In the fast-paced world of modern commerce, efficient storage solutions are the backbone of smooth warehouse operations. The ability to optimize space and effectively organize inventory is crucial for achieving success.
Explore the versatile world of industrial racking, characterized by its diversity, practicality, and impact on warehouse efficiency. Discover the most common types of warehouse industrial racking systems and their role in modern warehousing.
Classification of Industrial Racking Systems
Industrial racking systems are not one-size-fits-all; they are as diverse as the goods they store. To make the best choice for your warehouse, it’s essential to understand the different types of racking systems available.
Selective Racking Systems
Selective racking systems are the workhorses of warehouse storage. Their defining characteristic is accessibility, making them the preferred choice for businesses with multiple product lines and fast-moving inventory.
- Direct access: Selective racking allows direct access to every pallet position, making it ideal for warehouses where efficient order picking and inventory management are crucial.
- Versatility: These systems are adaptable and can accommodate various load sizes, making them suitable for multiple industries.
- Customizable: Selective racking can be tailored to fit different pallet dimensions, ensuring flexibility and optimization.
It is the go-to choice for businesses with dynamic inventory, such as retail, e-commerce, and automotive industries. Its ability to provide direct access to each pallet position ensures swift order fulfillment and seamless inventory rotation.
The selective pallet rack systems available at Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc., are designed to give you direct access to each pallet and SKU within your warehouse. The adaptability and versatility of our systems extend to customized engineering, ensuring they can effortlessly meet various volume, weight, and/or size requirements.
Double Deep Racking Systems
Double deep racking is an optimal choice when storage density is a priority. These systems allow pallets to be stored two deep, doubling the storage capacity compared to selective racking.
- High-density storage: Double deep racking maximizes storage capacity using depth rather than width.
- Sacrificed accessibility: Accessibility is compromised in favor of increased storage density. Retrieving rear pallets typically requires specialized equipment.
- Efficient space utilization: These systems efficiently use warehouse space, making them suitable for businesses with limited square footage.
Double deep racking is most beneficial for businesses with substantial quantities of the same product. It’s commonly employed in industries like beverage distribution, where a large volume of identical products must be stored efficiently.
Drive-in & Drive-through Racking Systems
Drive-in and drive-through racking systems are designed for high-density storage needs. They minimize aisle space by allowing forklifts to drive directly into the rack’s structure.
- High-density storage: These systems maximize vertical space utilization by minimizing the need for aisles.
- Variants: Drive-in systems have one entry and exit point, while drive-through systems have access points on both sides, providing more flexibility.
- Bulk storage: They are ideal for businesses with low inventory turnover and a large quantity of the same SKU.
Drive-in and drive-through racking systems are commonly used in industries where space is at a premium and inventory turnover is relatively low, such as cold storage facilities.
Given their direct interaction with forklifts, frame uprights are often susceptible to damage from potential collisions. To safeguard your racking system and maintain its integrity, consider using Warehouse Rack Upright Guards.
Pallet Flow Racking Systems
Pallet flow racking systems, often called gravity flow racks, optimize space and inventory management. They use a gravity-driven mechanism, enabling automatic stock rotation on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.
- Automatic stock rotation: Pallet flow racks ensure FIFO inventory management, making them ideal for products with expiration dates.
- Gravity-driven: Pallets slide down inclined rollers or wheels, reducing the need for manual labor.
- Strict inventory control: These systems are suitable for industries with strict inventory control requirements, such as food and beverage distribution.
Pallet flow racking systems are highly effective in industries where rotation is essential, ensuring that older stock is sold first. They are commonly used in sectors like food distribution and pharmaceuticals.
Our Chain Driven Live Roller Conveyors are suitable for pallet flow racking systems of different capacities. These conveyors ensure seamless integration, support FIFO inventory management, and easily handle heavy-duty applications, making them an ideal complement to optimize your warehouse operations.
Push Back Racking Systems
Push back racking systems offer a balance between storage density and accessibility. They allow multiple pallets to be stored in a single lane while providing the convenience of the Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) inventory method.
- Efficient use of space: These systems use vertical space efficiently while maintaining accessibility to all pallets.
- LIFO inventory management: Pallets are loaded from the front, and as new pallets are added, they push the existing ones back.
- Adaptability: Push back racking systems are suitable for industries with medium inventory turnover and diverse inventory.
Push back racking systems are commonly employed in industries with varying inventory profiles, such as third-party logistics providers. They offer a compromise between accessibility and storage density.
Cantilever Racking Systems
Cantilever racking systems are designed for the storage of long and bulky items, such as pipes, lumber, or furniture. They feature horizontal arms that extend from vertical columns, providing unobstructed access to the stored items.
- Versatility: Cantilever racking systems can be configured to accommodate items of varying lengths and weights.
- Space optimization: They can maximize space by eliminating the need for vertical supports.
- Easy loading and unloading: These systems also offer easy loading and unloading. Their open design simplifies handling long and heavy items, enhancing overall warehouse productivity.
Cantilever racking systems are commonly used in industries that deal with long and bulky items, such as retail warehouses, construction companies, and manufacturing facilities.
Our Series 2000 heavy-duty cantilever racking arm units are engineered for medium to heavy-duty usage. These arms offer flexibility with adjustable settings in 3-inch increments along the entire rack of uprights and support loads of up to 2,000 lbs.
Key Factors to Consider While Choosing an Industrial Racking System
Selecting the right industrial racking system involves carefully assessing your warehouse’s needs. Here are some key factors to consider:
Load Capacity
Load capacity is a fundamental factor that should be at the forefront of your decision-making process. It relates to the weight-bearing capacity of the racking system. Understanding the weight of your inventory is crucial to ensure that your chosen racking system can safely and reliably support your products.
- Weight distribution: Ensure that the racking system evenly distributes the weight of your inventory. Proper weight distribution prevents the overloading of specific sections, reducing the risk of accidents and structural damage.
- Dynamic vs. static loads: Determine whether your inventory includes dynamic loads (items in motion, such as those being picked or loaded) or static loads (items at rest).
Different racking systems may be better suited for each load type, such as selective pallet racking for dynamic inventory and double deep racking for static inventory. - Pallet dimensions: Consider the size and dimensions of your pallets. Oversized or irregularly shaped pallets may require specialized racking systems like cantilevers to ensure safe and stable storage.
Space Utilization in the Warehouse
Efficient space utilization is a critical consideration, especially in warehouses where floor space is at a premium. The right industrial racking system should maximize your available square footage while providing sufficient storage capacity.
- Rack height: Evaluate the vertical storage potential of the racking system. Taller racks can use more vertical space but must be compatible with your warehouse’s ceiling height and equipment, such as forklifts.
- Aisle width: Consider the width of the aisles between racking systems. Narrower aisles maximize storage space but require specialized equipment for navigation, while wider aisles offer more accessibility.
- Storage density: Different racking systems offer varying levels of storage density. Choose a system that aligns with your inventory profile and the available space in your warehouse.
Accessibility of goods
The accessibility of goods within your warehouse is critical to operational efficiency. Depending on your inventory management strategy and the frequency of item retrieval, you may require different levels of accessibility.
- Inventory rotation: Determine if you need to follow specific inventory rotation methods, such as First-In, First-Out (FIFO), or Last-In, First-Out (LIFO). Some racking systems are better suited for one method over the other. Pallet flow racking is a good option for FIFO, ensuring the oldest stock is used first. Push back is an excellent choice when stock rotation isn’t a critical factor.
- Order picking: Consider the ease and efficiency of order picking. Racking systems that provide direct access to each pallet position are ideal for fast order fulfillment, while others may require more time-consuming retrieval processes.
- Storage of high-priority items: If you have high-priority items requiring quick access, ensure that the racking system allows for convenient placement and retrieval.
Cost-effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness includes the initial investment in the racking system and its long-term operational costs. While it’s tempting to focus solely on the upfront price, it’s essential to consider the overall cost of ownership.
- Initial investment: Compare the costs of different racking systems and factor in installation expenses. Some systems may require more labor and time for setup.
- Maintenance and repairs: Assess the maintenance requirements and potential repair costs associated with the chosen racking system. Low-maintenance systems can lead to long-term savings.
- Efficiency gains: Consider how the racking system’s efficiency impacts labor costs, order fulfillment times, and overall warehouse productivity. A more efficient system can lead to more cost savings over time.
The Impact of Proper Racking System on Warehouse Efficiency
Choosing an industrial racking system is not merely about organizing goods; it also impacts warehouse efficiency.
Increases Storage Space with Proper Racking
Effective racking systems offer a means to optimize storage space within warehouses. According to a study conducted in 2021, the demand for warehouse space had surged by 22% year-over-year, surpassing the requirements of 2019 and 2020.
Companies are adopting warehouse efficiency strategies to keep up with the escalating demand for swift product deliveries, including implementing optimized pallet racking.
Pallet racking solutions can facilitate vertical construction, conserving valuable warehouse space while simplifying inventory management and workflow coordination.
Enhance Safety with Proper Racking
Safety within warehouses is critical, especially as the demand for convenient and rapid order fulfillment continues to grow, increasing injury rates among warehouse workers.
To mitigate the risks of accidents and injuries, businesses are adopting safety measures by providing racks, stands, shelves, and cages that facilitate storage and reduce potential hazards.
Safety precautions include marking height-indicating lines on walls to indicate maximum stacking limits, ensuring compliance with floor load restrictions, and maintaining clearance around sprinkler heads to prevent obstruction.
Safety panels or netting can also be installed to extend vertical storage capacity without compromising worker safety or damaging palletized merchandise.
Improving Inventory Management with Proper Racking
Designing a pallet rack system involves considering factors such as the total number of SKUs, pallet quantities, material weights, inventory retrieval methods, turnover rates, and whether full or split-case picking methods will be utilized.
When selecting the most suitable storage system for your business, it’s essential to account for the number of palletized SKUs to maximize operational efficiency and streamline warehouse processes.
Find the Right Industrial Racking for Your Warehouse
The choice of an industrial racking system is a decision that should align with your specific warehousing needs. Understanding the types of warehouse industrial racking available and their characteristics is the first step toward making an informed choice.
At Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc., we specialize in providing tailored industrial racking solutions to meet the unique needs of your warehouse. Contact us today at (800) 589-7225 to discuss your storage requirements, explore the various types of warehouse industrial racking, and find the perfect solution for your warehouse.
