Interlake Mecalux Racking, Shelving & Storage Systems

Interlake Mecalux, Inc. is the North American company of the Mecalux Group. Mecalux began in 1966 when José Luis Carrillo opened a small workshop in Barcelona, Spain, making light-duty shelving. The range grew into pallet racking, rack-supported buildings, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and the Easy WMS warehouse management software. Mecalux describes itself as the third-largest company in its sector worldwide.

The Interlake half of the name comes from the American rack maker whose assets Mecalux acquired from UFC Interlake Holding Co. in the US and Mexico. That is why buyers still search for “Interlake racking,” “Interlake material handling” and “Mecalux USA” — they are the same supplier.

Plants and offices in the US

Mecalux runs 12 manufacturing plants. In the United States they are in Chicago and Pontiac, Illinois; the others are in Tijuana and Matamoros (Mexico), São Paulo (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Barcelona, Gijón and Palencia (Spain) and Gliwice (Poland).

The US headquarters is at 1600 North 25th Ave, Melrose Park, IL. Interlake Mecalux also lists US offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Pontiac, San Diego and Sumter, South Carolina. Interlake Mecalux calls itself the largest manufacturer of storage racks in the Americas, selling direct, through catalog partners and through certified material handling distributors such as Material Handling USA.

Selective pallet racking gives direct access to every pallet position, so it suits warehouses with many SKUs and only a few pallets of each. Interlake Mecalux builds it with bolted or welded upright frames and a piston-lock beam connector that resists accidental beam disengagement and tampering.

Steel is high-strength and welding is done by American Welding Society-certified welders or robots. Finishes are baked enamel or powder coat, and upright posts can get a cataphoresis (e-coat) treatment for extra corrosion resistance. Beam levels adjust, so a row can be re-slotted as your products change.

Push-back racking stores pallets on nesting, free-rolling carts on slightly inclined rails. Loading a new pallet pushes the previous one back; when the front pallet is removed, gravity brings the next one forward. Interlake Mecalux push-back carts hold up to five pallets deep per lane, and each lane can hold a different SKU.

It works LIFO, keeps lift trucks in the aisle (faster and fewer rack hits than drive-in), and the carts are rated for -22°F to 104°F, so push-back is common in freezers. Locking devices, stops and pallet guides control each lane.

Interlake Mecalux cantilever racking is built from structural steel for medium- to heavy-duty loads. Bases and load arms bolt to columns, leaving the front open with no uprights in the way, so long goods load and unload straight from the side.

Arms and levels adjust to the product, extra bays can be added later, and vertical bracing keeps the row stable. Cantilever can also ride on mobile bases for higher density. Full sizing help is on our cantilever rack page.

Single- or double-sided

Single-sided cantilever goes against walls; double-sided sits in the middle of the floor with arms on both faces. Long stock should lie across the arms, running along the row, with enough arms under each load to keep it from sagging.

Common loads: steel and aluminum profiles, plastic and metal pipe, tube bundles, lumber, panels and moldings. Arm stops and decking options help with round stock and boxed items.

Movirack mobile racking sets racks on guided bases that slide sideways, so a whole block needs just one working aisle at a time. It is especially popular in refrigerated and deep-freeze storage.

Mecalux also builds pallet shuttle and 3D automated pallet shuttle systems, stacker cranes for pallets and boxes (miniload), box and pallet conveyors, pick stations, autonomous mobile robots and Easy WMS warehouse software, which appears in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for warehouse management systems.