What to think about when selecting your Pallet Racking System
Because warehouse pallet racking is a necessary investment for companies with a large stock inventory, competition among warehouse solutions providers to sell pallet racking systems that maximise both space and logistics efficiency is intense.
Price is a key driver of course, and always will be, yet there are occasions when the lowest price pallet racking may not necessarily be the wisest choice.
It’s crucial to select the most efficient and suitable racking system that suits your business’s specific needs.
Sometimes, if that means paying a little more to an expert warehouse solutions provider that will give you proper advice that means you get a pallet racking system that is specifically optimized for your warehouse, it will count for a lot.
It’s also true that Pallet Racking Systems come in a vast range of individual styles, functions and sizes, so it’s easy to miss the mark when selecting a solution to best match your business needs.
So what are considerations to take into account and navigate through when selecting from the vast range of Pallet Racking Systems that are available to you.
In this article we provide a few pointers to help you sort the best from the rest when it comes to selecting a new pallet racking system for your warehouse that matches your specific requirements.
Safety
As ever, safety has to be top of the list with pallet racking. That’s why annual pallet racking inspections are a mandatory requirement right across the industry.
Knowing that your racking is manufactured to a high standard and then expertly installed, assembled and set up in accordance with guidelines for loading and positioning will offer you the peace of mind that your warehouse staff are protected.
Longevity
Before deciding on the best pallet racking system option for your business, consider the longevity of your solution. In other words, how long after installation will it remain in place.
Ask yourself and your business managers what plans exist for expansion and sales growth, and how warehouse capacity will need to change to accommodate these. Consideration of these requirements at this stage will help to ensure that your investment in pallet racking grows with your business and is scalable.
Type and quantity of products
The next question your pallet racking system provider will want to ask is what type of products you are intending to store on your pallet racking.
Will all the products be of uniform shape and size and be stored in the same size cartons? If so, a Double Deep racking storage system may be the most suitable because it means that pallets can be stored in pairs to minimise wasted space.
However, if the dimensions differ then there are other racking configurations that can be incorporated into the overall warehouse racking solution to provide additional storage flexibility.
Pallet size, weight, height and quantity
Given the nature, quantity and uniformity of product to be accommodated, it goes without saying that when specifying and selecting pallet racking you need to know about the intended size, weight and height of the pallets that will be used.
Once you know this, you’ll also need to arrive at a number for how many pallets need to be stored – this gives you your racking spaces requirement.
With this basic information your pallet racking supplier will be able to work out what is achievable within the space you have available. They will produce a warehouse and racking system specification and design that is optimized to accommodate the maximum number of racking spaces.
What type of forklifts are you using?
It’s likely that if you’re specifying the pallet racking system of a brand new warehouse, your choice of forklift will follow and fit with your choice of racking.
But if for whatever reason you’re adding new racking to an existing warehouse that already has racking in place, you may want to ensure that (for example) if you run narrow forklifts you may benefit from a Narrow Aisle Racking solution.
Narrow aisle racking is designed to maximize the use of available floor space, and allows forklift trucks to operate in aisles that are half the width of conventional racking layouts. This system is useful to support swift and precise stock movement requirements.
Lighting: new or existing?
We’re not suggesting that you design your entire racking system around your lighting, but it is a consideration. Electrical lighting can be a very expensive element of a warehouse fit out, and even more so if an installation once complete has to be changed because of racking positioning.
If you’re installing new racking in an existing warehouse with an existing lighting layout that you do not wish to change, it is critical that your racking system designer factors this into the solution so it can be incorporated or fit around the lighting.
In new warehouse situations, we recommend that the lighting solution is designed at the same time as the racking system layout, so the two things can be linked up to work together from the outset.
Warehouse size and layout
Consideration of where your operational space will be and how you will deal with deliveries and marshalling is key to a successful and efficient warehouse layout.
In logistics more than many other businesses, time is money, so ensuring that your warehouse layout and plan can deliver quick and effective turnaround of stock will help with overall operations.
Product access requirements
The type of product and the nature of your business will determine the frequency and speed of your stock movement.
So if your products move in and out of your warehouse in quick succession or you need access to them at all times, this will affect the type of pallet racking system specified in your warehouse solution.
For example, Pallet Live Racking is likely to be the most suitable solution of stock is to be loaded and unloaded on a ‘First in, First Out’ basis. This means the next pallet moves into position when the previous pallet has been unloaded.
The number of picking locations will be another factor in racking or shelving selection – and as with all these factors the appropriate number of locations can be built into the warehouse layout plan.
How Acorn Warehouse Solutions works
At Acorn Warehouse Solutions we’re experts in every aspect of warehouse planning, pallet racking specification and complete warehouse fit outs. Our experience over the decades means we are best placed to ask you the right questions about your requirements.
If you’re not sure about what exactly you need, a member of our team will always be pleased to guide you through the options available.
To find out more detail about our pallet racking solutions, please read our handy guide ‘Pallet Racking: A Buyer’s Guide’.
If you would like our warehouse design specialists to offer their expert advice or to arrange a site visit, please contact the team on 01799 532024.