Thursday, September 26, 2013

Warehouse Racking System Design Is A Science By Itself

By Paulette Short


The shelving that is seen in many of the manufacturing plants you have been in are thought up and put into effect by people who know what they are doing. The warehouse racking system design, involved in this work, is critical to the performance of all of your personnel. The units, themselves, must make that possible.

These shelving units can be made from many different materials. The most popular, because of their strength, is metal. There are also units made form various plastic compounds that are popular for food processing areas. These plastic shelves will be able to be cleaned, completely and sanitized easily.

Planning the correct racking system will begin by identifying what is going to be stored there. The standard pallet sized items will find a good fit in standard sized units. The larger than normal will need to be analyzed to establish what sized compartments will need to be made. This does not mean that the installation will only accommodate one size units as these flexible units can be planned in many different configurations.

Weights of the stored items will need to be looked at seriously. The height of many shelving units will make for a big problem if it can not hold the weight of the stored material. The make up of those things will also be a consideration. If they are liquid, gelled or powdered, there will be safety concerns that will not be present in a solid load. Leaks must be prepared for and recovery will also be on the list of issues.

Being able to get to all sides of the stored goods will also need some thinking. Having an open compartment, within the racking, means being able to get to all sides of each nook. This is not as practical as it might seem as that would mean free standing shelving taking up a lot of space. Being able to get through the front and the back of each bay is sufficient in most cases.

Looking into all of the equipment needed for moving material around should be looked into. The pallet jacks will only move pallets if they are already on the floor. Forklifts have reaches that may be insufficient for the racks you are thinking about. The system designers will have recommendations about which equipment is appropriate for all applications.

While installing a new or changing the racking system you have, it might be the best time to transform the work flow. The inefficient flow that has been the normal way of doing things can be up dated. The most direct line of work flow, combined with the best of on time delivery of ingredients, will have an impact on productivity and ergonomic stability.

Warehouse racking system design is a very specific science and its practitioners have the experience to make it work for your plant. They will have the recommendations to ensure you have the right set of shelves and the system that makes them all work. Knowing about the automatic nature of attachments and processes that make your plant more productive is what they do and they do it quite well.




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