducing energy consumption, improving workingconditions by stabilising the stratification in temperature controlled storageareas, thereby protecting product integrity."The HVLS fans are available in various sizes from 8 ft, to 24ft and in order toshowcase the full range to potential customers, Pickerings Lifts has opened a dedicateddemonstration area at its Midlands premises.Marcus Clissold added: "The HVLS fan range perfectly complements the existingproducts in our Loading Systems portfolio and allows us to provide bespoke temperaturecontrol solutions in addition to the range of flexible solutions that we alreadyoffer our clients."For details telephone 01642 607161February 2012www.ukwa.org.uk