4 Questions to Consider Before Buying Pallet Rack
A pallet rack that’s right for one company or storage application may not work for another. The type of rack you choose has to balance your material handling needs in several ways. It is necessary to understand what your materials flow process is like. Here are some aspects of your inventory management system to consider:
1.What is your distribution order? – Are you “FIFO” (first in, first out) or “LIFO” (last in, last out)? FIFO is more common, LIFO is also used.
2. What are your order picking and placing practices? – Do you have forklifts that your racking system needs to accommodate? Do you pick partial loads – or individual products – out of your racks, or only full pallets? Do you need separate holding and staging areas?
3. What are your load parameters? – How much do your pallets weigh – specifically, what’s the upper limit, and what’s the average? How large is your typical pallet load? Do you need to store any odd-shaped loads?
4. How much inventory volume and diversity do you have? – How many pallets do you need to store? How many are of identical products? Do you need constant access to all products?
The responses to these issues will conclude what type of pallet rack system you should utilize. The basic tradeoff is density vs. access: high-density systems can store a far greater number of pallets in a given space, but some (or most) pallets are not instantaneously reachable. Low-density systems can hold less because they dedicate more space to aisles, but they allow you to reach any pallet at any time.
Check out Rack Express’ selection of new pallet rack and used pallet rack.
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