Warehouse space is always at a premium, and maximizing both storage capacity and access to inventory can place a burden upon a company. Here are several solutions.
Portable Racks
Fluctuating or constantly shifting inventory can cause space to be wasted within fixed storage such as selective pallet racking. While a traditional solution to this problem has been simply stacking wooden pallets on top of each other, putting inventory, personnel and facilities at risk, portable storage racks provide a better solution.
By the nature of their portability, such racks allow the user to maximize storage density (like a drive-in or flow rack), or to maximize selectivity (like traditional selective pallet rack), or anything in between, all with the same rack. Changing rack layouts is simple, with no expensive installation or dismantling costs. They protect product during handling, stacking, and shipping and act as their own pallet, many times eliminating the need for wooden pallets, and offer complete product visibility and ventilation.
In multistep manufacturing or any situation requiring frequent movement of components or products from one location to another, portable racks can be picked up, transported, and utilized wholly in the new location, eliminating the need to remove items from the rack. One example is tire manufacturing; a portable rack is packed with a certain tire and stored in a distribution center, and the same rack is used to ship a quantity to the dealer. Removal from the rack is never required until the final destination.
Another common use is in frozen foods -- a slip sheet or pallet will be loaded with an item, then placed into a portable storage rack and then into a refrigeration unit. This method makes for maximum storage density within a freezer -- and with the cost of storage and electricity, every square inch is at a premium. When the items are needed for shipment, the slip sheet or pallet can be removed from the portable rack and shipped. When not in use, the legs (columns) can be removed from the portable rack, allowing easy storage until again required.
Cantilever Racks
For many applications, cantilever racks are the most cost-effective solution, especially for companies such as metal finishers that must store a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and lengths of materials. They are used for storage of lumber, furniture, pipe and tubing, structural members, sheet steel, doors and windows, rolls of items such as carpeting, building materials, and many more.
With no front column in the way, the cantilever rack is faster to load and unload, lowering handling time and costs. The lack of a front column also saves horizontal space normally lost to rack structure, and handling clearance is also more abundant. Loads may be placed anywhere along the entire length of a row, and any load or storage slot is immediately accessible. Nearly any type of load can be stored, and they are especially useful for storing long, bulky, or oddly shaped items. All of these features add up to savings in time and cost.
Racks are available for both light and standard (heavy) duty applications. The standard duty racks are meant for rugged operation, and contain features such as heavy arm connectors, arms adjustable vertically in 3 in. increments, and a choice of many arm sizes and types. Light duty racks are ideal for hand-loading applications.
Pallet Flow Racks
When planning warehouse storage and space for perishable or dated items such as groceries, meat, candy, or pharmaceuticals, it''s important to keep in mind that the first items in should be the first items out, so that no stock goes bad or is wasted. For this type of application, the next generation in pallet racks -- pallet flow storage systems -- is vital.
When a pallet is loaded on one end of the system, flow storage uses gravity to automatically move it to the front of the rack as other pallets ahead of it are shipped out. The pallet remains in the order it was loaded. In this way it is shipped out ahead of all the pallets that were loaded after it.
A pallet rack flow storage system can even eliminate the addition or use of extra warehousing. Additionally, pallet flow systems minimize motion previously wasted by warehouse personnel having to travel to a specific place and make sure they are pulling the correctly dated item.
Flow storage systems consist of two different elements: rack structure and flow rails. The flow rails are set within the rack structure at a slight incline, which allows pallet loads placed on one end of the rack to move, by gravity, to the other end of the rack. Wheels or rollers are mounted within the rails along with self-energizing brakes to control pallet speed. As a pallet is unloaded at the front end, the next pallet in line moves forward.
In addition, pallet rack flow systems are carefully engineered to take into account pallet weight and the movement and stress of flow control.
Customized Racks/Containers
For years, automotive parts were shipped in either corrugated or wood containers, custom-made for the task. Inside the containers, they were packed in paper or plastic-based material for protection. The problems were multiple: First, the containers and packing materials were not adequate to the task and goods were often damaged. Second, and perhaps most importantly, tons of waste were created because these containers, and the packing materials, were simply discarded once the parts reached the assembly plants and were unpacked. Steel custom shipping containers, based directly on the material they will contain and the space requirements of the customer, are now solving this problem for many manufacturers.
Racks can be built to optimize transportation for various parts and to fit the company''s workstations. Also taken into account are the space occupied on inventory floors and within shipping trailers.
These containers can also be easily broken down flat when empty, and many are designed so that when flattened 3 of the containers take up the space normally occupied by 1 full container. They are then quickly set up again when they reach the beginning of the line.
Besides the automotive industry, these containers are in use in many other types of manufacturing industries including windows and doors, glass, and even currency containers for the United States Federal Reserve Banks.
Customized steel shipping containers solve the most crucial problems associated with manufactured parts shipping: Parts are protected so damage is eliminated, and the enormous waste which used to end up as only landfill is completely eliminated.