Friday, March 21, 2014

Why A Proper Warehouse Racking System Design Is Important For Your Plant

By Gwen Lowe


Storage facilities or busy manufacturing or fabricating plants need the best in warehouse racking system design. This is to ensure the proper storage, movement and presentation of all parts, equipment and finished goods in a controlled way. Most of these systems will utilize steel structures and others have taken advantage of fiberglass and extruded plastic materials.

The appropriate design for these elements of your plant must account for the size of materials and what platforms they are moved around on. The most popular form of racking design is the individual bay, based on the size of the average pallet. This makes it easy to place pallets into the bays and remove them from either the front or back of the bay.

When thinking about the various ways that shelving can be accomplished, know that fasteners are a very good idea for those standing next to wall. The free standing racking need additional assistance to be a safe receiver of materials without falling or moving. Deciding about access, either from the front or back or both will also be on the table for discussion.

The first thing that must be done, when thinking about a new or redesigned racking system is to get an idea of what needs to happen in any average shift. This information will be listed, by the design engineer, and used for planning the perfect system. The material of construction will be identified based on the weight that will be placed on them, the conditions of the floor, walls, atmosphere and height in which they will be constructed.

Standard traffic patterns that you have always had may need to be altered in minor ways. The addition of racking systems that will handle all of your needs may not be able to be as close to other equipment as you would like. Different material handling equipment may be needed to allow for the up close removal and placement you have been accustomed to in the past.

When considering side access to bays, extra space will often be needed. The use of this type of access is appropriate at the ends of a continuous run of shelves and in specially constructed systems that can be explored. Many of the items stored will have to be analyzed in order to achieve the best use and the most safety in all situations.

Examining all of the options is what a firm specializing in these systems will help you with. There are many configurations of shelves, some of which have self facing rollers. There are specific designs that will have pallets held firmly with attachments until they are released. Others will be have rails that allow the insertion of specific drums, barrels or tanks.

Companies who specialize in these racking systems are available for consultation, design and installation of many types of shelving. Taking advantage of these firms will ensure your plant has the best system for your industry and the work flow you have or want. Bring to them your thoughts, needs and requirements and let them help you discover the easiest way to do the hardest things.




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