The biggest issue your warehouse is going to face is how to maximize your storage space. It’s a problem that constantly plagues warehouses around the country and it’s something that our warehouse design team has a lot of experience with. Some warehouses go to extreme measures to create more space in their facility, which can sometimes lead to an unsafe work environment and could even slow down their productivity, negating any benefits they may have had from the increase in storage capacity.
We’ve worked with warehouses in every industry to help them increase their storage capacity without having to move their facility or undergo expensive and time-consuming construction. How you maximize your storage capacity is going to depend on the kind of space you have, what you are storing, and how often you need to get to it. But if you are simply looking for the most storage in the least amount of space, then drive-in pallet shelves are the answer. Learn more about this warehouse storage method and whether or not it could be the one that you need in your facility!
All About Drive-In Pallet Shelves
The Advantages
The main advantage of drive-in pallet racking is the high-density storage opportunities. The shelving is made to be close together, so you don’t have to worry about sacrificing too much of your floor space to aisles. If you have a lot of the same product to store, it’s especially good. That’s because you can not only go double deep with your rows, you can go virtually as deep as you like. We’ve seen warehouses that go ten rows or deeper. Plus, drive-through pallet racking can be customized for the needs of your warehouse and your equipment. That means if you need racking that’s a little wider, narrower, shorter, or taller than normal, that’s no problem. This system also makes it very easy to load and unload items quickly, meaning you’ll spend less time moving products in and out of your warehouse. That’s a big boost to productivity.
- Drive-in pallet shelving is made to be close together.
- It’s extremely cost-effective for the amount of storage you get.
- They can be double deep, or even stacked ten or more deep!
- Limits the number of aisles you need to get more storage space.
- Can be customized to meet the needs of your warehouse.
- Easy to move product in and out of the warehouse.
The Disadvantages
While there are a lot of great things about drive-through pallet racking, it’s not a perfect system. It’s really ideally suited to certain warehouses, but for others, it could end up slowing down productivity more than helping with their storage issues. First of all, you need to be operating forklifts within your warehouse to make them work. If you aren’t already, this could mean a sizable investment to your company. Secondly, this system is ideally suited for a warehouse that’s storage a large number of palletized items. If you are dealing with a lot of cartons or small items, then it’s not going to be a good system for you. And finally, this pallet racking system uses the Last-In-First-Out method, so if you have items that are time sensitive, you could end up with a lot of spoiled product.
- It allows an entry and exit for your forklift, but not much else.
- Pulling items off of the shelves can be a slow process if items are further back.
- Not good for cartons or small items.
- Not good for items that can spoil as it uses a Last-In-First-Out system.
Who Should Use Drive-In Pallet Racking?
So who should use a drive-in or drive-thru pallet shelves system? This can be a great method for anything who has a lot of the same product to store, and products are on relatively the same size of pallets. While drive-in pallet shelves can be made in virtually any size that you need, for them to be an effective use of your space you’ll want to be storing items that are about the same size. If this sounds like your materials handling facility and the items you are working with, drive-thru pallet shelves can maximize the space you have in a very affordable way. It might be worth exploring whether or not this storage method is going to be the right one for your warehouse, as it could mean giving you a lot of extra space that you might desperately need.
- Warehouses with a small number of products
- Warehouse with products that are not time sensitive
- Warehouses with products that need to be stored for a long period of time
RMH Can Help You Find the Right Storage Solutions for Your Warehouse
Drive-in pallet racking isn’t right for every warehouse, but it is right for a lot of them. If this isn’t the right system for you, we can help you find the one that is. If you are looking for ways to increase your storage capacity, then there are other methods available including:
- Mezzanine levels. This can increase your square footage without expanding your building.
- Cantilever racking systems. Great for long item storage without taking up a big footprint.
- Modular offices. Frees up space on the warehouse floor by moving admin and management into their own space.
- Expanding storage upwards. Many warehouses aren’t utilizing the space they have overhead!
- Reconfiguring the warehouse floor. Sometimes it’s just a matter of rearranging the warehouse to maximize the space you have. Working with an experienced warehouse designer can bring you even better results.
Want to learn more about all the storage solutions available for your facility? Visit the RMH Systems website then get in contact with our project managers. Our team can help you discover the solutions that you need in order to overcome any challenges your warehouse is currently facing. They’ll make sure this is the right fit for your facility and help you get the right products ordered. We can even help with your installation! Give us a call or use the form on our website. We’d love to get to work on maximizing your warehouse space today!
