About S&L United Storage Systems

Founded in 1977, S & L United Storage Systems has developed from an industrial racking and shelving supplier and installer to a major designer, manufacturer and supplier of mezzanine floors, racking and specialist fabrications, servicing national companies with a wide range of products and services.

We have a purpose-built technical department equipped with the latest CAD technology with qualified designers, structural engineers and contract managers with a wealth of experience in overseeing large and small projects.

Our technical staff are experienced in working to architects' plans if provided, or from our own site surveys to design the most effective layout solution for our customers' particular requirements.

In addition to providing layout visualisations, we regularly design prototypes, initially creating 3D working representations using the latest inventor development software, then manufacturing a full-size working sample.

Our Story

The company was founded by current Chairman, Vik Smith, on 7/7/77, a lucky day indeed. Vik had been working as a management trainee and salesman in the racking industry and saw the potential opportunities for a business of his own.

To begin with, he operated from a small council flat in Harlow, selling racking and shelving systems with just one employee. When they made a sale, Vik’s father and younger brother, Mark, would carry out the installation.

By 1980 the company had outgrown the flat, and the decision was made to take a lease on their first premises, followed swiftly by the rental of the two adjacent units for warehousing.

In the early 80s, USS secured a contract with a national DIY chain to supply industrial racking, taking them into retail for the first time. This breakthrough resulted in the company working on nearly every retail park in the country with nearly every retailer.

When these retailers began adding space for extra racking, USS made the most of the opportunity to expand into the installation of mezzanine floors, which quickly became a substantial part of the business. From retail, they were well placed to capitalise on the growing demand for mezzanines in the expanding warehouse and self-storage markets.

As the business grew, Vik decided the time was right for USS to become a fabricator in its own right, opening his own manufacturing business in 2004 and acquiring additional premises in 2006.

The company now has over 30,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space, more than 50 permanent staff and another 50 to 100 contractors installing storage systems at any time. Regardless of its size or success, it remains a family-based business with a commercial outlook and retains the original values of quality, trust and service.

Why Choose United Storage Systems?

We are a company with a history! Operating across five decades with a solid financial base, we've become well known with businesses throughout the UK for solving space and storage problems. We have a reputation for quality and customer service and a track record for getting projects completed on time. We're an accredited company, and continuously strive to maintain the highest standards required by the health, safety, quality and manufacturing bodies to which we belong.

To ensure we provide a complete service to our customers, we have