REB Storage Systems International has grown from a modest supplier of records-storage equipment to an international corporation. REB is a business partner for hundreds of commercial records centers and numerous Fortune 500 companies with in-house records management. The Chicago-based company provides comprehensive space planning, design and engineering services, as well as the manufacture, distribution and installation of storage systems.

REBs goal is to provide the most efficient facility design and the best long-term storage solutions for your business, says Lori Palmer, senior vice president.

Records Management or Records Storage?

Before a facility owner installs the first box, he must decide what he wants to offerrecords storage or records management. We begin by educating the customer in the differences in costs, operations and possible profit between the two services, Palmer says. We are experts at maximizing space for all types of records.

The design phase is conducted with an eye on maximizing productivity and profitability. Each project is a new challenge or a puzzle to solve, Palmer says. A team of engineers, records-management consultants and software experts work with the customer before the first component is ever ordered.

Our sales teams are engineers first, sales consultants second, Palmer says. REB was founded in 1962, and many team members have been with the company for more than 20 years. You dont find that depth of knowledge and expertise elsewhere in the industry.

Company engineers perform field measurements at the facility. Using a computer-assisted design system, the optimal solution for the space is determined. The result indicates how many box locations are available and the racking costs per carton.

REBs involvement with a customer doesnt stop with turnkey racking and shelving systems; the company also helps clients determine their return on investment. Once the customer knows how many boxes fit into the area, he has a good idea of the type of revenue that can be generated, Palmer explains. Using an average monthly storage fee of 25 cents per box, clients can calculate income for basic storage. However, many additional services can generate money. Palmer advises owners choosing records management to establish it as a completely different business from their storage operations.

Racking as Required

REB assures the structural integrity of all components. Since the company continually produces records-storage racks in huge quantities, it can offer extremely low unit cost, even for small purchases, Palmer says.

Storage owners can buy racking as requiredno need to tie up working capital with empty shelves. REB also arranges long-term lease packages. Racking and shelves can be delivered from the companys 100,000-square-foot facility in Chicago, its distributor locations in Colorado, Florida and Massachusetts, or it can ship directly from a manufacturer.

Typical turnkey components consist of pallet rack, bar grating, decking, catwalks, stairways, mezzanines, open-shelf filing systems, rolling ladders, carts, trucks and vertical reciprocating conveyors. We have a catalog that stocks the largest amount of peripheral equipment in the industry, Palmer says. In addition to designing complete systems, REB sells single, free-standing, modular units requiring no nuts or bolts that are simple to assemble and move. The company also provides decking for all fire-code specifications.

Experience and Education

Under the guidance of President Thomas Lesko, son of co-founder Edward Lesko, REB has grown to work with a network of strategic partners, dealers and field representatives. Its contacts enable the company to provide design services and materials anywhere in the world, as evidenced by accounts in Asia, Europe, Mexico and North America.

But REBs goal is also to educate its clients, Palmer says. We have become the primary educators in records storage. In addition to its own team of experts, it will refer customers to several consultants and associations. REBs contacts include Cary F. McGovern (FileMan); Bob Rossiter (Rossiter Consultants) and Jim Spinney, (Spinney & Assoc.). These are experts who can help an owner determine the type of records-storage business he should offer, Palmer says.

Adding a records-storage service may first appear to be a daunting project. But we are experts at maximizing space for all types of records storage, says Palmer. REB will help turn wasted areas into profits by increasing revenue per cubic foot and reducing real estate and related overhead. 

For more information, call 800.252.5955, ext. 246; visit www.rebsteel.com.