Efficient Goods Storage: Flexible, Safe, and Sustainable

Efficient goods storage at Merak: Flexibility, safety and sustainability

september 2024 - in Merak

Smiling man in gray sweater walking through a warehouse filled with wooden crates.

In the summer of 2024, Merak introduced a brand new service: Merak Goods Storage. Jorik Veyt, (Chief Commercial Officer at Merak), explains how this expansion in Merak's range of services came about.

Storage area filled with stacked crates and wooden boxes.

A new step for Merak

“For more than 35 years, we have been an established name in the world of archive storage and management, and that remains a cornerstone of our company. But the market is changing, and we must change with it. We realised that our expertise doesn't have to be limited to managing archives. We have the right experience, the infrastructure, so why not use it to offer a wider range of storage services? That's why we decided to take this new step with Merak Goods Storage."

But you already offer storage solutions with Box@Home, don’t you? So why are you talking about a ‘new step’?

“It’s true that storing goods is nothing new to us. In 2018, we launched the Box@Home brand. But our intention at that point was to offer mobile storage space to individuals. We are addressing a completely different target group from the one we want to reach with Merak Goods Storage.
Box@Home offers storage space in boxes and containers, ranging from 1m³ to 33m³. The concept is that people can order and manage their storage online. They choose their box, and we deliver it to them on their doorstep. Then they fill it up and we take it back for safe storage in our storage premises.
So here's the big advantage for the customers: they don't have to arrange transportation and they only pay for the volume they need.

With Merak Goods Storage, we focus only on companies and our flexibility will be our greatest asset. We will not just store these goods in boxes or containers. Pallet storage is also possible.

Green shield icon with a white checkmark symbol of quality.

Flexibility will be your greatest asset, you say. That’s a very broad concept. Can you go into more detail?

“Yes, of course. Managing storage is a big challenge for many businesses. How do you find the right balance between space, security, and flexibility without inefficiencies and high costs? Merak wants to be able to relieve its customers of these problems. We want to provide flexible storage that is tailored to, or grows with, their business. In fact, flexibility has always been a core value at Merak. The founders, André and Henrik Rooms, had the same vision with archive management.

With the arrival of Box@Home, we noticed that many companies, including some Merak customers, were interested in our goods storage services. They often had very specific storage needs that other firms had difficulty dealing with. That made us think.

This makes it perfectly possible for us to be flexible in the volume we offer. That is what sets up apart from the standard offer. With us, they don't have to hire a whole warehouse right away. Storage options range from pallet storage of just 1m³, to container storage and custom solutions for larger volumes. This gives companies the freedom to pay only for the space they actually use, without unnecessary costs for unused square metres.

We are also flexible when it comes to the contracts. We don’t want to force firms to sign up for fixed, long-term contracts. They should be able to come to us for long-term storage, as well as for temporary storage. Say that they have a temporary overstock, for example. Both the volume and the rental period are therefore scalable.

Actually, the possibilities are endless. We know there are so many different situations with different storage needs. Every query we receive is carefully analysed by an experienced team that is able to come up with the solution to the most complex storage needs. No query is too crazy or too much. We love challenges!

Sounds good! Another question: What exactly can companies store with you?

Where do I begin? We have customers who hire us to keep machines that they alternate between using and not needing for a while. But we've already saved office supplies, for example, in the context of a renovation or a relocation. Other examples are stock supplies, tools, electronics, ... You name it!
What we don't do is store refrigerated or frozen items. Our infrastructure is not suitable for that at the moment. The same goes for extremely flammable stuff - we don’t store it, to limit risks.

Why is your storage space a better option than, for example, renting a warehouse somewhere?

There are, of course, companies that can make do with a simple shed, but for many that is not safe enough. Merak provides peace of mind by offering conditioned storage spaces where temperature and humidity are constantly monitored. This creates the ideal storage conditions. In addition, our facilities are equipped with 24/7 CCTV, access control, fire detection and extinguishing systems. As an ISO-certified partner, we offer maximum safety.

What does that mean, ISO certified?

It means we are complying with strict directives. For example, because we often deal with sensitive information in our records management, we are audited each time to obtain the ISO 27001 certificate. We also have our business processes scrutinised, which keeps us on our toes when it comes to quality. That earns us our ISO

9001 certificate. Finally, we also want to make sure that we do all this in an environmentally friendly way. This prompts us to obtain and retain the ISO 14001 standard, which indicates environmentally friendly business practices.
The customers of Merak goods storage can therefore count on extremely safe, qualitative and sustainable storage.

Excellent! And where exactly are your storage facilities located?

We have warehouses in Brussels, Antwerp, Mechelen and even Hoogstraten (near the Netherlands). Their location was chosen as strategically as possible. By this I mean that they are easily accessible because they are all close to the motorways. Chances are you've already seen our largest branch in Hoogstraten (Meer).

Okay, then I'll pop in next time I drive past it!

Jorik laughs. “You are certainly welcome, but you’d better give me a ring first. Unfortunately, you won't get in without the proper identification and access badge!"