Yankee Supply Blog

Choosing the 6 Right Racking System for Your Facility More Efficient

Proper inventory management is crucial to keeping your company competitive in today’s marketplace. A quality racking system can speed up production, reduce errors, and make your life easier. The wrong racking system can take up too much space, and actually make it harder for your business to run the way it was meant to.

If you’re updating an existing facility, or looking for racks to fill a new one, here’s how to decide on what type of racking system will work best in your facility.

Selecting the appropriate racking system will help your warehouse comply with contemporary storage requirements. Understanding your unique requirements, looking into different racking options, making the most use of available space, emphasizing accessibility, embracing technology, and future-proofing your investment will equip your facility for long-term success in the ever-changing field of warehouse management.

Racking System Storage Density Needs

If you have a large volume of product that needs to be stored, high density pallet rack systems are a possible solution. Deep storage can increase usable space by up to 72%. High density racking is best in high volume situations, as well as freezer and coolers where space is at a premium.

Selectivity Solutions

Another common situation that needs to be considered is selectivity. Selective pallet systems allow you to remove any pallet desired from the system without having to move other pallets. This is the most common type of system.

This system is the cheapest to install, but also is the most space intensive type of system. If you are working with limited space, this may not be the right solution for you.

FIFO or LIFO?

How you determine when product leaves will also have a big impact on your racking needs. If your product is LIFO (Last In, First Out) burying pallets may be a perfectly reasonable solution. If you operate by FIFO (First In, Last Out) burying pallets can be a hassle.

LIFO inventory may work well with deep-lane storage, but this may not work if your products require FIFO inventory control.

Fork-lift Spacing

Narrow lanes may save on space, but they can be more trouble than they are worth. A few extra inches can make all the difference in avoiding damage to product from a forklift that is trying to turn. Make sure your new racking system layout is planned to be fork-lift friendly before bringing them into your facility.

Earthquake safety

Your choices for a racking system may be more limited if you live in an earthquake prone area. These areas often require much stricter engineering to ensure that workers are kept safe in the event of an earthquake.

If your warehouse is in an earthquake prone area, racking systems resistant to seismic activity can save millions. In 2010, an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, a country that frequently experiences a lot of seismic activity. The only warehouse that didn’t incur damage was an Iron Mountain facility with earthquake resistant racking.

Other environmental factors

Earthquakes aren’t the only possible concern. The environment inside your warehouse can also have an effect on what sort of racking systems you need. Other concerns include whether the facility needs to be washed-down, the individual climate inside the warehouse, and any FDA regulations.

There are many different factors involved in choosing the right racking system. Some of these can be determined by simply being in touch with your company’s workflow, while others may need some digging to find the right solution. Regardless, it’s worth the effort to find the best racking solution for your company, and help things flow smoothly.

If many of the aspects covered here seem daunting, don’t fret. We have a warehouse planning division of Yankee Supply, where we can help you uncover various problems in your warehouse flow and plan a more efficient system. You can learn more about our warehouse design options here.


References:

https://www.ridgurak.com/products/high-density-pallet-rack/
https://www.adaptalift.com.au/blog/2011-08-24-what-is-selective-racking-warehouse-racking-guide-part-2
https://www.mecalux.com/logistics-items/chile-a-seismic-laboratory-for-testing-rack-behaviour

Yankee Supply is an industry leader in warehouse and material handling supply. We have over 40 years of experience. Learn more about us here.

estimate tool cta
liquidating a warehouse guide
warehouse cleaning checklist
warehouse rack inspection guide

Categories

This needs to be custom coded. Whatever the primary category of the blog post is, that category should be dropped down to show all subcategories under that main category.

CONTACT INFORMATION

800.232.7225 toll-free
401.934.1960 fax.
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
(Phone Lines are Open 24/7 for Inquiries)
2140 Hartford Ave,
Johnston, RI 02919
Nationwide Shipping
yankee supply icon
©2024 Yankee Supply | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Purchase Policies
made in america