Saturday, March 15, 2014

The Right Warehouse Racking System Design Aids In Material Movement And Safety

By Gwen Lowe


Storage facilities or busy manufacturing or fabricating plants need the best in warehouse racking system design. This is to ensure the proper storage, movement and presentation of all parts, equipment and finished goods in a controlled way. Most of these systems will utilize steel structures and others have taken advantage of fiberglass and extruded plastic materials.

Deciding what is the best system will take input from many persons in management and from front line employees who will use the system. One of the most popular forms of racking is, of course, the bays, set up individually based on the dimensions of a standard pallet. This is the way most people expect the system to be and are very comfortable with it.

When thinking about the various ways that shelving can be accomplished, know that fasteners are a very good idea for those standing next to wall. The free standing racking need additional assistance to be a safe receiver of materials without falling or moving. Deciding about access, either from the front or back or both will also be on the table for discussion.

The first thing that must be done, when thinking about a new or redesigned racking system is to get an idea of what needs to happen in any average shift. This information will be listed, by the design engineer, and used for planning the perfect system. The material of construction will be identified based on the weight that will be placed on them, the conditions of the floor, walls, atmosphere and height in which they will be constructed.

Standard traffic patterns that you have always had may need to be altered in minor ways. The addition of racking systems that will handle all of your needs may not be able to be as close to other equipment as you would like. Different material handling equipment may be needed to allow for the up close removal and placement you have been accustomed to in the past.

Having side access to bays is something that can be done on the extreme ends. In some cases, special systems can be arraigned to allow small materials to be slid, on tracks embedded in the floors, to reach all parts. Some of these will also move levels up and down to allow for the removal and replacement of items regardless of location.

A properly designed racking system will take into consideration all items needing to be stored, even for a short time, on and in them. Some of these units will have self facing rollers to bring material to the front area and they load from the back. Others will have tracks for specific types of pallets. Many of them will allow the storage of individual drums on sliders that assist in removing them with special attachments on fork lifts.

Safety is one of your first jobs and everyone must buy into that. The companies who offer these types of racking systems have the bases covered as they consult, design and install the best units for you and your employees. Moving material from one place to another is how you accomplish the world class work you do, so helping you do that is their top goal.




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