What is Pallet Racking?
Pallet racking is a type of storage system used to store items on pallets (most of the time) in a warehouse. It consists of vertical uprights and horizontal beams that create shelves for the pallets to rest on. Pallet racking can be customized to fit the specific needs to the customer, including weight capacity and aisle width. It's designed to maximize storage space and improve efficiency.
What problems does pallet racking solve?
First and foremost, pallet racking solves the problem of limited storage space. It allows for the efficient use of vertical space, by stacking items on top of each other rather than just storing in the ground.
Pallet racking also provides stability and safety for heavy loads. It simplifies inventory management by allowing easy access to all items, reducing the time and effort required to locate and retrieve them.
Pallet racking can help improve the workflow and productivity in a facility by optimizing the use of available space and minimizing wasted time and effort.
Common issues we see when walking through warehouses:
Wasted Vertical Space - often times we see a building that has 30'+ clear height with pallet racking that only goes up 15' feet. Here is a simple solution: replace the current frames with taller frames, that way you can add more levels without taking up additional square footage. Although it is a simple solution, we understand most companies cannot afford to shut down operations and replace all the frames. Most of the time this requires a phased approach. We ask our customers to empty a minimum number of bays (depending on quantity of existing beams and frame height) so we can reprofile the bays efficiently without completely disrupting their operations.
Beam Spacing – The vertical distance between beam levels. This happens quite a bit --> You’ll see warehouses that have beam spacing of 48" with a box that is 12" tall, wasting 36"... Utilizing the cubic feet within your racking system is just as important, if not more important, than solely thinking about the square footage.
Aisle Widths - The aisles within pallet racking systems are crucial to efficiency and space optimization. Understanding what forklifts will be used, and being open to new ideas when it comes to forklifts and automation will allow for more density and faster picking. If you want help with your layout in your existing or new facility, reach out to our team!