Choosing a proper storage solution for a warehouse is crucial for the inventory management of your business. Protecting your products from damage, for instance, depends greatly on proper and efficient storing. Good storage solutions provide an easily sustainable organisational system, ensuring that all the stages of your daily operations run successfully, and increasing your business’ productivity.
Pallet racks are structures designed to be a storage aid, available in different sizes, capacity ratings, shapes etc. They are an extremely practical and efficient organisational system in warehousing. The warehouse layout and the inventory management play a vital part in your business’ productivity and ultimately, its success.
Things You Need to Know about Pallet Racks
When you are looking for storage and shelving solution for your warehouse, it’s prudent to know as much as possible about your options and your needs, before going to buy pallet racking. This way, you’ll give your business a bigger chance to increase its sustainability, while making sure you’ll continuously provide the best service possible to your clients, offering them your products promptly, and always in good condition.
1. Three most common pallet racking types
Cantilever racks are designed to allow storing bulky and long products, such as piping, rods or timber. This racking type will provide you with more storage space for your products, due to the fact that they don´t have a front column. Also, they allow easy access to all the inventory.
This tyle of racks is ideal for warehouses storing products with varying sizes, weights, lengths etc. They allow easy storing and retrieving of the products. Pallets loading can be customised.
Drive-in racks are a cost-effective option, because they will save you floor space. Because of this they require fewer aisles, while providing the same amount of storage. The way they are designed gives forklifts easy access through the aisles to stock and add pallets.
This type of racks is ideal for businesses that store products with long life spans, large quantities of the same product, and products that only need to be moved once. Pallets are loaded and unloaded by entering through the front and then backing out.
Selective racks can be adjusted specifically according to your requirements. They are a time-saving storage solution, since they allow direct access to the pallet storage spaces. They are cost-effective, since they provide efficient space utilisation of the system.
This type of racks is ideal for warehouses with frequent circulation of products, or that need access to all pallets simultaneously. In the selective pallet rack systems, pallets are loaded and unloaded from the front.
2. Your business specific requirements
The warehouse pallet racking system you invest in should provide you with a solution for all your needs. So, to choose the right one, ask yourself these questions: What am I going to store? How much storing do I need? Are my storage needs going to change?
The type of business you are running will dictate your storage needs, and the way your inventory system functions.
Thoroughly analyse all the products that your business needs to store, having in mind not only the quantities, and your products physical properties such as weight, density, but also the frequency with which they will be moved and their shelf life.
Furthermore, don’t forget to take into consideration the number of products and their individual and collective wight, because safety must always be your concern number one. Upon making the assessment, choose light, medium or heavy duty pallet racks accordingly, make sure that your pallet racking shelves will be able to withstand the weight, as well as movements, and the occasional bumps it will have to endure.
Strong and durable quality pallet racking will not only protect your product from getting damaged, but will, most importantly, keep the employees safe from possible injuries caused by collapsing.
3. Adaptability and practicality
Depending on the type of your business storage needs can change over time. Your business may grow, or might start producing new items, or selling new products. If this is a possibility, you should definitely bear in mind the possibility of adjusting your racks to accommodate any changes.
Pallet racking for warehouses have to be practical and functional. The goal is to provide the fastest, easiest and safest way to load, access and unload the stored items.
To increase your business’ efficiency, especially in regard to changes in your storage needs, invest in mobile racks, racking systems featuring electronically controlled mobile bases. On top of that, they’re extremely practical, as they’ll play a part in maximising your storage capacity. They will allow aisles to open for access, increasing the productivity. This makes them ideal for smaller or very packed warehouses.
4. Useful accessories
If you are assembling a warehouse, deciding to buy pallet racking is the first step. To further optimise your storage capacity and efficiency, also learn about additional warehouse storage accessories.
Column guards are a solution for preventing damage by forklifts to both the product and the racking itself. They offer additional protection to the warehouse workers, and on top of that, by investing in them, you are decreasing your future costs for disassembling, repair, reassembling and reloading. Mash decks for additional safety, for preventing pallets and other items from falling through the rack structure. Wooden decks, anti-collapse mesh, cages for easy transport, dividers etc.