How to Choose the Best Industrial Racking System for Your Warehouse

Looking for the best racking systems for your warehouse? Click here to learn how to choose the best industrial racking to fit your needs! 

Good warehouse management and logistics reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies. All manufacturers, distributors, and e-commerce fulfillment centers know this to be true. 

Recent decades have seen a radical shift from a supply-driven economy to one that is demand-driven. The consumer is now the effective controller of the flow of goods. This makes smart inventory storage and controls more important than ever. 

Today’s challenge is to ensure that the industrial racking in your warehouse is appropriate to your supply chain systems. 

Racking is one of many aspects involved in warehouse design. Choosing the right industrial racking solution for your needs is a process. Let’s examine what this involves. 

Three Dimensions 

Everything has three dimensions, including the warehouse. You would think that was a no-brainer. Countless poorly planned warehouses are evidence that it is valid basic advice. 

Warehouse design needs precise measurements of everything. Before deciding on the types of industrial racking you need, you have to determine the size of: 

• the warehouse 
• pallets used 
• receiving and despatch loading bays, their location, and number 
• forklifts 
• aisles (width and length) 
• the sizes (length, width, height, and depth) of non-palletized shelving (as opposed to racking for pallets). 

In other words, careful planning of warehouse layout is an essential first step. 

Two Types of Allocation 

Pallet warehouses generally use dynamic allocation. A location is assigned to each pallet as it arrives. The location does not require the pallet to be next to other pallets of similar products. The WMS (warehouse management system) keeps track of the location of each pallet so that it can be withdrawn in FIFO (first in first out) sequence. 

Static allocation involves assigning each different item type an SKU (stock-keeping unit/inventory code). Items with the same SKU are always stored together, in the same location. To use the static allocation method, you need to decide where each item in the warehouse should be located. 

Deciding on the type of allocation is based not only on the type of product stored but on the purpose of the warehouse. Is the warehouse for consignment stock only? Does the warehouse belong to the manufacturer? Is it an order fulfillment center? Does your product require specialty racking, or does it need to conform to specific additional safety standards? 

Other factors determining the suitability of a racking system include: 

• required turn-around times from the time an order is placed 
• the level of automation involved in filling orders. (Is there a conveyor-belt, roller-bed, DFID, or barcode system? Does the warehouse process break bulk?) 

Weighty Issues Affecting Industrial Racking 

Before choosing industrial racking and shelving you need to consider the weights of the items to be stored. The racks and shelves have to be strong enough to bear the weight of the load. Required load-bearing strength determines the material used to construct your industrial racks. 

Many business owners engage technical consultants to ensure they implement pallet racking systems best suited to their needs. It never pays to cut corners. And it certainly doesn’t pay to under-budget in this area – especially if seamless logistics is the backbone of your business and competitive edge. 

Brainstorming With the Experts 

Delivering defect- and damage-free, and on time and in full (OTIF) while maintaining constantly updated inventory information is a complex process. You need logistics experts and people who can tell you about the latest technologies applicable to effective warehouse management. And you need industrial racking experts. 

As the expert of your own business, you should brainstorm with technical professionals who know their stacks from their racks. It will lead to improved efficiency, cost reductions, and greater profit. 

While you’re waiting for the brainstorming session to begin, why not check out our other articles on warehousing?