Tips On How Pallet Racks Can Improve Profits

By: Larry Rausch – Vice President of Sales and Marketing

In this post on how pallet racks can improve profits, we will explore the changing landscape of plant operations and the best way to select racking to help improve profits.  Many customers don’t consider the impact increased efficiencies can affect costs and profits. Pallet rack purchasing is not a simple and easy project.  Much thought should be given to this process if you want the end-product to be as efficient as possible.  This post is intended to provide facility managers with the correct pathways when considering the purchase of pallet racking systems to impact profit.

If you’re in charge of a plant, you know the importance of keeping everything running smoothly to maintain your production schedule and minimize downtime. Unplanned downtime leads to lost revenue and should be avoided at all costs.

Selecting the right pallet-racking system can make a big difference in your bottom line, especially when labor is scarce and the price of warehouse space continues to increase.

Pallet racking also makes warehouses clean and tidy, which improves efficiency and helps to prevent misplaced items. Furthermore, consistent use of warehouse pallet racks for storage increases pick and put-away time and improves the flexibility of existing space.

Types of Pallet-Racking Systems

There are many types of warehouse pallet-racking systems available, each one designed for different applications and facility types—some offer dense storage capacity while others offer easier access to stored loads. Some of the most common systems include selective, drive-in, push-back, pallet flow, and double-deep.

Push-Back

Push-back pallet racking is an alternative method that is nearly identical to drive-in and continuing to grow in popularity. This system can go two to six pallets deep and uses the first in, last out product flow system in any given lane. Push-back pallet racks tend to give building owners/operators more flexibility than other systems.

Selective

Selective pallet racking is the most popular and versatile system in the industry and maintains the lowest upfront cost per pallet position compared to other systems. Additionally, ease of adjustability, full selectivity, and direct access to a diverse stock-keeping unit (SKU) count provides ease of scalability, especially as the market grows and more pallet racking is required.

Drive-In

For cost-effective, high-density storage, drive-in pallet racking is often the best choice. Requiring fewer aisles and providing better space utilization than standard selective pallet racks, drive-in racking allows you to store up to 75 percent more pallets. Drive-in pallet racking allows forklifts to drive directly into the rack to allow storage of two or more pallets deep.

Pallet Flow

Commonly used for storing a large number of pallets of the same product or SKU, pallet flow racks provide a space-saving, high-density solution to your storage needs. Utilizing the first in, first out methodology, these racks get inventory moving—pallets are loaded from one side and picked from the other while the rest of the work is done by durable, high-performance wheels. This has the potential to save both time and labor.

Double-Deep

Double-deep pallet-racking systems use 11-foot aisles but include a double-deep access system. This is achieved by placing two sections of pallet rack back-to-back, effectively increasing storage capacity while maintaining one access aisle.

A Little More About Racks

Pallet racks are the lifeblood of most distribution centers and warehouse facilities. Warehouse pallet-racking systems are most effective when they fit your product and inventory management model and are compatible with your lift equipment.

A properly designed and installed pallet-racking system can increase productivity and maximize storage in your warehouse, especially when expansion isn’t an option. If you have any additional questions about types of pallet racks, pallet-racking installation, or how the right pallet racking can improve your bottom line, refer to our blog on “Questions to ask your pallet rack installer.”

In Conclusion

Pallet racking systems are the backbone of an industrial warehouse. From understanding capacity, space and storage, to the different types of racking systems, your next pallet racking purchase will be as efficient and cost effective as possible.

We hope this post provided you helpful information as it relates to best practices in warehouse design and management. To speak with one of our technical experts, please call 1-216-229-9300. And thank you for reading our post.