Very few outside of those who work directly in the industry the level of sophistication and science involved in setting up and operating modern warehouses. Teams of designers, engineers, managers and software developers work together to make operations in warehouses the most efficient and effective as possible. Goods and materials must be moved in, stored, moved around and moved out in a way that does not add any extra time and cost to a company and new systems like cantilever racking that take into account the company’s needs, must be constantly developed in order to ensure that the company is doing its best to remains at its highest efficiency.
In the end, it comes down however to the effectiveness of lower teach but extremely important tools within the warehouse that make things work at their highest levels. They are Pallet racking and pallet trucks and both play the most important roles in handling of the goods and materials in the warehouse.
Pallet Racking
Pallet racking or pallet racks is the system of racks where pallets filled with the goods or materials are stored in the warehouse. Both the design and construction of these systems is critical for the efficiency of the warehouse and if done poorly, can cause the loss of valuable time when attempting to access goods or materials stored in the warehouse.
Pallet racking design is best done by professional companies who can advise a warehouse owner on how to maximize pallet storage. These experts take into account the specific issues associated with a company’s operations, inventory rotation and available space, as well as with the handling practices in their industry. In the end they might suggest single or double deep pallet racks, or drive-in or drive-through pallet racks and then build and install the rights one for your company. They will also guide you to static or dynamic raking depending on which is best suited for your warehouse. The goal is to create the most efficient and safe scenarios for quickly getting goods in and out of your particular warehouse space. These companies will also provide detailed training to warehouse employees on their systems and constantly remain in touch with client to get feedback and work through new ways to increase efficiency as conditions change. Utilizing these experts can make a major difference in profitability for a company.
Pallet Trucks
In a warehouse the most popular tool is the pallet truck also called pallet jack. These workhorses are called into action when the need arises to lift and move loaded pallets on warehouse floors. Large warehouses will have both manual and electric pallet trucks that are strong and dependable. While smaller warehouses will typically only have manual ones.
Pallet trucks are built specifically to lift and move the wooden pallets that hold the goods and materials I the warehouse. They look like a simpler forklift and can hoist both light and heavy pallets. Manual pallet trucks are hand-powered and depend on the user to both lift and steer the pallet loads. Electric pallet trucks are used when the lifting might cause strain to an employee. Here, the driver is seated and can drive and steer the vehicle while it lifts loads exceeding 1400 kilograms. For larger warehouses, where pallets must be moved long distances, these machines are indispensable.
These two lower tech tools are primary tools for maintaining warehouse efficiency in the top warehouses today. And well designed and built pallet racking plays the primary role.