Typically, your inventory moves from the loading dock to its racking location on pallets, and then returns to the loading dock to be shipped out. Either you will need a pallet racking system when you are storing on pallets, or you will need to use a racking system if you are not storing your inventory on pallets.
Unless this is not possible, it is highly recommended to store your inventory on pallets. Although it should be mentioned that most warehouses operate with a mix of shelving and racking. If you are not using pallets, then your warehouse storage program will be very simple, but very limited: you should have a boltless shelving system custom designed and installed for your exact facility and inventory specifications.
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Storing Inventory on Pallets
It’ a little tricky to store materials on pallets and racks, but much more rewarding. Pallets allow you to pack your inventory more densely and securely than losing it on the shelf. In addition, forklifts and stacker cranes can easily handle and move pallets, thus moving your inventory where it needs to go more efficiently than manually moving it alone. Your company will succeed if you can move your merchandise on a large scale, and that means on pallets.
Ultimately, pallet racking allows you to better control the performance of your warehouse. The term “pallet location” is a quantifiable indicator of how much inventory your warehouse can hold. After installing a racking system, you will be given a pallet location number that you can use to determine the flow of inventory in your warehouse.
Example.
When you know that your system can hold up to 350 pallet positions and you know that you are shipping 175 pallets per day, then you know that you are experiencing a 50% daily stock turnover rate. This way, your stock purchases and facility performance can be tracked with real, hard data.
The long and short of it: always store on pallets unless it’s not possible.
The global warehousing market is expected to grow 5.25% year-over-year from 2018 to 2022, according to Technavio.” That’s why optimizing your warehouse is more important than ever.
How many different types of inventory do you have to store?
Instead of having to deal with multiple inventory types, if your company only deals with one type of inventory or SKU, you will be filling your warehouse with a completely different type of shelving system.
Minimal inventory variety means you can pack the same pallets one after the other into push-back, drive-in, or pulley systems that provide excellent storage density because they don’t require aisles.
On the contrary, if your company handles a wide variety of materials, you will need to be able to access them and therefore need to store your pallets in a traditional racking system with aisles. However, even traditional aisle-based racking systems can be optimized to increase storage density and pallet placement. More on that later.
Would like to optimize your warehouse? Contact us today!
Further Reading:
Improve your warehouse’s storage efficiency with our warehouse shelving
Mezzanine – Cost-effective solution for extended space
The significance of industrial shelving
3 common types of boltless shelves
Boltless Shelving-a godsend blessing for businesses
Post time: Mar-03-2022