The forklift truck is a very important tool to help workers raise and move heavy weight supplies and goods with efficiency and speed without straining their bodies. How a company utilizes this tool could significantly affect its profitability.
Free stacking pallets is the most common storage method. Using this storage system is both economical and easy for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets involves positioning one pallet on top of another to make a stack of products. This is a stable storage system and is recommended when dealing with many pallets of similar dimensions and height or huge amounts of the similar goods. The drawback of this technique is that it only allows access to the items placed last, so it does not allow a First In First Out system.
It is important to have a pallet racking method that involves the stable storage of various sized pallets. Using a First In First Out or Last In First Out method, would allow for easy access of any pallet. It enables the rack to change shape and grow depending upon every day needs. This specific system requires aisles that are wide enough to allow a lift truck to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The downside is that this system means less pallets can be handled within the setting. This might not make a difference if there is adequate space available.
Like Pallet Racking, the method known as Narrow Aisle Racking enables a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. It differs in that a special narrow lift truck is utilized. This means that smaller areas are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking way. The advantage is that more goods can be kept in the same area. The downside is that you will have to transition to a different type of truck if you already own a standard lift truck. The cost of acquiring special equipment might be a deterrent to adopting this technique of storage.
It is vital to utilize your lift truck to its full capability. It pays to analyze your time expenses in storage and retrieval of pallets. Afterward you can find out whether there are more effective ways to use your lift truck in order to speed up the process or to increase the usable space of your units. Greater effectiveness means greater productivity.