Warehouse operations rely on pallet racking to safely store inventory. The balance between keeping that inventory safe and making it easy to retrieve is often a tricky one, but choosing the right racks can help your staff make inventory management simpler.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing a new pallet racking system for your operation:
Height, Depth, and Capacity
It is not enough to know the simple measurements of a pallet rack. These measurements may tell you how tall a unit stands or how wide it sits, but they are not as important as the height, depth, and capacity measurements of each shelf.
Capacity measures how much weight each shelf can hold. This generally refers to the load-bearing capability or strength of the shelf. This is an important measurement, since the variation in size and shape of items being stored means giving a number capacity is impossible.
Height and depth are equally important, since improving space utilization is the best way to maximize storage density and therefore profitability. Just be sure to leave plenty of room above your storage racks for sprinkler systems to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations!
Wire Decking
Not all racking systems include decking. Wire decking can be added to keep loose product from falling through the rack. It is an especially helpful accessory in hand picking applications! Remember that heavy or large objects may require stronger decking.
Type and Variety of Inventory
Speaking of the items stored in your pallet racks, the type of inventory your facility stores is very important to the type of shelving you choose. A facility with many items but a small variety should prioritize storage density. A facility with many different types of items should prioritize selectivity. How often your staff needs to access the racks and pull items from them should guide your decision about which type of racking is best suited to your operation. Remember that not all products should be stored the same way. There is also nothing wrong with incorporating multiple types of rack solutions into you warehouse.
Inventory Management System
Every company has a preferred inventory management system. For those with perishable items or those where the oldest stock must be sold first, the first-in, first-out – or FIFO – system is used. An ideal option for these operations can bepallet flow racking. Operations where this is not important might prefer a last-in, first-out – or LIFO – inventory management system. This allows staff to retrieve the last-added item first, often by using pushback racking.
Since inventory management is one of the most important elements of warehouse operation, this is also one of the biggest deciding factors in choosing your racking system. If you are struggling to choose the right racks for your business, be sure to discuss inventory management with your provider for the best possible match.
Frazier has 75 years of experience custom designing rack solution for applications across over fifteen industries. Contact Frazier today at frazier@frazier.com or (800) 859-1342, Option #8 to learn more about what type of rack might best suit your needs.
