The lift truck has become a vital piece of equipment able to lift and transport products and heavy supplies with both efficiency and speed. How a company utilizes this machinery can significantly affect its productivity.
Free stacking pallets is the most popular storage system. Utilizing this storage technique is both economical and easy for your lift truck. Free Stacking Pallets involves positioning one pallet on top of another to make a stack of products. This is a stable storage technique and is recommended when handling numerous pallets of the same dimensions and height or huge amounts of the same goods. The drawback of this specific technique is that it just enables access to the things put 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 can be accessed at any time, which allows a First In First Out or Last In First Out system. It allows the rack to change shape and grow depending upon every day needs. This technique requires aisles which are wide enough to enable a lift truck to maneuver easily and to freely access the racks. The disadvantage is that this specific method means fewer pallets can be handled within the environment. This might not make a difference if there is sufficient space available.
Narrow aisle racking is like pallet racking in that it allows for a Last In First Out or First In First Out technique. The difference in the technique 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 method. The advantage is that more product could be stored in the same area. The disadvantage is that you will have to transition to a new truck if you already own a typical lift truck. The cost of obtaining special machines might be a deterrent to implementing this technique of storage.
Using your forklift to its fullest potential is important because it pays to consider your retrieval costs and storage costs of pallets. Then you can find out whether there are more effective means to use your lift truck to increase the usable space of your units or to speed up the process. Greater effectiveness means greater productivity.