Brianna Hueni
I recently sat down with RDC’s Director of Product, Mike Smith, to learn more about a new product offering from RDC – Damotech Rack Repair and Protection. Below are his insights into this exciting new venture. Read on to see if this product line could benefit your facility!
Mike Smith
Director of Product
B: Mike, can you give me the elevator pitch for Damotech and the products they offer?
M: In a nutshell, Damotech offers an engineered, OSHA-approved, ANSI-approved solution for damaged racking, called a Damo Pro Kit. Utilizing this solution to repair a rack does not jeopardize the original rating or specifications of the rack.
B: Mike, can you give me the elevator pitch for Damotech and the products they offer?
M: In a nutshell, Damotech offers an engineered, OSHA-approved, ANSI-approved solution for damaged racking, called a Damo Pro Kit. Utilizing this solution to repair a rack does not jeopardize the original rating or specifications of the rack.
Mike Smith
Director of Product
B: What are the different types of kits that Damotech offers? Is it one-size-fits-all?
M: These solutions are aimed to meet a facility’s specific racking needs, making them unique to each application. To ensure we find the right solution for these repairs, RDC completes a thorough site survey. Damotech takes that survey, and their engineers create a shop drawing, and a custom-made Damo Pro repair kit is manufactured. So, when a customer has rack damage, we come out and survey. Then, we send information to Damotech for a repair kit to be tailor-made for their application.
Current lead times for these repair kits are about 12 weeks, but Damotech has made huge investments into their infrastructure and manufacturing processes to improve lead times so repairs can be made in as little as a few weeks.
B: What are the different types of kits that Damotech offers? Is it one-size-fits-all?
M: First, there’s a thorough site survey that RDC must complete. Damotech takes that survey, and their engineers create a shop drawing, and a custom-made Damo Pro repair kit is manufactured. So, when a customer has rack damage, we come out and survey. Then, we send information to Damotech for a repair kit to be tailor-made for their application.
Current lead times for these repair kits are about 12 weeks, but Damotech has made huge investments into their infrastructure and manufacturing processes to improve lead times so repairs can be made in as little as a few weeks.
B: What’s the benefit of repairing a rack with something like a Damotech product, vs. just replacing it altogether?
M: A Damotech repair does not require extensive floor space. It doesn’t require you to unload your entire rack. And on top of that, it leaves you with a lifetime guaranteed repair, which you won’t get replacing the upright. When you change out an upright, you spend a lot of time and resources unloading a rack of all its product, and you have to store those skids somewhere in the meantime. That time and effort add up.
On top of that, when a racking upright is damaged, the cost to change out the upright is affected by a few different things. So, number one – if you’re going to change out the upright instead of doing a Damotech repair, you’d have to have an upright laying around in your warehouse somewhere – and they’re huge. So, storing an upright, or a stack of uprights, takes up precious space that could be filled with product. If you’re not stocking uprights in your facility, you’re having them shipped to you when one gets damaged – and the cost to ship an upright is ridiculous. You’re going to spend hundreds of dollars just shipping one upright.
B: So, Damotech racking repairs are durable and intended to withstand impact, unlike standard racking. Is that correct?
M: Yes, they are. They are designed to take an impact, and Damotech offers a lifetime warranty for these products. So, you have assurance in that repair standing the test of time.
B: In terms of labor and logistics, how do Damotech repairs impact a facility vs. having to replace an entire rack?
M: If you’re investing in Damotech kits, RDC will do the labor, so your facility’s maintenance team is not affected. Each repair application is different, but as a rule, you will still have access to your aisle during the repair. We don’t have to shut down a whole aisle and inconvenience your entire operation. In one day, we can repair 6 racking uprights on average, so it’s much more efficient from a time perspective.
B: Were talking about racking that could have thousands of pounds of product loaded on it. So, there’s a potential for that to be a pretty dangerous repair. What processes are in place to keep everyone in the facility safe while those repairs are taking place?
M: These repairs require the use of what is called an EZ Lift machine, which is a piece of equipment specifically engineered by Damotech to safely lift a rack so repairs can be made to it. RDC has invested in getting technician crews trained and certified to use this machine and make these repairs safely.
B: It sounds like the focus is on reactive repairs – is there anything in their offering that is preventative?
M: RDC’s racking solutions boil down to 3 words: Protect, Repair, and Inspect.
From a protection standpoint, there are things we can do to proactively keep a rack repair from ever being needed. Damotech offers products designed to protect your rack from ever being hit, like Damo Guard and Damo End Guard. They also offer column protection called Damo Shield to keep columns safe from impact.
The Damo Pro kits that we’ve discussed are the primary thrust behind the repair side of things, and as I said earlier, those repairs come with a lifetime warranty.
Damotech also offers an engineering service to have one of their engineers visit your facility, spend the day walking the aisles, and do a full inspection of the racking situation in your facility. This can be done either proactively or reactively – RDC can set up time with Damotech’s engineers to help you identify whether your racks are at risk or if they’re being overloaded. We can also assess and assign priority levels to different types of damage found onsite.
RDC can also perform a visual damage inspection that can be added to our Preventative Maintenance offerings.
B: As we wrap up, can you tell me what drew RDC to the rack repair industry?
M: A common misconception about RDC is that we only focus on installing and repairing loading docks and doors, but our end goal, simply put, is to provide industrial solutions to our customers’ problems – and Damotech has a great product offering that allows us to do that in a new way. It feels like a natural extension of the work we are already doing to protect, repair, and inspect other equipment within a customer’s facility.