Different Types of Racking Installations and Their Uses

Is your business a rapidly growing eCommerce distribution center that requires pallet racking systems to satisfy the ever-increasing storage space requirements? Have you decided to create a warehouse storage system that is safer, more efficient, can accommodate the appropriate material handling equipment, and create more warehouse space through proper warehouse organization? Selecting the appropriate pallet racking storage system is essential for your business to achieve those and more! However, choosing a pallet rack is not as straightforward as it sounds.

Acquiring more pallet racks is meaningless unless these help in making your warehouse storage system more productive. That is how Storage Equipment Systems can help! We can provide different types of pallet rack installation, including single deep selective racks, double deep selective pallet racks, drive-in racks, drive-thru racks, push-back racks, gravity flow racks, and cantilever racks. We will be with you each step of the way to ensure that you can have the most efficient combination of pallet rack systems appropriate for your business.

When requesting our installation services, our company offers the following:

• Experienced rack installers.
• Our professional installation team has the experience to get the job done right.
• We have experience with all different types of pallet racking systems.
• Our installers are professional in appearance and manner.
• We will properly anchor and shim the system to ensure the system is level and secure.
• Tear down and removal of existing racking systems.

Single-deep racks are generally the most affordable, costing an average of just $65. The gravity-flow racks are the most expensive racks, running from $200-$400, on average.

Of course, customers have the option to add accessories to the racking systems. This will drive up the cost a bit, but some manufacturers/factories may benefit from adding bumper posts or column guards. These will help prevent any damage done by other objects. Posts and guards will cost between $50-$300 each.

Here is a simple breakdown of average costs, per pallet position:

• Single-deep pallet racks: $50–$80
• Double-deep pallet racks: $80–$200
• Gravity-flow pallet racks: $200–$400

Why do I need to take pallet rack selection seriously?

Today’s real challenges are increasing productivity, keeping the workplace safe, and creating more clean warehouse space. A substantial amount of money goes to material handling and the supply flow. More modern manufacturing approaches such as JIT (Just-In-Time), and Kanban, stresses minimal dwell time of products in a fixed location. However, as the volume of your production increases, so do your requirements for more efficient material handling equipment. Pallet racks solve many different types of problems associated with scale. Each of these pallet rack systems solves specific needs in your warehouse depending on the requirements. We share in this article the different types of rack installation, so you could have an idea which can fit your needs.

Single Deep Selective Racks

If you need access to every pallet in the warehouse, this is a suitable pallet rack installation. The single deep selective rack installation is the most common type of pallet rack. However, it is the least dense of any pallet rack. The aisle space between the racks allows for unimpeded access to every pallet. This type of pallet rack installation can work best for wide spaces because you can configure these to work with any lift truck.

Double-Deep Selective Racks

These are similar to the single-deep selective racks. However, the pallets, in this case, are stored one in front of the other to maximize the storage space. These work best when the palletized goods are in a cold storage system to minimize refrigeration costs or have a long shelf life. Since the requirements for lift fork trucks are more stringent (meaning you need longer or adjustable lift forks), adopting this type of rack requires either modifying your lift trucks or acquiring a specialized lift truck altogether.

Drive-in/Drive-thru Racks

This type of pallet rack installation works best if you require moving a considerable amount of palletized goods while required to empty your entire bay before restocking. These can be designed to accommodate the same products in a multiple-deep configuration, thereby maximizing the density.

Push-Back Pallet Racks

Push-back pallet racks are one of the densest of all pallet rack configurations and work best if you retrieve palletized goods on a last-in-first-out basis. These are similar to double-deep selective racks but can be configured to be up to 5 pallets deep. In this racking system, pallets are pushed back when newly-arrived pallets are introduced. The retrieval for goods is on the same side as where the goods were introduced.

Gravity Flow Pallet Racking Systems

These are similar to push-back pallet racks, however, the retrieval of the goods is on the front, while goods are introduced from the rear. This type of racking system works best for first-in-first-out material flow. The gravity flow pallet racking systems are highly dense, like push-back pallet rack systems.

Cantilever Rack

These rack installations are for longer products such as pipes, furniture, and oversized loads. These resemble rows of forks with no vertical supports on their end, allowing uninterrupted storage and retrieval of material with long lengths.

Final Thoughts: What is the best pallet rack installation for my business?

The proper installation of an appropriate pallet rack system could be a matter of profit or loss for your company. Just imagine how much money you would lose if you haphazardly select storage solutions without giving meaningful thought to how each can help your business and how each of these storage racks can fit in your warehouse. At Storage Equipment Systems of Phoenix, AZ, we can give you expert advice on the proper selection and installation of the appropriate pallet rack systems that your business requires. We have decades of experience in helping companies like yours reach higher levels of profitability through formulating storage solutions for them.

To learn more on how we can help you, contact us, or give us a call, so we can begin by determining your inventory characteristics.

Storage Equipment Systems, Inc.

Storage Equipment Systems was established in April of 1982. We are a distributor of warehouse equipment such as pallet racks, shelving, conveyors, dock levelers, and all types of material handling equipment. We have an extensive inventory in our Phoenix warehouse, from carts to conveyors, shelving, and certainly pallet racks. What differentiates us from our competition is our care and concern for the customer. It’s not just providing the equipment, but providing the right equipment. Contact Storage Equipment Systems for all your needs today!