The Main Considerations In Warehouse Racking System Design

By Marissa Velazquez


Essentially, warehousing is the storage of goods such as intermediate products, raw materials, finished products either on a short term or long term. It provides a link between the suppliers or producers and the final consumers. Commonly, goods may be taken to a warehouse as they await availability of a market. It is also used to keep stock so that it can be supplied to stores at a steady rate. If you are planning to choose a warehouse racking system design, there are a number of things that you need to consider.

The choice of design will of course be determined by the types of goods that you are dealing with. If you are dealing with very huge machinery then you need to create very huge racks as well. At the same time, blocks of empty space should be left for crane installation and movement of the machines through the warehouse. When the size of the goods that are to be stored is small, on the other hand, smaller racks can be used and there is rarely any need to set aside large spaces for movement.

You have to know the environmental requirements of your goods. Goods that have a high probability going bad within a short period of time require more space. They have to be stored separated from each other and with good air conditioning. This is the case for goods such as foodstuffs. The case is different when dealing with non-perishable goods. These types of goods can be stored closely packed to each other.

Pallet racking is one of the most commonly used designs. In this system, goods are stored on pellets. There are very many variations of this storage system. The common feature to all of them is that the racks are all horizontally oriented with multiple levels of racks. Storage and retrieval of goods is facilitated by forklift trucks. The biggest advantage associated with pellet systems is that there is an increase in storage space.

The selective pallet racking system is a subtype of the pellet system. There are different arrangements that exist. One of them comprises horizontal beams that are held in place by clips making it very easy to move the beams in different planes. It is possible to accommodate materials of different sizes by moving the beams vertically up and down.

The structural system is the second subtype. Horizontal beams in this case are supported using bolts. As a result, the beams are much stronger and support greater weight. The design of the racks allows them to be dismantled and rebuilt with great ease. They can be incorporated into the building structure with the uprights supporting both the shelves and the roof.

The selective pellet type is generally preferred because of the ease of accessibility that is created. It makes it possible to receive and retrieve goods with great ease particularly in stores that have a quick turnover. Warehouses that commonly use this type include retail inventory rooms, wholesale warehouses and cold storage stores.

There are a number of safety considerations to consider when thinking of warehouse racking system design. For instance, you should ensure that any loose parts of the system are identified and repaired in time to avoid unnecessary accidents. There should be a fire escape in a clearly visible location and at no pint should there be pellets placed in the aisles.




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