While your racking systems and storage might appear to be working well and you might not see any obvious issues with their exterior, there may be a number of underlying issues that could be affecting the way they work, thus endangering both your products and your staff.
Throughout the day your racking can pick up an infinite number of knocks and scrapes. This could be through poor design or layout, overloading the racking, day-to-day damage by forklift trucks, or adjusting them without proper training.
It’s said that this type of damage to racking can reduce its load bearing capacity by as much as 40%. So it’s important that any issues are dealt with quickly in order to maintain the efficiency of your operations.
What’s more, when racking is damaged it can become unstable which means that you are risking both valuable stock and also the health and safety of your staff.
This is why it’s important to have a professional team inspect your racking on a regular basis. We recommend that racking inspections are carried out at least once a year.
To learn more about Logical Storage’s rack inspections, please click here, or contact us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs.
Unfortunately, many do not realise that the probability of a racking collapse is quite high and that damage is not uncommon. They might not also realise the effect that a piece of damaged equipment may be having on the efficiency of their business, especially when damage to racking can reduce load bearing capacity by as much as 40%.
Here are some of the common causes of damage to racking:
Adjusting or re-assembling racking without proper training
Continued use of damaged pallets which cause damage to beams
Poor design or layout
Overloading
Damage by forklift trucks
In order to address these issues you should ensure that forklift truck drivers are given thorough training, racking bears only the weight it is designed to hold, broken or damaged pallets are removed from use immediately and that all of your racking is installed and repaired by trained professionals.
Key to ensuring a long lifespan for your racking is to undergo regular reviews, preventative maintenance and repairs of your racking, thus ensuring that both your stock and your employees are protected. Remember that racking damage is not always visible to the untrained eye and so reviews and repairs should be undertaken by an experienced company.
Logical Storage Solutions have extensive experience in performing racking inspections and can help guide businesses in meeting their legal duties and Health & Safety obligations. To learn more about a Logical Storage rack inspection, click here or call us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs.
Every business is different and has its own individual need and requirements. However, some storage companies might not necessarily recommend the best type of racking for your company. Instead, they might try to sell you the one that is most expensive or old stock that they are trying to offload quickly.
While racking systems can dramatically speed up your operations and free up the floor space to available to you, you need to be confident that you have the right kind. For example if you choose a pallet racking system that uses a push back system, you will benefit from being able to store away lots of pallets but you may struggle to gain access to individual pallets as quickly as other forms of racking, which could be a problem if you need quick access to fulfil orders.
To decide the right type of racking that will improve the efficiency of your businesses you should consider the following questions.
1) How much floor space do you have available to you?
2) How much overhead space / ceiling space do you have available to you?
3) How often will you need to gain access to pallets?
4) What quantity of pallets do you need to store?
Here at Logical Storage we have extensive experience with helping businesses to find the right racking solutions which will increase capacity and help their businesses to operate with greater efficiency. To learn more about our racking solutions click here or call us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs.
Logical Storage has been praised by one of their clients for doing a fantastic job when installing a state of the art new pallet racking system into their brand new warehouse.
Based in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, Stiller Warehousing and Distribution is a regional third party logistics provider with over 50 years of experience in the sector. Established in 1954, this family-owned business has a wealth of experience in transport, distribution and warehousing and has worked with some of the best known manufacturers and resellers in the country. They provide cost-effective warehousing and distribution services to businesses in the North East region as well as commercial property lettings, and currently employ 140 people.
Stiller recently opened a brand new state-of-the-art £1.1million warehouse as they look to expand into new markets. This new warehouse has increased by nearly 50% the family firm’s warehousing capacity at its premises in the heart of Aycliffe Business Park. Logical Storage Solutions was responsible for the design, supply and installation of the new 21st century VNA (Very Narrow Aisle) pallet racking system. The racking system fills the 40,000 sq ft warehouse and will hold up to 5,000-pallets. VNA pallet racking means that each and every pallet is 100% accessible and the system makes excellent use of both the building height and the floor space. As well as fantastic space utilisation, VNA pallet racking also results in very fast throughput speeds and hassle-free loading and unloading. It is straight forward and quick to install and conforms to all European and British Standards.
Stiller’s Managing Director Paul Stiller said: “The new warehouse offers excellent space utilisation thanks to the fantastic racking system that was designed, supplied and installed by Logical Storage Solutions. The racking system has helped to make our warehousing and distribution process much more efficient, which in turn makes us more competitive and with that brings the prospect of more jobs. Also, because of the new racking equipment we will now be able to target different types of businesses, including food-based clients and pharmaceutical companies, because the new facility is a very clean and efficient working environment. We are absolutely delighted with the work that Logical Storage carried out for us – the quality of their work and their performance from the conceptual stage right through to the completion of the project was second to none, and we would happily recommend them to anyone.”
For more information about Stiller Warehousing and Distribution, please visit http://www.stiller.co.uk/
Logical Storage Solutions is an innovative provider of storage equipment and interior workspaces for both industrial and commercial environments, including pallet racking systems. As no two problems are the same, Logical Storage offers a consultative approach to understand business’s operational priorities. With their head office in the Midlands, they are able to offer a nationwide service for all single or multi site operations, and are a one stop provider of solutions to all storage, workspace and maintenance problems.
Warehouses face a constant battle with space, and this can cause a headache for even the most experienced of managers. As businesses grow, so too does their need for storage space, and many businesses might find their current facilities are unable to deal with the demands placed on it. Of course there is the option to move location, but this can be costly, disruptive and time consuming.
Perhaps the answer instead might lie with utilising the full potential of current facilities, and making the most of the space you already have. Pallet racking systems can prove extremely useful when looking for ways to do this. These systems can be configured in a variety of ways, and each one serves a different purpose.
In a drive in drive through racking system, units are stored one behind the other along continuous beams. This is particularly suitable for large volumes of products, and proves to be a good alternative to block stacking for loads which are far too fragile to be stacked on top of each other.
As a result of being able to stack units behind one another, this eliminates the need for traditional loading aisles, and in doing so greatly increases space within the warehouse compared to standard pallet racking which would require different aisles for accessing individual units.
All businesses are subjected to change at some point; drive in/drive through racking systems offer a great deal of flexibility when it comes to dealing with these changes. Easy to install and highly adjustable, these systems offer a good solution to the uncertainties placed on demand. It’s easy to adjust the beam positions, allowing for firms to make alterations depending on the size or shape of different units that might need to be stored. In addition, these systems provide warehouses the opportunity to quickly expand their capacity, as new racks can be easily installed alongside existing ones as storage demands increase.
If you are interested in finding out more about our drive in – drive through racking systems, or other styles of racking solutions, then please call us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs in more detail.
Dynamic pallet flow is a first-in / first-out (FIFO) automated storage system that allows you to efficiently maintain a high density of storage. This system allows you to save up to 60% of floor space compared to conventional racking systems and the automated aspect ensures that the picking aisle is constantly stocked.
Dynamic pallet flow systems use a roller conveyor track set at a slight incline which allows pallets to move freely from deposit to collection. The roller conveyor track is supported by a racking system and wheels and brakes are used to control the speed of the pallets’ movement.
Operating these systems is simple: pallets are loaded from the rear (the highest point) and off-loaded at the front. When a pallet is removed from the front the pallet directly behind it moves into the picking position to become first in the queue. This gravity assisted roller system allows for quick and efficient inventory turnover.
This dynamic racking system is ideal for food distribution, freezer warehouses or in any situation where a high-volume of customer goods is present. As well as being quick to install, one of the main benefits of this system is that it allows loading and unloading to be performed in different aisles. This allows operators to carry out their duties without the hassle of congestion issues or interruptions.
When tailoring a dynamic pallet flow system to your business requirements, Logical Storage Solutions will need to know the amount of space available and the size and weight of the items being stored. This information will then be used to calculate:
Here at Logical Storage we understand that every business has different requirements that need to be met, and because of this we will always aim to provide a tailored service and use our knowledge and skills to recommend the best form of racking for you. Let’s take a look at some of the options that are available:
Wide-aisle
Wide-aisle pallet racking is among the most commonly used forms of pallet racking. It is made up of vertical frames and horizontal beams, all of which are fully adjustable which makes it a very versatile form of pallet-racking.
Very Narrow Aisle (VNA)
If you’re looking for a way of making the most of a high roofs, then VNA (very narrow aisle) racking should be your first choice. Used in conjunction with ‘man-up’ / ‘man down’ trucks you can store pallets very high within slim line aisles.
Double-deep
Just like wide-aisle racking, double deep racking utilizes adjustable frames and beams in order to store pallets in two’s at each picking face. This increases warehouse efficiency by increasing the amount of storage possible.
Drive In / Drive through
For storage of bulk items, drive-in racking is ideal. Pallets are loaded close together which offers an increase in your overall warehouse storage capacity.
Dynamic push back
Dynamic push back racking uses trolleys and steel guide channels to hold pallets at a maximum of four pallets deep, per level. It is relatively quick to install and has a throughput 25% faster than Drive-in racking.
Dynamic pallet flow
If you are looking for automatic stock rotation then dynamic pallet flow racking is an obvious choice. It is loaded from the rear and off-loaded from the front with pallets placed on an inclined roller conveyor track which is supported by racking. It saves up to 60% more space than conventional pallet racking.
If you are interested in finding out more about any of these racking options, or other styles of racking like mobile and shuttle racking then please call us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs in more detail.
Pallet racking is used in warehouses that store and distribute large amounts of products. The most common form of pallet racking, and also one of the most popular, is the wide aisle variety of pallet racking.
This kind of racking system is made up of vertical frames and horizontal beams that form the basis of its system used for storing palletised loads. For busy warehouses, it is favoured for a simple and easy to access design where any pallet is within reach.
Wide aisle pallet racking is quite versatile and all of the beams are fully adjustable (in 50mm increments) which means you can adjust them to meet your business’s needs. Because of its versatility and easy access, wide aisle pallet racking is often a popular choice for new warehouses owners and warehouses where there are peaks in demand.
The process of installing wide aisle pallet racking should be straight forward and quick. Logical Storage possess many years of experience in installation and all of our racking is designed to meet all European & British standards of quality. Contact us on 0845 689 1300 to discuss your needs in further detail.
Businesses up and down the country are struggling with a big problem: space. As the economy has come out of recession and has been slowly growing and heading back towards the level they were at before the economic crash, businesses are facing a dilemma. They are doing more trade as the economy improves, and so want to expand, but the recovery isn’t strong enough for businesses to feel they can take a risk on new premises. So what should they do?
To grow with the economy and not get left behind, they need more space. But to move to bigger premises at such a delicate time would be for many businesses a leap of faith too far. Fortunately, there are lots of ways businesses can capitalise on their existing space to make sure they use every inch of what they already have, allowing them to grow without having to move. Here are five key ways:
Consider a mezzanine floor. If your warehouse, offices, retail store or any other commercial building has lots of space above the ground floor, then it is currently being wasted. A mezzanine floor could double the amount of space you have for selling products, storing products, distribution or could even be used for offices.
Make sure you are using the most efficient type and size of racking and shelving for your business needs – discuss the options with professionals to make sure the storage you have is right for you.
Repair any damaged shelves or racking. If you have racking which cannot be used because it is unsafe then it is a waste of resources. Get it repaired or replaced.
Have regular racking inspections to prevent any future problems before it’s too late.
Use office partitions and space planning to make the best use of your office space, so that way you can fit more people into the space and work in a more efficient and effective manner.
Here at Logical Storage, we know that no two businesses are the same, and may need to consider one, all, or a combination of some of these solutions to help create more space for their company to flourish. Give us a call on 0845 689 1300 to see how we can help you.
Posted on: October 11th, 2013 by admin No Comments
For many businesses, space is incredibly valuable. Many of us need more of it, yet we don’t want to take the step of moving to bigger premises in times of economic uncertainty. Therefore, the logical alternative is to utilise the space we already have in the best way possible. Logical Storage can help with this in a number of ways.
One major option would be for us to design and install a mezzanine floor in your warehouse or building, if you have the space for it. This option can double your floor space, allowing you to use the wasted space in your building for offices, storage, retail, production or other uses.
Alternatively, we can look at the type of racking you are using for storage, and assess whether there is a type of racking that is more suited to your needs that you might not know about. You may find that your racking could go higher, or the space between it could be narrower, thus allowing you more storage space. There is a wide range of different types of racking available, such as wide aisle racking, very narrow aisle racking, drive-in racking, cantilever racking and dynamic push back racking. As well as racking, we also have a wide range of shelving.
You might also be losing storage space because the racking that you do have is damaged and not in a fit state to be used. We can make sure that your racking is functioning at optimum efficiency, carry out repairs to damaged racking to ensure it is fit for purpose, and can conduct Preventative Maintenance to make sure that you can continue to use all of the storage space you have available to you.
Out of the warehouse, you may feel that you need more office space, perhaps on your new mezzanine floor. We have experienced space planners that can help you to get the very best out of your office design, with a wide range of partitions.
So, there are lots of different methods that we can employ to make sure you’re using the space you currently have to maximum efficiency. To discuss these options further, please give us a call on 0845 689 1300.
Racking 
Office 
Mezzanine 
Shelving 
Rack 
Warehouse 
Rack 
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
