Contact Us: (65) 6419 2850
Common Types of Racking Systems and How to Choose The Right One For Your Warehouse
Finding a smart storage solution is essential for any business with inventory storage.
Your floor space is limited and yet the warehouse needs to accommodate as many products as it can. Investing in storage rack systems to hold the goods will allow the business to be more organised and productive.
Here is a guide to understanding the common types of racking systems and how to select the right racking system for your warehouse.
Types of Racking Systems
1. Pallet Racking/Selective Racking System
Pallet racking system, also known as selective racking system, is the most popular racking system. It provides 100% selectivity, higher picking rate, and good stock rotation. This is the most economical and efficient system of storing and retrieving pallets. Basic and budget-friendly, it can store standard products and is highly accessible by forklifts from multiple points due to its wider aisles. It can also be converted into a double deep racking system by putting the racks directly behind one another for greater storage density.
Most suitable for:
- Warehouses with standard products
- Warehouses that require low-density storage options
- Warehouses can manage inventory using the first in first out (FIFO) operation
- Forklift can directly access individual pallets you need to take which makes the transportation fast and convenient.
2. Cantilever Racking System
Cantilever racking system is best for the storage and retrieval of long items and bulky products. It is designed to manage loads of varying length and proportion to be completely accessible from front without any horizontal restrictions. Consisting of only a base that supports tiers of protruding arms, cantilever racking provides a wide range of flexible storage, from light plastic rods to steel tubes. To maximise their storage, these cantilever racks can also be decked for storage of items smaller than the spacing between the towers.
Most suitable for:
- Warehouses with long and bulky products like pipes, steel rods, tubes, hollow sections, plywood, carpet, and fabric rolls.
- Require easy access to any pallets at anytime
- Need to pick pallets at lower levels
3. Drive-in Pallet Racking System
Drive-in Racking System is the most preferred solution for conventional block stacking where pallets simply cannot be stacked on top of each other. It is effective in reducing the number of working aisles and optimising the warehouse storage. Drive-in racking is made of lanes with rails on each side. The pallets rest on the side rails and are pushed to the rear of the rack, while subsequent pallets are placed in front of the previous pallets. Forklift operators can drive through the aisles to add additional pallets and continue stocking.
Most suitable for:
- Warehouses with cold storage, food and beverage distribution, manufacturing and other bulk storage
- Last-in/first-out (LIFO) storage
- Warehouses that require high-density racking options
Carton flow racking consists of shelves equipped with rollers or wheels, allowing the products to flow from the back to the front of the rack. It automatically rotates products by design, which optimises storage and maximises efficiency.
Most suitable for:
- First-in/first-out (FIFO) storage
- Warehouses with small-quantity case picking
- Organises inventory for increased space utilization
How To Choose The Right Racking System?
Selecting the right racking system doesn’t have to be difficult. Here’s how to choose a suitable storage rack system.
Maximisation of space: Choose a racking system that can accommodate a wider range of goods. A good racking system should maximise your warehouse floor space as well as your storage space. The amount of racking systems you need depends on the size, weight, and quantity of your cargo.
Inventory Management: Take note of the order of inventory retrieval. This affects the type of racking system you use. Some businesses may require the use of forklifts to lift bulky cargo and the amount of aisle width for the forklifts must be taken into consideration.
Budget: Find out the cost of each pallet and multiply it by the number of pallets you need. Ensure that this amount is not beyond your budget.
Quality Racking Systems from Eastern Win Enterprises
Eastern Win Enterprises is a company that specialises in supplying and installing high quality and competitively-priced rack systems that comply with the most stringent standards. We provide fast and efficient solutions to your storage space, such as understanding customer needs and advising on what is the best suitable storage. The main priorities of our racking system are safety, practicality, and costs. We aim to maximise the utilisation of your area and air space in order to provide the best storage solutions. Contact us today at 6419 2850 for professional and specialised rack system advice. No-obligation site visits and planning provided.