A successful expansion for Guillevin Brossard

Company Overview

With a distribution network spanning the entire country, Guillevin International is one of Canada’s leading distributors of electrical equipment. The company is also a major player in the distribution of safety products and equipment, as well as industrial supplies. Its success is built on skilled employees, spread across more than 100 profit centres strategically located across the country, distributing a wide range of products from world-renowned manufacturers.

Initial Situation

One of Guillevin's locations, situated in Brossard, was facing significant product overload and a wide variety of SKUs. Their storage space was insufficient for the amount of inventory they had, resulting in a severely cluttered warehouse. Even the aisles were crowded with materials and parts, to the point where some items ended up on the floor, while others were stored outside the building. This situation led them to seek a solution to optimize their storage space, which is when they turned to the expertise of the MSK Canada team.

Challenge:

The first challenge MSK faced in ensuring the smooth execution of the project was to redesign the available space in a way that optimized the storage of various products while maximizing the use of every square metre. The design needed to include several distinct zones: an office area, a warehouse dedicated to product inventory, and a front-store area to serve customers. Additionally, the client wanted to retain some of the existing storage systems, meaning they had to either find new purposes for these systems or intelligently integrate them into the new layout. The space optimization also needed to account for the building’s variable dimensions, both in square footage and height, which differed from one section to another.

The Solution:

The first part of the solution to the space issue was actually addressed by the client. They acquired the adjacent space, increasing their available area from 15,000 to 25,000 square feet. This additional space provided more flexibility for our designers to develop the best possible solution based on the client’s storage needs.

The other part of the solution relied on our designers, who were tasked with organizing the storage systems to maximize this extra space and enhance the client’s operational efficiency. Guillevin's wide variety of products presented a real puzzle for our team, with a range of items from boxes and individual parts to wire reels and much more. Each type of product required a specific storage method.

To meet these diverse needs, a wide array of storage systems was selected and installed. Our design team created a comprehensive layout that included Metalware shelving, standard racking, shelving with modular drawers, Very Narrow Aisles (VNA), cantilever racking, reel racking for wire spools, and pushback racking.

This project was completed by combining new and used systems, showcasing the versatility and creativity of the MSK team in delivering an optimized layout while utilizing diverse materials.

Final Outcome

The MSK team successfully met the specific needs of Guillevin, enabling them to fully benefit from their newly optimized warehouse/store, designed for efficient picking and product storage. The partnership between MSK Canada and Guillevin did not stop at the Brossard branch. Building on this success, the two companies have teamed up to complete five additional projects. This project proved to be a resounding success for both parties.