The lift truck has become a vital piece of machinery able to raise and move things and heavy supplies with both efficiency and speed. The way a company uses this machinery can significantly affect its profitability.
A common storage method is Free Stacking Pallets. This is a way to utilize your forklift that is both easy and economical. Free Stacking Pallets is placing one pallet on top of another to create a stack of products. This is a stable storage method and is suggested when handling many pallets of the same height and dimensions or large amounts of the same goods. The disadvantage of this particular method is that it only allows access to the objects placed last, so it does not enable a First In First Out system.
Pallet Racking is a technique that involves the stable storage of different sized pallets. Any pallet can be accessed at any time, which enables a First In First Out or Last In First Out system. It enables the rack to grow and change shape depending upon every day requirements. This specific system needs aisles that are wide enough to allow a forklift to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The disadvantage is that this system means fewer pallets could be handled within the setting. This may not make a difference if there is adequate space available.
Narrow aisle racking is similar to pallet racking in that it allows for a First In First Out or Last In First Out system. The difference in the system is how the special narrow forklift is utilized. This means that smaller spaces are necessary between the aisles of pallets than in the Pallet Racking way. The benefit is that much more product could be kept in the same space. The downside is that you would have to transition to a new truck if you already own a regular lift truck. The cost of acquiring special machinery may be a deterrent to adopting this particular system of storage.
Utilizing your lift truck to its fullest potential is vital since it pays to consider your retrieval costs and storage costs of pallets. Then you could find out whether there are more efficient ways to use your forklift to speed up the process or to increase the usable space of your units. Greater efficiency means bigger profitability.