Have you ever formed an opinion of an E-Commerce retailer based on how long it took to receive your order? Your answer to that question is probably “yes”. You might not have realized it at the time, but this means you have been personally affected by Last-Mile-Logistics.
The Last-Mile-Logistics Journey
Last-Mile refers to the final leg of a shipments journey – movement of the order from a warehouse to its final delivery destination – with no stops at other warehouses in between. With almost $4 Trillion of E-Commerce sales expected in 2021, this means a lot of Last-Mile-Logistics deliveries. In an ultra-competitive market, retailers are no longer able to sell just their product; they now also have to sell the service and experience. Thus, making Last-Mile-Logistics execution a critical component of the consumer equation.
An obvious factor for the effectiveness of a Last-Mile-Logistics Warehouse is its location in proximity to the communities it serves. DC Velocity Reports that industrial surveys indicate these facilities average between 6 to 9 miles away from the most populous center point of their market. They cannot get much closer. As a result, companies are looking for any other type of advantage they can get to make quicker deliveries. For example, Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery is a method that is increasing in popularity and is expected to grow by 23.7% a year until hitting $75 billion in 2030.
With Last-Mile-Logistics beginning from the warehouse, however, companies can first set their sights to equipping their facilities with efficient and organized Pallet Racking Solutions – a proven game changer for getting orders out the door for delivery more quickly and accurately. Which pallet racking solutions can give a Last-Mile-Logistics facility with thousands of Stock Keeping Units (SKU’s) this edge? Take a look:
SelecDeck® Case Flow Rack
When rising SKU’s and less frequently picked products put a squeeze on a warehouse’s floor space, SelecDeck® Case Flow can increase floor pick locations by up to 30%. It allows for sets of 4 floor level pallet locations in a back-to-back row of Selective Pallet Racking to be converted to more than 28 pick slots, while overhead positions store reserve products. Simply put, more pick slots result in greater picking productivity, which results in orders getting out the door faster.
As if that were not enough, SelecDeck’s® Case Flow rack has a universal roller bed design that can store cartons of all shapes and sizes. As you well know, consumer trends change and so do certain product mixes with them. SelecDeck® Case Flow rack’s aforementioned bed design easily reprofiles to seamlessly accommodate these changes; it does not need additional tracks when re-profiling to store different products. Better yet? SelecDeck® does not always even need a new racking system and can often be retrofitted to existing applications.
Ergo Series® Pallet Racking
Some case picks are too frequent for case flow rack to be the most effective storage solution. Enter Frazier’s Ergo Series® Pallet Racking. It increases picking productivity and storage utilization by up to 30% for faster case picks. Ergo Series® takes a classic front shelf beam and splits it into two separate curved beams that create an ample 16″ to 22″ opening for order pickers to access rear cartons; its contoured design allows safe and easy access.
The second level Ergo Series® option allows users to store top moving products (A Movers) at floor level and slightly slower moving products (B Movers) on the beams themselves. The Ergo Deep® option places heavier products at a safer picking level, allows easier access to the second position and creates a walkthrough path to adjoining aisles. Where traditional double deep selective pallet rack stores the same SKU in the second position as the front position, Ergo Deep® affords the ability to store two different SKU’s in these same positions. Thus, it can effectively double floor level picking positions.
Sentinel® Selective Pallet Racking with Wire Screens
Companies that hand stack products to be picked are reaping massive benefits with Frazier’s New Wire Screen Design. Unlike traditional wire mesh decks that “waterfall” over beams, the Wire Screen tucks in behind the beam. Why is this important?:
- Traditional wire mesh decks can warp under the weight of products or be torn apart by handling equipment. Both result in lost capacity.
- When warped, traditional wire mesh decks can become jagged. Jagged wires can rip workers’ clothing and cause physical harm. This can quickly add up in worker’s compensation fees.
By tucking in behind the beam, the wire screen eliminates these concerns. Workers are free to quickly pick orders without fear of damage to themselves or products.
Frazier has over 70 years of experience helping warehouses to increase efficiency and productivity. If you are not sure what type of rack solution might be the best fit for your Last-Mile-Logistics operation, contact us today at frazier@frazier.com or (800) 859-1342. Our pallet racking experts will gladly assist you to determine the optimal fit for your needs.
