September, 2026- When Big Game Steel opened for business in 2023, the goal was to manufacture heavyduty sheet storage racks designed for the realities of industrial use. The Waukesha, Wisconsin-based company supports three product categories: sheet metal storage, tube storage and material handling.
“Our wildly reliable metals storage systems are designed to give service centers safer, smarter and more efficient metal handling,” notes Brett Sullivan, Big Game Steel general manager.
Floor-stacked sheets consume valuable shop space and increase the risk of damage or manual handling injuries. “Big Game Steel addresses these concerns by using individual, upright bays to keep material off the floor yet visible, separated and protected,” explains Sullivan.
INDUSTRIAL REALITIES
In its third year of business, the company— which uses a bear head logo—is roaring onto the market, with racks made in the U.S. and designed for the realities of a service center or industrial shop floor. “Our rapidly growing list of customers require racks that can stand up to forklift bumps, machine tool vibrations, uneven load conditions and heavy loads,” Sullivan says.
Keys to the strength and endurance of its products are the structural steel and rigid frame design of the racks. “Our founders knew they could make a better product than what the market was offering. Although competitors may use structural steel in parts of their racks, the key difference is in our overall design philosophy. [Our] products are heavy duty, more structural and built for long-term production floor use.” They are also professional engineer [PE]-stamped, says Sullivan.
The secret sauce in Big Game Steel racks includes a heavier structural load path, the rigidity of the frame and the overall design— which takes the weight of the sheet or tube directly down to the floor. “Our racks are designed to handle repeated forklift use, cassette movement and long-term shop floor use,” adds Sullivan.
Big Game Steel storage systems elevate sheet storage, getting material off the floor and conserving valuable floorspace.
RACKS FOR SHEETS
The company’s standard racks are heavy duty and versatile, with size configurations to accommodate metal sheet in four standard sizes: 48 by 96 inches, 48 by 120 inches, 60 by 96 inches and 60 by 120 inches. Big Game Steel can also deliver the racks in custom sizes. Sullivan reports that each rack system is made to order, so custom sizes do not require any additional lead time. Customers can also select any color for their Big Game Steel systems at no additional cost.
Each rack stands 6 feet tall, stacks to 18 feet and includes eight high-strength shelves. Across all standard sheet sizes, the system offers consistent capacity of 5,000 pounds per shelf.
“A unique spec on the system is the additional vertical member on the back of the rack—a backstrap. It’s an update on the traditional X design, offering more rigidity and structural integrity over time,” Sullivan explains.
BYE-BYE BOTTLENECKS
Beyond added strength, Big Game Steel aims to deliver greater efficiency. “At face value, our racks can achieve a lot of savings relating to cost, space and labor,” notes Sullivan. He estimates that service centers can spend 30 to 40 percent of warehouse time looking for a sheet of steel. “We can help customers put a process in place to find a cassette and pull the sheet more efficiently. Our racking system helps remove the bottlenecks, giving customers a smooth process in sorting sheet metal,” he says.
For service centers and fabricators that have recently invested in downstream operations, a Big Game Steel system can eliminate upstream constraints. “It turns into a ‘need to have’ system for customers who are looking to increase their laser utilization and get orders out the door quicker,” explains Sullivan.
Once a company makes the investment in a laser cutter or other downstream operations, they don’t want to see the investment sitting idle while waiting for someone to search and pull the next sheet. Big Game Steel products help reduce this wait time.
Launched earlier this year, the Outrigger features a specialized crank-out arm mechanism that brings pipes and tubes directly to the aisle.
ENHANCED SAFETY
Once sheets are elevated off the production floor, safety levels are also elevated, says Sullivan. “The opportunities for slips, trips and falls are minimized. Ergonomically the systems help reduce twisting and bending associated with manual handling of the materials.”
Being PE-stamped gives users added safety assurance. “We know that some service centers try to design and fabricate their own storage systems. This is probably not the most efficient use of the company’s resources— nor are [such] designs PE-stamped,” warns Sullivan.
STANDARD AND COMBO
Big Game Steel rack systems are available in both standard and combination models. The standard rack is optimized for forklift handling, while the combo rack is designed for shop floors that rely on both forklift and overhead cranes for material movement. The combo rack also features a set of lower-level drawers to enable efficient crane loading.
The drawer can be further customized to side pull in the same or opposite direction as the higher racks. This can help enhance material flow and machine optimization,” notes Sullivan, referring to shop floors where operators may require sheet access to support more than one piece of equipment.
The heavy-duty design of the Big Game Steel storage systems enable shop floor savings relating to cost, space and labor.
A BIG FAN
One customer that manufactures industrial air conditioning systems has been pleased with its rack system and support, stating, “Big Game Steel sheet metal racks have increased our storage capacity while decreasing our storage footprint.” This customer also reports that the installation instructions, which come complete with labels, were easy to follow. Another benefit reported by the customer: “The short lead time allowed us to install the racks to meet our project timeline.”
TUBE OUTRIGGER
In March 2026, Big Game Steel launched its Outrigger system for tube storage that replaces the storage of tube bundles on the floor. “We’ve had a ton of interest in the crank-out cantilever design,” notes Sullivan. Using a crank-out arm mechanism, the Outrigger system brings material directly to the aisle for immediate forklift or crane pickup.
“With the popularity of tube lasers growing, customers are looking for a storage and handling system to increase material flow and productivity in their tube operations,” says Sullivan. The crank design of the Outrigger allows the operator to move the material to either side of the rack for more efficient material handling, while reducing operator strain.
SUPPORT
Big Game Steel is part of On Point Holdings, a series of businesses intent on being essential partners to leading manufacturers. Sister companies include OpEx Service, which performs installation of Big Game Steel systems. In addition, Sullivan is on site for most customer installations. He acknowledges that customers can also install the system themselves. “It takes two or three people to bolt together two racks in one day,” he notes.
Being with the customer during installion gives Sullivan the opportunity to see the customer’s immediate impression of their investment. “Right away, the customer comments on how stout bear-like the system is. They can see the quality and craftsmanship that goes into the system, and they know these will be racks they will have for 10, 12, 15 years to come.”
Big Game Steel, 847/380-0860, biggamesteel.com.
