It’s 7:40 on a Tuesday morning and an IBC has just arrived. The warehouse management system says there are twenty empty positions. The shift lead knows better. One is next to a product that can’t sit beside this one. Two are held for quarantine. Several are at the back of a lane, behind IBCs that … Continued
Intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) are one of the most efficient ways to store and transport large volumes of liquid. But the way most businesses store their IBCs is costing them far more than they realise covering floor space, safety risk and regulatory exposure. This guide covers everything you need to know: the challenges of conventional … Continued
Drum storage is one of the most underestimated risks in hazardous warehousing – and one of the most overlooked opportunities for improvement. In many facilities across the UK, drums are still managed using the same processes that have been in place for decades: forklifts moving continuously through hazardous zones, storage layouts built around access rather … Continued
Most hazardous warehouses aren’t full. They’re just poorly designed. Across the UK, we work with COMAH sites, chemical manufacturers and regulated facilities that all believe they’ve reached capacity. They haven’t. What they’ve reached is the limit of what their current layout allows, and that limit is quietly driving cost, risk, and unnecessary expansion. Too much … Continued
IBCs play a critical role in the storage and movement of liquids, powders and hazardous materials across the chemical, pharmaceutical, coatings, food and manufacturing sectors. However, while IBCs are highly effective as transport vessels, they often create significant challenges inside the warehouse. Many facilities still rely on traditional racking or floor stacking, which can lead … Continued
Chemical and pharmaceutical warehousing in the UK operates under rigorous regulatory and safety expectations. ATEX zoning, COMAH obligations, segregation requirements, validation protocols, audit trails, and, alongside that, the commercial pressure to increase capacity, improve throughput, and reduce operating costs. Thistle Systems is one of the UK’s leading warehouse automation integrators, delivering advanced warehouse automation for … Continued
In hazardous warehouse environments, inefficiency is never just operational. It is a safety, compliance and risk issue. Nowhere is this more apparent than in drum storage. Used widely across industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other regulated sectors, drums are a practical and durable storage format. But as operations scale, they become increasingly difficult to … Continued
IBCs are a popular and highly efficient storage solution, especially in sectors such as chemicals, engineering and food and drink, however, IBC storage is not without its challenges, both from a space utilisation AND a health and safety point of view. Whilst IBCs may be cube-shaped, which should allow them to be stacked, guidelines published … Continued
The spiralling energy costs are forcing businesses to take decisive action on their warehouse operations which could have a massive impact on the industry. With energy typically accounting for 15% of overall warehouse costs and reports of up to 400% increases in the coming months, many businesses are now looking at every opportunity to consolidate … Continued
© 2026 Thistle Systems
© 2026 Thistle Systems
