What are pallet rack systems? If you have ever been inside of a warehouse, bulk item store, or distribution facility you may have seen huge shelves filled with inventory. These shelves are called “Pallet Racks”. The racks, when put together in multiple levels of horizontal rows, are called a “rack system”. The use of these rack systems allows for more efficiency in storage and use of space. Forklift trucks are used to place loaded pallets, or skids by another name, of goods onto the racks.
There are several types of pallet rack systems in use today. Each design has a specific use and function depending on its use. The most widely used design is the Selective Pallet Rack, using a tear drop clip system to make the racks fully adjustable. This design allows for quickly resetting individual shelves to various heights when multiple sizes and weight are being stored. Such requirements are common in big box stores like Big Lots or Best Buy, cold storage facilities, or inventory distribution centers for businesses such as Wal-Mart.
The next common design, being very similar to the Selective Pallet Rack, is the Structural Pallet Rack system. This design uses bolts to hold the racks firmly in place, giving them capacity to handle greater weight. This design can also be used as part of the support structure for the building where the upright columns support the roof of the building, replacing the I-beams. These rack systems can hold heavier, oversized, or bulky items.
If a business needed more storage, and less aisle space, they would use a VNA design or Very Narrow Aisle. This design allows for greater storage capacity and uses a “reach truck” with either a rail-guided system or a wire-guided system to place inventory properly.
Push-back Pallet Racks, and Pallet Flow Racks, are used when maximum storage capacity is needed. Both designs use depth instead of width allowing the rows to be multiple pallets deep. Push-back Racks put pallets on wheeled racks placed on rails and uses gravity to help move inventory. This makes moving pallets into position much easier, taking less time and effort. When a forklift sets the pallet onto the cart, it drives forward and causes the pallet to bump the next pallet, causing the entire row of pallets to roll backwards1. The Pallet Flow design is a more complex version of the Push-back design in that it uses a breaking system to control the speed of the pallets movement.
These are the most often seen racking systems in use today. While each has it's benefits, the cost range varies with the Selective Rack system being the least expensive while the Pallet Flow Rack is the most expensive. Depending on the need, each specific rack system can provide the most efficiant and most effective use of the space available for many different businesses.
