By Diane Silcock
AS South Africa’s e-commerce and retail warehousing needs surge, Cape Town-based GMS Systems has positioned itself as a pivotal supplier of materials handling equipment and custom-built mezzanine flooring systems — solutions that allow clients to scale storage capacity and operational output.
Warehouse mezzanine solutions: More products per m2
Furthermore, what gives the company its competitive edge is that its solutions allow more products to be stored per square metre – a big plus for retailers and e-retailers.
For over 25 years, GMS Systems has delivered mechanised, design-led infrastructure to clients across South Africa as well as in the Middle East, the UK and the US. The company’s major focus is retail, but the business also extends into the manufacturing and automotive sectors.
Mezzanine flooring systems built in Cape Town
At the heart of GMS Systems’ offering is its Cape Town-based manufacturing facility and a skilled workforce of designers, engineers, draftsmen, welders and project managers. Every solution is tailored to the clients’ specific needs.
COO of GMS Systems Jan Tukker, who has 22 years of working in retail, says, “One of the biggest benefits to our clients is that we offer quite compact solutions which are designed to interleave and maximise the footprint by optimising the warehouse space. Our bespoke mezzanine flooring systems can be incrementally expanded as clients grow. We have unique solutions in that the storage itself is built into the mezzanine and the upright posts double as structural supports for shelving and pick equipment, maximising both floor area and vertical space.”
With clients where GMS Systems’ infrastructure is already in place, the company undertakes big enhancements to their clients’ facilities to cater for volume growth. One such example is the ongoing expansion project in Montague Gardens in Cape Town, where GMS Systems is currently installing 4 800m² of additional mezzanine flooring.
Other impressive projects include the manufacture, supply and installation of a six-level high industrial lift at a big retailer in Saudi Arabia.
“The majority of our retail work is in the e-commerce space, but a big chunk of those retailers also have distribution centres, which need big trolleys and totes and mezzanines. So there is a mix between serving the e-commerce market and serving their stores,” says Tukker.
Market trends
Tukker says that as e-commerce grows, which is growing faster than store retail, their clients’ needs change and what may seem insignificant in terms of the items being picked, can be a big change in the warehouse environment.
He says retailers have been slow to adopt robotics and full automation, even the big blue-chip retailers, but GMS Systems is poised to address such developments as the demand increases, having already established ties with a Chinese robotics vendor of such products and services.
Scalable infrastructure solutions: Designed for growth
From entry-level mechanised systems to multi-tier mezzanine expansions, GMS Systems offers practical and scalable warehouse infrastructure solutions that support the retail industry’s evolution in South Africa.
“We make it easy for clients to grow. Our modular designs, fast turnaround, flexibility and local manufacturing give us a real edge,” says Tukker.
As retail continues to shift and scale, GMS Systems is shaping the warehouses that power South Africa’s future supply chains.
