The lift truck has become a vital piece of equipment that could lift and transport things and heavy materials with both speed and efficiency. How a business makes use of this machinery can significantly affect its profitability.
A popular storage method is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to use your forklift which is both economical and easy. Free Stacking Pallets is positioning one pallet over another to create a stack of products. This is a stable storage technique and is suggested when handling many pallets of the same height and dimensions or large amounts of the similar goods. The disadvantage of this method is that it only enables access to the things placed last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a technique that involves the stable storage of various sized pallets. Any pallet could be accessed at any time, that allows a First In First Out or Last In First Out method. It allows the rack to grow and change shape depending upon daily requirements. This method requires aisles which are adequately wide to allow a lift truck to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The downside is that this method means fewer pallets can be handled within the environment. This might not make a difference if there is adequate space available.
Narrow aisle racking is similar to pallet racking in that it allows for a Last In First Out or First In First Out system. The difference in the method is how the special narrow lift truck is utilized. This means that smaller areas are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking technique. The advantage is that a lot more goods can be kept in the same area. The disadvantage is that you will have to transition to a different type of truck if you already own a typical forklift truck. The cost of acquiring special machines might be a deterrent to implementing this specific method of storage.
It is important to utilize your lift truck to its full potential. It pays to analyze your time expenses in storage and retrieval of pallets. After that you could find out whether there are more effective means to use your lift truck in order to speed up the process or to increase the usable area of your units. Greater effectiveness equals greater productivity.