6 Benefits of Pallet Flow Racking

What are the benefits of pallet flow racking?

1. Improve productivity
2. Optimize storage space
3. Non-time-consuming
4. Good for high-density warehouses
5. Reduce damaged goods
6. High customization

Warehouse systems are all about efficiency. Due to the high volume of activity that occurs in a given warehouse, there should be a need to streamline most, if not all, of the processes to improve the flow. As such, one way by which storage capabilities are improved in warehouses is through the use of the benefits of pallet flow racking.

What is pallet flow racking?

Simply put, pallet flow racking is a method of storing stock-keeping unit (SKU) products through a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. A pallet flow rack typically consists of vertical steel lines that are supported by roller lanes which are put at a slight incline on one end, away from the load. When pallets are unloaded from the pick-end of the flow rack, the pallets previously in the rear end are carefully conveyed to the front, at the pick-end section. Continue reading if you want to know if pallet flow racking is the right choice for your warehouse.

Improve productivity

The most evident advantage of using this type of storage system is that it improves the productivity of employees working at a warehouse. Those responsible for managing storage systems would save less time on having to remove and subsequently load products onto the rack.

Warehouses would significantly increase their level of productivity because the time it takes to perform this task has been lessened. The employees can focus on the more crucial aspects of warehouse management — whether it be inventory inspection, handling of fragile goods, or signing off on parcels that need to be delivered upon deployment.

Optimize storage space

Not all warehouses are built the same — some need to allocate a large area to accommodate equipment such as forklifts, packing tables, utility carts, and the like. With this in mind, storage space needs to be optimized to achieve better warehouse operations.

Using pallet flow racks can greatly assist in maximizing the space of any given warehouse. There would be a reduction in the number of aisles that are needed for storing loads with varying dimensions. Unlike in typical racking systems, warehouse employees would be more equipped to keep track of multiple storage loads all at once, with minimal effort.

Non-time-consuming

In line with improving the overall productivity of warehousing functions, pallet flow racks also present less time-consuming options for employees.

One main driver behind this because there is less need to simply navigating the warehouse for storage and unloading. Apart from this, employees also wouldn’t have to devote much time on simply operating multiple forklifts at once, thereby greatly reducing the time spent on maneuvering and turning on the engines.

The extra time that was initially devoted to managing stocks can be redistributed to other processes to improve the overall flow of the warehouse.

Good for high-density warehouses

Pallet flow racking is best for utilization in high-density warehouses that receive a bulk of parcels daily. Multiple cartons containing heavy loads will be easier managed through the FIFO mechanism, as mentioned before.

In parts of the warehouse where heavy foot traffic is present, there needs to be an efficient method in the transport and transfer of cumbersome loads from one point to another. Pallet flow racking can greatly help in this situation because there’s only a single channel by which items are stored and subsequently unloaded from the racks. The result is a more organized system throughout the site.

Reduce damaged goods

Damaging in parcels can occur at almost every level of the supply chain and this is especially true for activities that take place in the warehouse. Through better stock organization, warehouses can limit instances wherein products are damaged, or even potentially eliminate other types of unfavorable situations.

In the traditional pallet racking process, employees would still have to manually rearrange the units under a given set of conditions. It’s possible that stocks will bump against one another and tumble onto the ground during the process.

The single entry and exit point provided by the flow racking system helps in achieving fewer instances of this scenario. Packages can be safely transported to their final points of distribution in fairly pristine condition, to the satisfaction of the customers and end-users.

High customization

Warehouse managers would also be able to customize the different components of a flow racking system to their benefit. In this way, the essence of what makes pallet flow racking a desirable option for large-scale warehouses is still retained — yet can they incorporate additional elements to tailor fit the system to their needs.

Flow racking systems are characterized as having a high-scalability. The storage capacity can be greatly increased to accommodate loads of different sizing. Aside from this, it’s also possible to make modifications to the height on the rack to allow the storage of different types of items. In much the same way, warehouses can also save up on the use of materials by subsequently reducing the scale of the system — it’s all dependent on their current requirements.

Key Takeaway

Now that you know the benefits of pallet flow racking, it is the best decision that high-density warehouses can make. It saves up on warehouse space through maximizing warehouse utility, increases productivity levels, and reduces instances of damaging on parcels.

Warehouses, of course, have the benefit of using either traditional methods of stock-keeping or combine them with the method of pallet flow racking. The most important thing to consider for managers is that efficiency and optimization should be at the fore of warehouse-related decisions.