What is pallet racking and how can you make the most of your stock and storage space?

Plain Pallets on 5 April 2017

Efficient processes in your warehousing can make a huge difference to your bottom line. This is especially important for larger businesses and those increasing the scale of their production.

Planning for sustainable business growth requires efficient processes to be in place. Warehousing logistics and stock management can be some of the biggest efficiency challenges you're likely to face.

Here's our guide to improving efficiency with effective pallet storage methods.

Types of pallet racking and pallet storage

Pallet racking

There are many different strategies for pallet storage. The most efficient way to store your goods will depend on your business and the type of products you produce. The different methods of pallet storage include:

  • Pallet racking – The most common type of storage, pallets are stored in racks for easy access. There are several different types of pallet racks which suit different purposes.

  • Block stacking – When the pallet load is self supporting, pallets can be stored directly on top of each other in lanes or blocks on the warehouse floor. This will depend on the type of goods you produce.

  • Pallet stacking frames – Stacking frames allow pallets to be stacked several high on top of each other on the warehouse floor without pallet loads taking any weight.

The benefits of pallet racking

Pallet racking 2

Pallet racking is the most common type of storage for warehouses and factories because it is simple and easy to implement, as well as being an efficient method for storing goods.

The most important distinction between different types of pallet storage options is whether you need to store your goods as FIFO (first in, first out) or LIFO (last in, first out). Both of these methods can be achieved with pallet racking by using specific types of pallet racks.

Some of the specialised types of pallet racks include types of pallet racks, including double deep racks, drive-in racks, flow racks, and push back racks.

These options can be used to maximise storage space and efficiency. Each of these methods has its own drawbacks, so you will need to make sure that the method you choose is going to suit your production.

How to maximise pallet storage efficiency

Maximising your pallet storage efficiency depends on having a clear understanding of how you need to use the goods you are storing.

If you have several different products, all of which need to be readily accessible, then your pallet storage method will need to take this into account. There are also storage methods which maximise storage space but do not allow ready access to all your goods at once.

You also need to consider whether your goods need to be stored with FIFO or LIFO in mind. Both storage methods can be optimised with specific racks for that purpose. Flow racking supports FIFO while push back racking supports LIFO and both options use warehouse space efficiently.

Choose Plain Pallets

Whichever method of pallet storage is best for your business, we can supply you with all the pallets you need. We supply a range of pallets to suit all applications, including export palletsplastic pallets, and remanufactured secondhand pallets.

We aim to give you the best customer service when you buy our pallets, and we can typically deliver your order on the next business day.

For more information about our pallets or to get a quote, call us on 03 9545 7344.