The design and type of pallet rack system you use in your warehouse affects the way you manage your storage and product distribution processes. If you store a lot of similar products or ones with long storage dates, then a last-in-first-out (LIFO) system, such as drive-in pallet racks, is often an effective solution.

How does this kind of system help you manage your warehousing needs?

Get More Pallets In A Smaller Space

If you're close to full capacity in your warehouse and want to boost your storage space to either store more products or add new ones, then you might not have an easy way to increase your usable space. If you don't have any extra room, then you either have to store fewer products or find a way to make your warehouse bigger. This might involve a rebuild or a move, both of which involve some cost investment and disruption.

If you switch to using LIFO warehouse pallet rack shelving, then you maximize your available space. These racks take up less room than other options.

For example, these systems enable you to use a single-entry drive-in system. You can access any rack from any point to load or unload your products from one aisle. You can also build racks with more depth to hold more products.

So, you might be able to reduce the number of aisles you need in your warehouse. If you lose less space to aisles, then you create more space for racks. You can store more products or add new ones in the space you currently have available without having to extend your warehouse's footprint or to move to a bigger building.

Streamline Your Loading And Unloading Processes

If you work on a first-in-first-out system, then you have to spend more time organizing your racks. You have to ensure that you have access to products that went on the rack first over ones that you loaded more recently.

This can take some juggling. You'll spend longer loading racks to make sure that things go in the right places. Unloading times might also increase if your forklift operators have to find the right things to take off a shelf at the right time.

If you use LIFO warehouse racking systems, then you create a simplified process. You don't have to worry about staggering storage by loading date. Your forklift crews don't have to spend time finding the right product to unload from a shelf. They simply take the first available one. This reduces the time it takes them to unload orders.

To find out more about LIFO products, contact warehouse rack system suppliers.

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