Behind the scenes - stillage cages

Stillage cages is a term that not everyone is familiar with and yet these cages are a part of everyday life behind the scenes in manufacturing and retail where they are used either for storage or for moving stock or products around a warehouse space or factory floor.

 As metal fabrication specialists, we’ve been designing and manufacturing stillage cages for almost a decade.

 Mainly made from steel box section and wire mesh, the cages generally tend to be used for storage purposes but they can also be used for moving heavy items which is one of the main reasons why they tend to be so widely used in the automotive world. They make light work of moving parts heavy vehicle parts around various parts of the production line.

 Over the years, the stillage cages we have manufactured have mainly been for the automotive industry. For example, we’ve made several cages to enable one of our customers to transport glass windshields around. However, they’re also hugely effective in other sectors and are often used within retail circles where they’re most commonly found to provide valuable storage within warehouse space.

 Stillage cages are as diverse in end usage as they are in design. They are also relatively complex structures that involve manipulating numerous metals to form their robust shape. Thanks to our expertise, we can manufacture stillage cages for any sector and for all manner of purposes, but we often find ourselves working from 12mm up to 60mm box section in either stainless steel or mild steel.

Nine times out of ten, we’ll work with drawings that our customers share with us and once we’ve agreed the materials, price, and timescales, we’ll set to work on manufacturing the required stillage cage.

Once the cutting’s complete, we’ll then fabricate the structure and, in some instances, we’ll also do something we refer to within our industry as ‘dressing down’, which essentially involves grinding down the sections that have been welded to create a seamless joint.

Depending on the customer’s requirements and our existing workloads, we can turn around a standard cage in two to three days. But if we’re working on something larger, for instance, we were once asked to manufacture a cage that spanned two metres, or the design is that bit more intricate, then it may take us a little longer to turn the plans into reality. But whatever the size, shape or requirements we’re working to, we’ll always make sure that we’re delivering quality and excellence in metal, which is what we’re renowned for.

Got any questions or want to find out more about our stillage cage manufacturing capabilities? Contact us on 0121 773 0465 or sales@rochfordengineering.co.uk. Alternatively, for more information about our metal forming services, visit www.rochfordengineering.co.uk