Do I Need Dexion?

Dexion is a brand that is synonymous with industrial shelving. When you think of adhesive bandages you probably will use the tradename ‘band-aid’. When you think of the device that brings two pieces of fabric together you will almost definitely say the tradename ‘zipper’. Likewise, when you think of pallet racking many use the tradename ‘Dexion’.
The Dexion company was founded by an Australian engineer, Demetrius Comino, in 1937 and has had plenty of corporate highs and lows over the last 80 years. The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1968, was bought out by US based Interlake Inc in 1974, sold to Apax Partners in 1999, bought by Aker RGI in 2000, sold to Altor Equity Partners in 2009. The Australian arm of Dexion is currently owned by ASX listed GUD Holdings.

The Dexion design of pallet racking has had many iterations over the years but the very popular ‘coffin-shaped’ hole on their uprights had always been a consistent feature. The Mark 3, Mark 5 and Mark 6 generations of ‘horizontal’ beams and ‘upright’ frames were all standardised allowing for any Dexion beam to connect to any Dexion frame. This resulted in a vast amount of Dexion racking installed in Brisbane and Queensland warehouses.

In more recent times, Dexion has steered away from the traditional ‘coffin-shaped’ hole and has moved to the ‘Speedlock’ and ‘Keylock’ design, often referred to in the industry as Mark 8 Dexion. The downside is this design is not compatible with the ubiquitous previous generations of Dexion. If you try to connect a Mark 6 Dexion beam to the new Speedlock upright it simply will not fit.

As a result of the success of Dexion pallet racking there are a number of manufacturers that make a Dexion Mark 6 compatible product. An example of this is the Endurorack brand which is manufactured to be 100% compliant with the Australian standard for pallet racking AS4084-2012. The benefit of the Dexion compatible brands is they are interchangeable with both Mark 5 and Mark 6 Dexion. Most importantly, they are often priced at a fraction of the price of the Dexion branded product.
Next time, you are looking to purchase racking for your warehouse then sticking to a Dexion compatible product is a very good idea. You will find there are numerous suppliers of componentry and opportunities to purchase second hand product. Most important of all is the need to make sure the racking is safe and fit for purpose: ensure that the racking you buy meets your relevant local standards!