Why ROSSS shelving is magenta: the story of RAL 4003 as told by Silvano “Simone” Bettini

A colour can become a distinctive mark.
In the case of ROSSS, magenta is far more than an aesthetic choice: it is an identity element that makes its industrial shelving immediately recognisable in warehouses across Italy and beyond.

ROSSS chose magenta (RAL 4003, Heather Violet) to make its racking systems more recognisable, more visible in the warehouse and consistent with a precise brand identity in the intralogistics sector.

The origin of this decision is told by Silvano “Simone” Bettini, CEO of the company and current President of Federmeccanica.

The standard colour of ROSSS shelving is RAL 4003, also known as “Heather Violet”. An intense, vibrant shade that clearly stands outside the traditional chromatic standards of industrial racking.

In a sector dominated by greys, blues and industrial greens, magenta represents a counter-current choice. And it is precisely this difference that makes it memorable.

“It was almost a provocation.”

This is how Bettini recalls the moment when the idea of adopting magenta as the distinctive colour of ROSSS racking was born: “In our family we had a friend who was a design expert, Paolo Parigi, who passed away prematurely. Sometimes Paolo used to come to the company to visit my father and he usually criticised him because, in his view, we produced beautiful racking systems but did not know how to paint them properly. His opinion sparked in me the desire to find something alternative.”

In a highly technical and regulated context such as pallet rack structures and storage systems, proposing such a bold shade seemed unusual. Yet precisely for that reason, it proved effective. “At the time, shelving was all painted blue, grey, orange, yellow – common colours,” Bettini recalls. “In fact, some used a really unattractive ochre yellow. They were the colours of the ’70s and ’80s. So we thought of an old marketing rule: ‘stand out or become extinct’.”

“At the beginning, someone smiled. Then we realised it worked.”

The choice of magenta was not immediately welcomed with enthusiasm. However, over time, it proved to be a strategic decision.

“One day, my father and I were talking to a fitter,” Bettini continues, “who told us that on a site an architect had commissioned one of our competitors to use a very particular colour, a kind of fuchsia. So my father and I looked at this Heather Violet RAL 4003 in the colour chart. I started laughing, thinking that if we painted our shelving in that colour, who knows what would come out of it. But the fitter told us that once the system had been installed, everyone had been very impressed and that it looked really good. So we decided to make a sample ourselves… and we liked it.”

ROSSS industrial shelving systems began to stand out in warehouses: not only for their structural performance, but also for their visual impact. The colour became an integral part of brand perception.

The decisive test came in Malta, during a convention: “We presented a product in that colour for the first time in Malta, at a convention. A good part of the sales network was against it, because those who sell are usually a bit more resistant to change. From that moment on, magenta became our standard colour, covering 80–90% of our products, from Iron Fist to Sequoia cantilever and Mammuth. Today, that colour stands out, because you can tell from a distance whether we supplied a particular product or not.”

In B2B environments, especially in the intralogistics sector, colour is not a secondary detail.

A distinctive colour:

• strengthens corporate identity
• improves product recognisability on sites and in warehouses
• contributes to competitive differentiation
• supports visual consistency between installations, showrooms and communication materials

ROSSS magenta has thus become an element of industrial branding, capable of combining engineering and identity.

If magenta is today the soul of ROSSS shelving, it is also due to its technical characteristics.

Beyond its identity value, the colour of metal shelving can have a concrete impact on operations. “Magenta is appreciated worldwide because it has unique characteristics,” Bettini explains. “For example, it maintains excellent visibility even with imperfect lighting and at heights of around 10–13 metres. It is a colour that does not blend in with the pallet, thus enabling forklift operators to work more quickly, as they do not confuse the pallet with the rack.”

In warehouses with significant heights, artificial lighting and handling by forklift trucks, the visibility of pallet rack systems is a non-negligible factor.

A bright colour such as magenta:

• increases visual contrast with floors and walls
• facilitates identification of the structures
• contributes to spatial legibility

It does not replace the safety measures required by regulations, but it can support improved visual perception of the working environment.

Today magenta characterises the main ROSSS product lines:

• pallet racks
• cantilever systems
• solutions for automated warehouses
• structures for the design of complex intralogistics layouts

The colour has become a distinctive sign recognisable even from a distance, both in Italy and in international markets.

Silvano “Simone” Bettini is CEO of ROSSS and currently serves as President of Federmeccanica. His vision has significantly contributed to the development of the company’s identity within the Italian mechanical engineering and intralogistics landscape.

What is RAL 4003?

RAL 4003, also known as “Heather Violet”, is a shade within the RAL colour scale used in industrial contexts for coating metal structures and technical components.

Does the colour of shelving affect warehouse safety?

Colour does not replace structural and regulatory safety measures, but it can improve structural visibility and spatial perception, especially in large environments.

Why did ROSSS choose magenta?

To differentiate itself in the industrial racking market, strengthen its brand identity and make its structures immediately recognisable.

Is magenta available across all product lines?

Magenta characterises the main ROSSS lines, particularly pallet racks and industrial storage systems.

Watch the full interview

Do you want to hear Bettini’s words about the choice of ROSSS magenta? Watch the full interview on the official Facebook profile