What is right for your storage system: Industrial Shelving Or Pallet Racking
Most common thought that can come to a mind while designing is racking and shelving storage system is , the need of shelves or racks?
The answer really depends on the type of items that are being stored . If you’re going to store handpicked items, then probably you can opt the shelving solution for storage of items because you’ll more than likely hand-select what you need,eg pharmaceutical products. But, If you are storing large volumes of similar products like shoes, sporting goods, or toys, food items, eetc you would probably want a pallet rack system because these items are usually bound in stacks on pallets.
Some warehouses are strictly one type of system or the other. However, there are a number of warehouses that make use of both shelves and pallet racks. It really comes down to your needs. If you don’t think you’ll be using forklifts to move large pallets of products, shelving may be the way to go. If you’re going to be moving large amounts of goods on pallets, you’ll need racks.
Industrial Shelving
Shelving is the basic type of storage system. Your typical industrial shelf is used for small goods. People pick up and place these goods by hand, not by using a forklift or other vehicle. They are generally shelved individually, not by pallet, although small goods may be bundled together or be in small boxes. However, today more and more warehouses are using automated drone systems that can reach into shelves and pick up items.
Physically, shelving is made out of metal or, rarely nowadays, wood. Shelving may be any height and have any number of solid shelves on it. These shelves usually are made out of a solid piece of metal or wood rather than mesh, and some actually have a solid back on them as well. While most shelves sit on the ground (some are even bolted), there are some that are on wheels or that are mechanized. These mechanized shelves can be moved apart when someone needs to access the middle section, helping save on space.
Pallet Racking
Pallet racks, on the other hand, are usually designed to be accessed only by machines such as forklifts, cherry pickers, or automated systems. Racks are taller and deeper than shelves because they don’t need to be limited by a person’s height or by the length of their arms. Pallets full of goods or products in large boxes can be stored on pallet racks.
Racks are made out of heavy-duty materials and are almost always attached to the floor or the wall for extra safety. They can be any height, although most warehouses do avoid stacking pallets above a certain height for safety reasons. Instead of a solid shelf, pallet racks have mesh shelves or even no shelves at all. Some feature special rails that the pallets slide into.
