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Other Common Types of Pallet Rack

Many types of pallet storage racks are available with different designs to fulfill specific functions or create specific advantages. When deciding on the type of pallet rack to use, several basic considerations have to be taken into account:

• Desired storage density

• Floor space and building height

• Placement of building doors and columns

• Inventory accessibility

• Inventory rotation

• Item/load size and weight

• Optimal storage design

• Cost of materials and installation

Some disadvantages of high density pallet storage systems are; less access to all stock at any given moment (although if the stored product is all the same, it should not matter), and the expense of such systems. Selective pallet rack systems are considerably less expensive per pallet position than their higher density counterparts. In most medium to large facilities, however, high density pallet rack systems are essential, since they provide the efficiency of time and high cost facility space is better optimized.

Carton Flow Rack is basically a shelf with rollers. The items being stored are loaded in the back side of the system and rolled down to the front where they are picked up. Carton Flow is used for merchandise with short storage time. Carton Flow rack allows for better organization and faster shipping time. This system is a very cost effective labor tool. WSN can help you improve labor efficiency and storage space by installing a carton flow rack system in your warehouse.

WSN offers a variety of Carton Flow systems for every size warehouse and every price range. All systems are gravity-driven and perfect for applications with numerous SKUs. Stock presents on a First-In/First-Out basis, which ensures inventory rotation. Separating the loading aisle from the retrieval aisle allows pickers to operate more efficiently. Carton Flow, with its tilted shelves which improve visibility and order accuracy, is the perfect answer for split case or piece picking. Other options, such as impact decks and intermediate supports, will help guard against warehouse abuse and prolong system longevity. Carton Flow can be integrated with conveyors and other storage solutions to create functional pick modules and warehouse product picking efficiency.

Drive-in and Drive-through (sometimes spelled Drive-thru) are storage rack configurations that allow the operator and their forklift to drive directly into the lane of stacked rows (called a bay). Drive-in and Drive-thu rack systems are great for maximizing all of your available warehouse space.

Drive-Through Racks allow a lift truck to enter the rack from either side to pick up or pull out pallets. Loads are supported by rails attached to upright frames, and lift trucks are driven between uprights to reach pallets. Pallets can slide backwards on a continuous rail. It's open at both ends, allowing first-in, first-out storage.

Drive-In Racks allow a lift truck to enter the rack from one side to pick up or pull out pallets. This is done because pallets can slide backwards on a continuous rail. Forklifts drive into the rack to access pallets two or more deep. You are limited in the depth of storage for a particular bay by the size of your facility. Drive-in rack requires fewer aisles and able to store high volumes of merchandise. Forklifts drive into the rack bays and place pallets on rails at various depths and heights. Pallets are retrieved first in last out basis. Depths are usually set at truck load lots to maximize stock rotation.

The difference between a drive-in and a drive-thru pallet rack system is simply whether the bays have an entry at only one end, or at both ends. Drive-in rack systems use a common entry and exit, while drive-thru systems have entry points at either end of the bay. Because a drive-in racking system has only one entrance, it uses what is called a LIFO (last in, first out) storage method. With only one entrance, the last pallet put into a row is necessarily the first one to be taken out. A drive-thru storage system, with two different entry points, can also use a FIFO (first in, first out) storage method. With a FIFO system, pallets are loaded in one end and are pushed back to the other end, where they are then at the front of the row on the opposite side. The first pallet put into such a row is the first one taken out at the other end. This system is advantageous for material with an expiration date or wherever shelf life is a major concern.

Drive Thru Pallet Racks. When space is at real premium in your stock room or warehouse, then increasing the amount of storage space available will allow you to manage more stock at any one time. Implement a drive thru pallet rack system and maximize storage space within your warehouse.

A major drawback of a traditional storage area in a warehouse is that large amounts of the available floor space must be given over to isle ways and paths for forklifts to operate in. These isle ways typically need to be wider than a standard rack, and mean that less than half of the available floor space can be utilized for the storage of pallets. By Implementing a drive thru or Drive in pallet rack system instead, you can make use of almost 90 per cent of the available space, and maximize your vertical space.

The disadvantage of a drive thru pallet racking is that only the outermost pallets can be accessed. If you need to access materials that are stored anywhere except in the outer racks, you will need to remove the other pallets first. When considering whether to implement this system in your workplace or not, you will have to weigh your options on whether being able to select from different items on demand is more important than the space saving benefits that it will produce.

If the majority of your stock is a single sku item, or you have only a limited number of materials on pallets for storage, then drive thru pallet racks will not present any real problems to you. Likewise, if you have predictable usage levels for any materials that you have in storage, you will be able to plan the way that they are kept within the racks so that you can get quick and easy access to the most important items without having to remove significant amounts of other stock first.

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Pallet Flow Racking is considered a high density pallet storage system that utilizes depth to increase capacities. Pallet Flow systems use rails with rollers that have a slight incline and allow pallets to move easily along the wheeled levels. These systems are sometimes referred to as called gravity flow or dynamic flow systems. The use of gravity is what flows pallets in super-high-density racks. The pallet flow system often has complex motion and braking systems to control the speed of the moving pallet. Pallet Flow racking systems are either a FIFO (first in, first out) or a LIFO (last in, first out) storage system. When the system is loaded from the back and unloaded from the front, its FIFO; When the system is loaded and unloaded from the front its a LIFO system. The flow system depth, height, and width are limited only by the size of your facility and the capabilities of your material handling equipment. You should use a pallet flow system in situations where storage density and inventory rotation are top priorities.

Push Back Rack These systems are designed for organizing your space by depth apposed to width. Depth arrangement greatly reduces aisle space and increases storage density. Each bay can be up to six pallets deep. Pallets are stored on carts with wheels on them that fit onto side rails. These rails are slightly tilted toward the load/unload side of the rack in order to use gravity for flow. When the operator sets the merchandise onto the cart and drives forward the new pallet bumps into the next pallet, causing the entire row of pallets to roll backwards. When removing a pallet from the front position gravity causes the remaining pallets to slide forward staging themselves so that the next available pallet can be easily accessed. Push back rack is considered to be a LIFO (last in, first out) storage system. It fills the storage cube with product, not wasted aisle space. Instead of single pallet-deep selective racks, a Pushback rack system lets you store pallets 2 to 6 deep while retaining easy access to a variety of different SKUs. They are great for storing mass quantities of items in pallet form. The bays are larger than selective bays and provide good rotation of stock. It is also more flexible than drive-in rack and gives more storage capability and fewer isles.

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