Pallets are the largest material handling units in a warehouse. These rigid surfaces are extremely useful in space management, ensuring safety of the stock as well as the workers, and in bringing the total operational cost down. However, different warehouses require different palletizing methods that agree well with their sizes, type of goods and amount of goods.
Pallets and their Utility
In this issue of Rattusapps blogs, we would be discussing the process of palletizing at a considerable length. Pallets are the largest material handling unit within the warehouse. Pallets are surfaces made out of wood or plastic that can hold multiple cartons. Cartons are useful in optimizing the warehouse space as they can be stacked up vertically so that the space and the aisle do not become congested. And because of the facility, it provides in carrying numbers of boxes, they can be utilized to move and store products weighing up to tons.
Pallets that are sensibly chosen can be extremely beneficial in bringing down the cost of operations and can ensure energy consumption, the safety of the workers and the products, and make movements an easier affair. Pallets can come in various standardized dimensions and the dimensions can vary amongst nations and continents according to the convenience of their conveyance norms.
Types of Palletizing
Warehouses must choose the correct palletizing methods to make sure flexibility in storage and movement is achieved based on factors such as the warehouse size, height of the ceiling, the kind of products that they store, and the inventory management methods that they apply.
These are the following methods in which warehouses can streamline their palletizing process:
- Selective Pallet Rack: This method is also known as the Single-Deep Rack. In this scenario, each pallet rack holds one pallet and thus they are easily accessible to the pickers or the forklift operators from any side and can be reconfigured to maximize warehouse space. This is the easiest and the most common method. However, it is to be noted that it can be problematic from the point-of-view of the space-saving as this palletizing process can take a considerable amount of space.
- Double-Deep Rack: In this process, one row of a single-deep rack is put behind another row. In this way, the warehouse’s storage capacity can be given a positive push. In order to avoid confusion and double-handling, an entire lane of pallets is supposed to be dedicated to a singular type of product. However, in case the products are stored in an odd number of pallets, sometimes racks can go unoccupied.
- Bock Stacking: Another very basic palletizing method in which the pallets are stacked on top of each other. The height of such pallet lanes is not defined but they depend on factors like the pallets’ quality, fragility, warehouse ceiling, type of product etcetera. This method is low on cost and does not require special machinery or training. This method is especially appropriate for products that are dispatched and stored on the last-in-first-out (LIFO) basis.
- Gravity Flow Racks: Also known as pallet flow racks, this method is especially useful in warehouses storing food items or perishable consignments that require the first-in-first-out method (FIFO). Pallets are stored on the slanted carts which have the rollers built in them. As soon as one pallet is retrieved, the remaining pallets are moved forward so that accessing pallets can become very easy. Products are put away on the higher end of the slopes and thus the operations of putaway and picking do not get mingled.
- Push Back Rack: 3 to 5 pallets are made to sit on racks in which each lane can be pulled out like a drawer. This makes all the lanes accessible individually.
- Drive-In/Drive-Through Rack: In this method, forklifts can access the pallet lanes by entering the rack frames. The racks can go as deep as more than 5 pallets. While drive-through trucks enter from one end of the lane and exit from the other, drive-in trucks have a common point for entry and exit. Drive-through racks are beneficial for products that are stored on a FIFO basis. Such racks are supported by welded frames and are extremely durable and efficient in saving space. However, these racks are not as flexible as other types of palletizing processes, and operating forklifts and equipment in these racks can be a very complex task.